Meta has launched Instagram Instants, a new disappearing photo-sharing feature that brings fast, unedited photo updates directly into Instagram’s inbox.

The feature, announced on May 13, lets users capture real-time photos and share them with Close Friends or mutual followers. Instants disappear after they are viewed, and unopened Instants expire after 24 hours. Meta is also rolling out a separate Instants app in select countries, though the feature itself is available globally inside Instagram.

The move puts Instagram back in familiar territory. Instants borrows heavily from Snapchat’s disappearing photo format, while its unfiltered, in-the-moment style also brings BeReal comparisons. But the feature’s placement inside Instagram DMs shows a bigger shift: Meta wants private, casual sharing to become a more central part of Instagram again.

Instagram wants casual sharing back

Instants works through a small stack of photos in the bottom-right corner of the Instagram inbox. Users tap it, take a real-time photo, add a caption if they want, and send it to Close Friends or followers they follow back. Instagram says users cannot upload from their camera roll or apply normal editing tools before sending.

That design choice says a lot about what Meta is trying to do. Instagram’s feed has become more polished, creator-led, and algorithmic over time. Reels are built for discovery. Stories are still public-facing for many users. Instants pushes in the other direction: smaller audiences, faster sharing, and less pressure to post something polished.

The Verge reported that Instagram head Adam Mosseri said many people no longer share much to their profile grids, while Instants is being used for more casual day-to-day moments.

The Snapchat and BeReal comparisons are obvious

Instants is already being compared to Snapchat and BeReal, and the comparison is hard to avoid.

Like Snapchat, Instants is camera-first, private, and disappearing. Like BeReal, it pushes users to share something current and unedited. TechCrunch reported that the feature combines elements from Snapchat, Locket, and BeReal, while Business Insider described it as a mix of Snapchat and BeReal.

This also fits Instagram’s old playbook. Stories followed Snapchat. Reels followed the rise of TikTok-style short video. Instants now brings disappearing, casual photo-sharing into Instagram’s own social graph.

The difference is that Instants is not another discovery format. It sits inside DMs, which makes it feel more like a private communication feature than a content format.

A separate Instants app is also rolling out

Along with the Instagram feature, Meta is rolling out a standalone Instants app in select countries. The app uses a person’s Instagram account and opens directly to the Instants camera. Photos shared through the app are still sent to friends on Instagram.

The app was first tested in Spain and Italy before the wider announcement. TechCrunch reported in April that Instagram was testing Instants as a separate app for disappearing photos that could be viewed once and remained available for 24 hours.

For now, the important rollout detail is this: Instants is available globally inside Instagram, while the separate app is limited to select countries.

Some users already want it gone

The early reaction has not been completely positive. Some users are already asking how to remove or disable Instants from their inbox.

That reaction makes sense. Instagram DMs are already a busy part of the app, and placing a new feature there makes Instants hard to ignore. For users who do not want another sharing format, the feature may feel like clutter rather than convenience.

Meta does offer a Snooze option. Users can hold the Instants pile and swipe right to temporarily stop receiving Instants. They can bring it back by holding the same area and swiping left.

Still, Snooze is not the same as a permanent off switch, which may keep the complaint alive as the feature reaches more users.

Disappearing photos still leave a private archive

Meta says Instants disappear for friends after they are viewed, and recipients cannot screenshot or screen-record them. But the feature is not completely temporary for the sender.

Shared Instants are saved in a private archive for up to one year. Users can later turn those archived photos into a recap and post it to Instagram Stories.

That detail matters because “disappearing photo” can sound simpler than it is. The viewer loses access, but the sender may still have the photo privately stored.

Instagram’s existing safety tools also apply to Instants, including blocking, muting, restricting, reporting, and teen account protections.

The bigger picture

Instants may not become Instagram’s next major format like Stories or Reels, but it shows where Meta wants the app to move.

Instagram is trying to bring more casual, private sharing back into the platform at a time when public posting feels less natural for many users. The feature gives Meta a way to keep quick friend-to-friend photo sharing inside Instagram instead of losing that behavior to Snapchat, BeReal, Locket-style apps, or private group chats.

The real test is whether users see Instants as a fun, low-pressure way to share again, or just another feature added to an already crowded Instagram inbox.