In the times when social media and the internet can be unpredictable (to say the least), it’s always exciting to hear about good news about new products and features coming out. Case in point: On May 13, Instagram announced and launched Instants, a new way to share what’s going on in your life with friends in a spontaneous and authentic way.
The idea behind Instants is that there is no editing involved — you’re just supposed to send your photos to friends as-is. The purpose is to be real, sharing and living in the moment as your true self. With all the pressure to perfectly arrange your grid and to have the best, most aesthetically edited photos, Instants seems like an alternative to curating the perfect social media account. This feels like a great feature to use to stay in touch with your friends, and maybe spam them a little bit in the process.
To top off this exciting launch, Instagram released the Instants companion app in specially selected countries for testing purposes. The app makes creating Instants and accessing the camera easier for users.
Here’s everything you need to know about how to use Instagram Instants:
Finding the Instants feature in the IG app:
When you go onto the Instagram app, in your inbox, there will be a mini stack of photos in the bottom right corner. Tapping on that brings you to Instants. Once you’ve reached it, you can snap a photo of anything you’d like. Maybe you and your friends are checking out the new Off Campus series, or you’re in the middle of a nature walk — or really anything else you’re doing and want to share with friends. You can add a caption to your photo if you’d like, but remember that you’re unable to edit it — you gotta keep it real!
After capturing your moment, you share it with friends (basically, any followers who follow you back) or close friends specifically selected by you. That’s right — if you don’t know someone, they won’t be able to see your Instants. Instants that you share or your friends share with you will stack up in the bottom right of yours and your friend’s inbox. Keep in mind that they disappear after viewing, so it truly is a quick-moment capture!
Other ways to use Instants:
Instants also comes with a handful of tools that you can use. Although your Instants disappear once your friends view them, you can find your Instants again by looking into your saved archive. This can be found on the Instants cameras in the top right corner.
If you happen to take a picture that you really want to share with others, you have the opportunity to add it to your stories. This feature can be done by clicking “Create recap” in your archive.
Also, if you accidentally shared an Instant to someone who wasn’t supposed to see it, you’re able to take it back with the “undo” button. Not to mention, if your friends are sending you too many Instants, you are able to disable them. By holding down the stack of Instants in your inbox and swiping right, you can stop seeing them. If you want to reverse the decision, simply repeat the steps but swipe left.Â
Using The Instants App:
The Instants app is available to users in select countries, offering easier access into creating Instants. Although there is no official list of countries that have access to the Instants app, you can check your device’s app store to see if it is available. If it isn’t? Don’t worry! You can still create Instants and share them with your friends right there in your IG app.