Instagram Instants feature sparks backlash as users complain about cluttered DMs
Instagram’s new Instants feature is drawing criticism only days after rollout, with users saying the platform has added another layer of disappearing-photo sharing to an inbox that was already crowded.
Instagram began rolling out Instants on May 13, and the feature places a photo-stack icon in the bottom-right corner of the DM inbox, where users can send ephemeral photos to close friends or mutual followers.
The photos disappear after they are viewed or after 24 hours, and they cannot be captured in screenshots or screen recordings.
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| Credit: Instagram |
What Instants does?
Instagram says Instants is meant for more casual sharing, and the company has framed it as a way to move away from polished posts on profile grids. In its launch material, Instagram said:
“Instants are ephemeral to viewers but are saved in your archive for up to a year and can be reshared as a recap to Stories.”
The feature also lets users undo a send immediately after posting, or delete an Instant from their archive later. Friends can react with emoji or reply through DMs after viewing the photo.
The company is also testing a separate Instants mobile app in select countries.
The Verge reported that the standalone app appeared in Italy and Spain in April, gives users “immediate access to the camera,” and only requires an Instagram account. Instagram said posts shared in the separate app will appear for friends on Instagram and vice versa.
Adam Mosseri said Instagram has seen people “tend to use Instants to share much more casual, much more authentic moments about their day,” adding that this kind of sharing remains “a core part of what makes Instagram Instagram.”
Why users are pushing back?
The backlash has centered on confusion and the feeling that the feature is redundant.
Users complained that the interface was unclear and had led to unintentional photo sharing, and the feature began appearing in users’ DMs even when they did not want it, adding that it left a persistent photo-stack notification in the inbox.
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| Credit: Geneva / X |
The same criticism has followed other Instagram features that borrow heavily from Snapchat and BeReal-style temporary sharing.
The good news is that users who do not want the feature can hide it in Instagram’s settings.
Here are the step-by-step instructions:
1. Hide Instants from your Inbox
- Open the Instagram app and tap your Profile icon in the bottom right corner.
- Tap the three horizontal lines (Menu) in the top right corner.
- Scroll down and tap Content preferences.
- Toggle on the switch for Hide Instants in inbox.
2. Disable Instants Notifications
- Go back to the main menu and tap Settings and activity.
- Tap Notifications.
- Scroll down and tap on Instants.
- Select Off for both Instant notifications and Emoji reaction notifications.
That removes the icon from the inbox and stops Instagram from notifying the user about incoming Instants, though other people can still send them.
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| Credit: Instagram |
The rollout leaves Instagram with another messaging and photo-sharing tool that overlaps with features the app already has, including disappearing chats and Stories.
Meta is still trying to steer more personal sharing away from public profile grids and into DMs, and Instants is its latest attempt to make that shift feel native inside the app, even as the first wave of user reaction suggests many people see it as one more feature they did not ask for.
