• by Colin Kirkland , April 24, 2026

In February, a Meta spokesperson informed Business Insider that Instagram was in the process of building “an internal prototype of a new stand-alone app for sending disappearing photos,” following a screenshot shared by an app researcher that highlighted the app's potential appearance.

The name “Instants” is derived from a similar Instagram feature previously deemed “Shots,” which exists in users' direct-messaging inbox and has been testing in various regions across the globe.

This week, it appears that the Meta-owned social-media company officially published Instants to the Apple App Store and the Google Play store, describing the platform as a hub for connecting with friends over “real life, real quick.”

“Get straight to the camera to share with friends, fast. No edits, share instantly,” the description reads.

Like Snapchat’s core function, photos shared with friends on Instants vanish after they have been sent and viewed.

Instants cannot be viewed more than once, nor can they be viewed after 24 hours of being sent.

Notably, users can share and view Instants from either the stand-alone app or on the Instagram platform, drawing a direct link between both apps beyond a user’s log-in information.

By launching Instants, Meta is expanding its Instagram-based app offerings, considering its X-copycat app Threads, which is also accessible via Instagram and has significantly grown its user base and advertising business since its global launch in 2023.

Meta has taken inspiration from Snapchat before, launching its Instagram Stories function in 2016 -- a 24-hour, top-of-the-feed feature that has become a primary channel from brands attempting to drive awareness, traffic, engagement and sales.

Instagram also announced “Friends Map” in August, which takes on Snapchat’s long-running real-time immersive app that shows users where their friends are and promotes brick-and-mortar shopping experiences.

Snapchat and Meta are also competing with their consumer-facing augmented-reality products.

Snapchat is planning to release its new-generation “Specs” wearables ahead of Meta’s “Orion” glasses in order to overcome market challenges, including user growth stagnation in the U.S. and Europe and provide a new revenue stream.