Khaberni - As social media users reminisce about the golden age of these platforms in 2016 and exchange old times, it seems that Meta wants to revive a part of that era.
A spokesperson for "Meta" confirmed to Business Insider that the tech giant is working on an internal prototype for a new standalone app that allows sending pictures that automatically disappear after a period.
The idea of this app is similar to the basic idea of the Snapchat app, according to a report by "Business Insider" reviewed by "Arabiya Business".
According to a screenshot shared by mobile app developer Alessandro Paluzzi, who reverse engineers Instagram to discover prototypes, the app is named "Instants".
The official spokesperson for Meta said that the standalone "Instants" app is not undergoing external testing.
Instagram is also testing a feature called "Instants", which was previously known as "Shots", with some users of the main app. The spokesperson explained that this test is limited and available in "some countries around the world".
The "Instants" feature allows Instagram users to send pictures that disappear quickly from the direct message inbox. Once the picture message is opened, the image disappears and expires 24 hours after it's sent, according to the Instagram Help Center.
The same help page states that "Instants" messages can only be sent to "followers who follow you". The pictures cannot be edited.
This isn't the first time Instagram has launched disappearing message tools. In 2016, Instagram introduced tools for disappearing text and picture messages within its direct messaging service.
The platform also introduced "Vanish Mode" in 2020, which allows users to activate disappearing messages by swiping up in a message conversation. These features are still available within the Instagram app, but "Instants" represents a new way to send disappearing content to friends.
The launch of a new app by "Meta" is not surprising, as the company has launched several standalone apps in its recent history, including "Threads", "Edits", and "Meta AI".
Instagram increasingly focuses on providing interaction ways for friends - defined by "Meta" as people who follow each other - on the app.
It seems that Meta is drawing inspiration from "Snapchat" in how users communicate with their close friends.
Instagram's emulation of Snapchat is not limited to just disappearing messages; for example, the Stories feature was a direct copy of Snapchat's successful product. Last year, Instagram also launched a social mapping feature similar to Snapchat's Snap Map.
