To stay up to date with emerging trends in the field of social media, Instagram released a new feature on May 13, 2026, that allows users to share quick and casual photos with their followers and friends. From the launch of Instagram, users could always share edited images with thought-out captions in their feeds. Stories came later, which allowed users to share more spontaneously and casually, with pictures and videos that disappear after 24 hours. The purpose of Instants is to give followers a peek into your life as it is, without heavy edits or clever captions.
An instant has to be captured on the spot, using your device’s camera. You can caption your photo, but that’s as far as the editing goes. Choose who you want to share your instants with. They can be viewed for up to 24 hours after sending, but only once. After the photo is viewed, it disappears from your friends’ screens forever. You can access all of your instants whenever you please, and even share them through your stories.
Why Should I Download Instants, by Instagram?
Instants, by Instagram provides a new way to communicate with the world through images. All social media users are exposed to polished and overly edited posts, and Instagram is no exception. While stories tend to be a bit more casual and short-lived, you can still post a photo that took a lot of effort, write a thoughtful caption, and pick the perfect soundtrack to go with it. If you want to see more of your friends’ real lives and share a bit of yours, you can do so with Instants.
The point of this feature is that you cannot share an old photo or edit the photo you took. You get to add a caption before taking the photo, if you so desire, but that’s as much as you can do. After that, all that’s left is simply snapping a picture with your phone’s camera. The picture will be shared with your select group of followers in all its imperfect glory. The recipients can react to it and send an instant in return, but they can only view yours once. It expires after 24 hours.
While nobody else will be able to view your instant twice, you can look back on it in a separate archive. You can utilize instants again by posting recaps on your stories. If you delete an instant that’s not been viewed yet, nobody will get to see it, so there is really no pressure.
Though this concept was not debuted by Instagram, the platform offers convenient access to it for all of its users. If you have an Instagram account already, you don’t need to do any extra work; simply open the app on your device and use this new feature. You don’t have to subscribe to using it regularly, or at all, if you don’t like it. Instagram retained all of the other photo- and video-sharing capabilities we all know and love.
If Instants sounds like a social media platform you would enjoy, you can download a separate app on your iOS or Android phone. Log in with your Instagram account details and use just the Instants feature, avoiding the clutter of Instagram in the form of stories and posts. The app is still in development and is only available in some countries.
Is Instants, by Instagram Free?
Yes, both the Instants, by Instagram app and the Instants feature in-built in the original Instagram application, are free to use.
What Operating Systems Are Compatible with Instants, by Instagram?
Instants, by Instagram is available as a separate app and as part of the Instagram app. Both applications are available on iOS and Android mobile devices.
You can also access Instants in the Instagram web app through a modern browser on a desktop. However, the functionality via browser is limited compared to the mobile app.
What Are the Alternatives to Instants, by Instagram?
Instants, by Instagram, is not the first app of its kind, and you might already be familiar with its predecessor, BeReal. As the name suggests, BeReal invites users to share what they’re doing at a specific moment in time with their friends. It keeps it real by only allowing a 2-minute window to submit your photos. You get a notification on your phone, open the app, and you’re prompted to take a photo with your front and back cameras at the same time. This way, your friends can see what you’re up to from two angles. Retake the photo as many times as you like, but you only have 2 minutes. Because the app is asking its users to be genuine, you can only view your friends' posts for the day after you’ve shared a photo yourself.
Before there was Instants or even BeReal, there was Snapchat. The app continues to enjoy popularity among young audiences to this day. The point of Snapchat is to share unedited photos and videos of what you’re doing in the moment, recorded directly in the app. Once shared, the media can only be viewed by the recipient once. If your picture is screenshotted, you get notified. You can use the chat feature to talk to your friends. Whatever you say disappears after viewing as well, unless you deliberately save the messages. For a slightly more permanent social media experience, users can post stories that disappear after 24 hours. The whole point is to share your true feelings in the moment and step away from the permanency of the internet.
Buddies offers a digital disposable camera experience. You can take as many candid pictures as you want throughout the day. All the photos are revealed at 6 pm, so you can see what your friends have been up to, and they can do the same. Much like with Snapchat, the app encourages you to share photos and rewards you for growing your streak. You can display your favorite moments on your profile for your friends to see; the rest is stored away in your memories on the app.
