Instagram today officially launched a new “Instants” feature, allowing users to share current moments with friends or co-followers in the most direct and unembellished way. With one tap, you can take a photo that can only be viewed once and expires after 24 hours. Since Live Photos cannot be edited in advance, this design encourages everyone to share their daily lives as they really happen, rather than carefully edited or re-selected images.
Instagram launches Instant Photos feature, a new way to instantly share photos with friends
To use this feature, you can find a small photo icon in the lower right corner of your Instagram inbox and click it to open the camera; or you can directly download and open the standalone Instants app. The two methods of use are exactly the same: you can add a short text description after taking a photo, but you cannot perform other edits such as filters and cropping, and you cannot upload old photos from the album, ensuring that each photo is a true record of the “moment”.
After the photo is taken, you can choose to share it with close friends or fans you follow. The recipients will see your instant photo in their inbox, and can respond with emoticons, send messages, or even snap an instant photo back to you. Once the photo is viewed, it disappears and cannot be opened again, making the overall interaction closer to the rhythm of a real conversation.
Currently, the Instants app is available on iOS and Android platforms in some countries. Users only need to log in with their Instagram account to capture and share photos directly with the Instants camera. Content shared through Instants appears in your Instagram inbox simultaneously, so the experience is consistent no matter which app you use.
In addition to instant sharing, Instagram has also designed some extended functions for Instants:
- Private archive: All the moments you capture are automatically stored in a private archive that only you can view, for up to one year. You can find the entrance in the upper right corner of the “Moments” page.
- Story review: If you want to organize these moments into a review video, you can click “Create Review” in the archive to edit the highlights and share them to Instagram Stories.
- Disable screenshots: To protect privacy, friends cannot take screenshots or record the screen of the instant photos you share.
- Undo function: If you accidentally send it to the wrong person or regret sharing it, just press the undo button and you can quickly take it back before the other party views it. You can also delete instant messages from your archive that have been sent but not yet opened.
- Pause receiving: If you want to not be disturbed for a while, you can long press the instant message pile in the inbox and swipe right to pause receiving; swipe left to resume.
In terms of security and privacy, Instants continues all of Instagram’s existing protection measures. Functions such as blocking, muting, restrictions, content filters, and reporting are also applicable to Instants. You can also restrict specific friends from sending Instants to you. All instant photos will only be shown to the people you choose and will not be published or recommended to others.
For teen users, Instants has also been automatically integrated into Instagram’s teen accounts and Family Center. If parents already supervise their children on Instagram, these settings will extend directly to Instants without additional adjustments. Relevant protective measures include:
- Sharing time limit: Time a teen spends on Instants counts toward Instagram’s daily usage limit.
- Sleep mode: Defaulted between 10pm and 7am, notifications are automatically turned off and access is restricted.
- Security Tools: Blocking, muting, restrictions, content filters and reporting are all available.
- Parental Notification: Parents will be alerted when their teen downloads Instants for the first time.
Starting today, Instagram Live Photos is rolling out globally as a new feature and as a standalone app in select countries, allowing users to share moments in their lives in an easier, more immediate and authentic way.
Source: KOCPC Chinese