Instagram's "Instants" app, similar to Snapchat, makes photos disappear
What goes online, doesn't always stay online: That's the promise of "Instants," an Instagram app inspired by Snapchat, which makes photos disappear.
Don't blink now: With "Instants, by Instagram," photographic embarrassments disappear from the recipient's app after 24 hours.
(Image: Instagram)
The social media giant Meta celebrates ephemerality. A new iOS and Android app from its subsidiary bears the somewhat cumbersome name “Instants, by Instagram” and makes its users' photos disappear after a certain time. The principle of this Instagram offshoot is reminiscent of the app Snapchat.
With Instants, users can share photos with friends, which, however, can only be opened or shared by the recipient within 24 hours. Thereafter, the image disappears forever, unless the recipient “cheats” the system and takes a screenshot elsewhere.
Text can be added with the help of a caption. This allows you to practically combine a spontaneous message with a suitable photo and convey a moment from your life. Photos from the smartphone gallery are taboo. Only photos taken directly in the app can be shared. Meta had already tested a similar Quicksnap feature in the regular Instagram app before. Unlike regular Instagram, these are not pictures for the public, but for private messages. A help page on the Instants feature on Instagram already explains the principle in detail.
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As Techcrunch reports, the app has already been rolled out in Spain and Italy. In the German Google Play Store for Android apps, we could not download it yet, only add it to our wishlist.
The competing app Snapchat is popular among young users, but a weakening advertising business and globally looming social media bans for teenagers are slowing user growth. In April 2026, the US operator Snap cut around 1,000 jobs worldwide and 300 open positions.
(jpw)
