Instagram has introduced a number of new messaging options together with the flexibility to share music previews, ship a message silently, the flexibility to see who’s on-line and obtainable to talk, the flexibility to answer whereas searching a feed, and extra.
The brand new swath of options considerably bolsters the messaging expertise on Instagram and makes good on a promise that the corporate introduced on the finish of 2021.
Browse and Chat on the Similar Time
Instagram appears to wish to break down the boundaries between time spent within the messaging pane and time spent searching content material. The corporate has made a number of enhancements to make the expertise extra seamless. Customers can now obtain and reply to messages within the feed with out going again to the inbox and shedding their place.
The app has additionally made it simpler to share content material with out “interrupting the Instagram expertise,” as the corporate says. Now, customers can faucet and maintain the share button to rapidly reshare posts amongst mates. Customers can now additionally see who’s actively on-line and obtainable because of an indicator on the high of the inbox.
Expanded Performance of Message Threads
Instagram has added extra methods to customise message threads with 4 new options. First, 30-second previews of songs might be listened to instantly from chat home windows. These will likely be enabled by integrations with Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Spotify (coming quickly).
Second, customers can ship messages with out notifications by including “@silent” to the message. Third, a brand new chat theme known as “lo-fi” has been added to assist make conversations “really feel extra private.” Fourth and at last, customers can now create a ballot inside group chats.
Instagram says that every one the above options can be found in “choose international locations” however the firm plans to broaden these globally over time. These options be a part of a number of others that Instagram has made in 2022 as a part of its aim to shift its concentrate on video and purchasing.
Earlier this month, Instagram added the flexibility to tag merchandise in posts to reinforce purchasing, but in addition introduced again the chronological feed, almost definitely in response to the allegations that the corporate’s algorithm was making the platform unsafe for younger folks.
Picture credit: Meta
