If you are an avid Instagram user, you are most likely more than a little familiar with the app’s direct messaging capabilities (or DMs, because the youths say). DMs permit you to chat in private with your friends, connect with followers, and in person react to stories your friends have posted.

And now, Instagram is doing one thing huge: Instagram is testing out a brand new app called Instagram Direct. But, what’s the new Instagram Direct? it is a spanking new app that connects to your Instagram profile and is strictly about direct messaging. suppose Facebook messenger mixed with Snapchat, which honestly may well be the best idea ever.

Direct is already inflicting a stir in the tech world, although Instagram hasn’t announced any plans for it’s released globally just yet. It’s presently being tested in only six countries: Chile, Israel, Portugal, Turkey, and Uruguay. If you do not live in those countries, you’ll got to wait a while for Direct to be available to you — however that does not mean you cannot get excited about the more than probably inevitable global release (I hope!) by learning a lot of about it.

Direct is super just like Facebook messenger, that shouldn’t be particularly surprising — since Facebook took over Instagram, more and a lot of similarities have been stoning up between the 2. Currently, the test version of the app does not permit you to DM in Instagram itself at all.

With this version, when users install Direct, the inbox icon (the very little airplane in the upper righthand corner) disappears from Instagram and may only be accessed in Direct. this might be just a test version, however it probably points to a move towards getting rid of direct messaging on the Instagram app altogether. So, just like when messenger transpire, and you’ll no longer message folks on Facebook’s app; instead, you had to download messenger.
Image Courtesy Of Instagram

The thought of being needed to download a new app so as to DM via Instagram might sound redundant — but, you may wish to relinquish this one a chance. Creators came up with it because they feel that it’s tough to possess an excellent private messaging experience in the same app that permits you to publicly broadcast messages. assume moments of accidentally adding a private message to your public story; that snafu will happen easily, and so you may not be as inclined to DM on Instagram, because you do not wish to mess up and broadcast something private.

Hemal Shah, an Instagram product manager, told The Verge, “We wish Instagram to be an area for all of your moments, and private sharing with close friends is an important part of that. Direct has grownup among Instagram over the past four years, however we are able to build it even better if it stands on its own. we will push the boundaries to make the quickest and most inventive area for private sharing once Direct could be a camera-first, standalone app.”