Instagram has expanded its suite of standalone apps with a new offering called Instants, a lightweight experience focused on quick, disappearing photo sharing that echoes one of Snapchat’s core features.
Now available in select regions, the Instants app (formerly part of Instagram’s “Shots” feature inside the Messages section) has been separated into its own app to make in-the-moment sharing faster and easier. The move reflects Instagram’s ongoing strategy of breaking out focused experiences into dedicated apps for users who want a streamlined tool for specific tasks.
Instants opens directly to the camera after you sign in with your Instagram account. The workflow is intentionally simple: take a photo, send it to friends, and the photo disappears after 24 hours. The app emphasizes immediacy and real-life moments rather than polished, edited posts.
Instagram describes the app with the following key points:
Introducing Instants, an app from Instagram. Share disappearing photos with friends. Connect with your favorite people over life’s little moments.
Real life, real quick
- Quick access to the camera so you can capture and share moments instantly, with no edits required.
Photos disappear
- Instants are ephemeral: once viewed and after 24 hours they are no longer available to view.
Use either app
- Instants content can be shared and viewed from the standalone app or from within the main Instagram app for convenience.
Because anything shared through Instants is also accessible from the main Instagram app, the new app is more about convenience and speed than introducing entirely new functionality. It targets users who want a minimal, camera-first interface for ephemeral photo sharing without navigating Instagram’s broader set of features.
The interface and behavior of Instants will feel familiar to anyone who has used ephemeral messaging or disappearing photo features on other platforms. With its single-purpose design and 24-hour disappearance window, Instants is essentially Instagram’s dedicated answer to quick, casual photo sharing. For users, this means less friction when sending a quick snapshot to friends and a focus on authentic, unedited moments rather than curated posts.
Instants is available on Android and iOS in supported regions. The rollout appears to be region-dependent, so availability may vary by country. For those who get the app, the benefit is a faster path to the camera and a simplified sharing experience that complements Instagram’s primary app rather than replacing it.
More on Instagram:
- Instagram finally settles on pause for a tap on Reels instead of mute
- Instagram app launches on Google TV with Reels on the big screen
- Instagram’s Reels-first redesign might get a customizable ‘Your feeds’
Follow Ben: Twitter/X, Threads, Bluesky, and Instagram