Instagram tests a new 'Instants' app for sharing disappearing photos

· Source ↗

TLDR

  • Instagram is piloting Instants, a standalone app for one-view-only disappearing photos with no edits or camera-roll uploads allowed.

Key Takeaways

  • Photos are viewable once and expire after 24 hours; no editing, no camera-roll uploads, text-only additions permitted.
  • Sharing targets mutual followers or a Close Friends list, synced from the main Instagram account.
  • Currently live in Spain and Italy on iOS and Android; users can also access Instants inside the main Instagram app.
  • Instagram previously tested Instants as an in-app feature before splitting it into a standalone app.
  • Official framing: “low-pressure ways to connect with friends” and “casual photos and videos in the moment.”

Why It Matters

  • Instagram is again fragmenting into specialized apps (cf. Threads, Boomerang), betting focused utility beats features buried inside a super-app.
  • Direct competitive pressure on Snapchat and Locket; BeReal’s audience has declined, leaving the ephemeral-authentic niche partially open.
  • Restricting uploads to in-app camera only is a deliberate authenticity constraint that differentiates from Stories, which already allow camera-roll posts.

Aisha Malik, TechChrunch · 2026-04-23 · Read the original