Instagram is once again borrowing from Snapchat's playbook. The social media giant has launched a new standalone app called Instants in Italy and Spain, as reported by Business Insider. The app focuses on ephemeral, unedited photo sharing, allowing users to send images and videos that disappear after 24 hours and can only be viewed once.
Instants appears to be a direct competitor to Snapchat's core functionality, as well as the BeReal app, which gained popularity for its candid, unfiltered sharing. The move underscores Instagram's ongoing strategy to integrate features that have proven successful on rival platforms.
According to early reports, Instants strips away editing tools and filters, encouraging users to share raw, in-the-moment content. The app is currently in a limited test phase, with no official word on a global rollout yet.
This isn't the first time Instagram has cloned Snapchat features. The platform previously introduced Stories, disappearing messages, and augmented reality filters, all of which originated on Snapchat. With Instants, Instagram is doubling down on the concept of temporary, authentic sharing.
As the social media landscape evolves, it remains to be seen whether users will embrace yet another app from Instagram—or if this latest clone will face the same mixed reception as its predecessors.