Facebook has announced big changes to the Instagram app which aim to turn the photo-sharing social network into even more of an instant-messenger platform.
First, users of Instagram will soon be able to send DMs to users of Facebook’s Messenger. This cross-platform support will make it easier for users of both platforms to connect without having to download additional apps, and it works both ways (that is, Messenger users will be able to send DMs to Instagram users, too).
On top of that, Instagram is getting a handful of Messenger’s best features. This includes Watch Together, which allows you to watch videos from Facebook Watch, IGTV Reels, and more while on a video call, and Vanish Mode, which lets users set messages to disappear after they’ve been seen.
Instagram’s new features.
Selfie stickers, personalized chat colors, custom emoji reactions, and message forwarding are also launching in the revamped service, which Facebook is calling “a Messenger experience” for Instagram. With the photo-sharing app becoming more popular than ever, it makes sense for Facebook to push advanced messaging features Instagram’s way. Of course, it also helps to tie users within Facebook’s ecosystem closer together, too.
And for those of you who are considering deleting your Facebook account after reading this article, don’t worry: there’ll be an option in the Instagram app for those who don’t want to receive messages from Facebook friends. It’ll also be possible to choose whether message requests go to your Chats list or Message Requests folder.
According to Facebook, the changes are launching in the Instagram app in “a few countries” before a global rollout which is coming soon. You can download the Instagram app free of charge on the App Store. And before you ask: no, there still isn’t an app for iPadOS.