Instagram Is Testing a New App Just for Quick, Disappearing Photos

Instagram announced this week that it is testing a new standalone app called "Instants" designed for sharing photos that disappear after you view them, TechCrunch reports. Right now, the app is only available in Spain and Italy on iPhones and Android phones.

Instants keeps things simple. You take a photo by tapping once using the app's built-in camera. You cannot upload photos from your phone's camera roll, and you cannot edit them. You can add text, but that is all. Once someone views your photo, it disappears. If no one views it, it vanishes after 24 hours.

Two Ways to Use the Feature

Instagram is testing Instants in two different ways. First, it added the feature inside the regular Instagram app in some regions. Now it is also offering a separate, standalone app. This means you can choose: access Instants from the main Instagram app or download the dedicated Instants app.

This two-track approach helps Instagram understand what users prefer. Do people want a separate app with one simple job, or would they rather have everything in one place.

How Instants Works

The Instants app is intentionally bare-bones. The single-tap camera means you do not go through the usual steps of taking a photo, reviewing it, editing it, and then posting it. You just shoot and share instantly.

By limiting you to live camera shots only—no old photos from your phone—Instagram seems to be chasing something real and unfiltered. The 24-hour time limit and single-view rule work like Snapchat does with its disappearing messages, an approach that has become common across social media platforms.

Why Instagram Is Doing This

Instagram already offers a lot: your feed, Stories, Reels, shopping, direct messages, and live broadcasts. The main app has become crowded. Instants represents Instagram's bet that some uses—in this case, quick, spontaneous photo sharing—work better in their own focused space.

This is not a new idea. Facebook separated Messenger into its own app back in 2014, and while people complained at first, it ended up working well. It let Facebook iterate faster on messaging and encouraged more people to use it.

The fact that Instagram is testing Instants only in Spain and Italy is a deliberate choice. These regions often serve as testing grounds for new features before they roll out worldwide, giving Instagram a chance to gather real usage data before deciding whether to expand.

What This Means

The question here is whether people actually want multiple social apps from the same company, or whether they prefer having everything bundled together. Instants will succeed or fail based on how many people download it, use it regularly, and prefer it to the Instants feature built into the main Instagram app.

The broader context is that social media has been moving in different directions at once. Some platforms have tried to become "super-apps" that do everything in one place. But Instagram's experiment with Instants suggests that for certain activities—like sharing a quick, unedited moment—a simpler, dedicated app might appeal to people.