Instagram is testing a new “Instants” app for sharing disappearing photos

Instagram is testing a new photo-sharing app called “Instants,” the company confirmed to TechCrunch on Thursday. The app, available in Spain and Italy, allows users to share disappearing photos with their friends that can only be viewed once and remain available for 24 hours.

With the Instants feature, you can take a photo with one click, without allowing editing. The app does not allow uploads from your camera roll and only lets you capture and share content using the in-app camera. While you can add text to your “Moments,” as these unedited photos are called, you can’t edit them any further.

Unlike Instagram, which is all about curated, polished content, Instants are designed for quick, realistic snapshots. The app borrows ideas from social media platforms like Snapchat, Locket, and BeReal, focusing on original and ephemeral content.

It should be noted that Instagram was testing Instants as an in-app feature in certain regions before today. The company says users can choose to use Instants either through the standard Instagram app or through the standalone Instants app.

“To give people low-stress ways to connect with friends, we’re testing an app called Instants for casual photo and video sharing right now,” a company spokesperson said in a statement. “We’re exploring multiple versions of instant messaging to see what people like, and we’ll listen to our community.”

You can share instant moments with your mutual followers or your close friends list. Instagram notes that these menus are the same across the Instagram and Instant apps.

The app is available on iOS and Android.

Although Instagram started out as a way for friends to share content with each other, over time, it became more impersonal as it was flooded with ads and influencers. Introducing a new low-risk sharing app, Instant, the company is looking to return to its roots while also responding to competition from apps focused on ephemeral sharing and interactions with close friends.

However, Instagram may be a bit late to capitalize on the low-compression, unfiltered photo sharing trend, as BeReal is no longer as popular as it once was. Meanwhile, many people already use Instagram Stories, Snapchat’s version of the app, for quick sharing and may not see the need for a separate app to do so. Given these factors, it will be interesting to see how instant searches fare.