Meta launched a standalone Instagram app called “Instants” in Italy and Spain this week, the company confirmed to Business Insider. 

The app lets users share disappearing photos with friends, with each photo lasting 24 hours and viewable only once, a format similar to Snapchat’s original premise.

Users can take photos or short videos through the app’s camera and add text, but cannot edit the content further. Instants restricts sharing to mutual followers and close friends. The app’s current listing carries the slogan “Real life, real quick.” Meta described the app as a way to “give people low-pressure ways to connect with friends.”

The tech company told Business Insider it is “exploring multiple versions of Instants to see what people like” and will incorporate community feedback.

From Internal Prototype to Public Launch

Business Insider first reported in February that Meta was developing an internal prototype of the app, which was not yet being tested externally at the time. Mobile developer Alessandro Paluzzi had shared a screenshot of the prototype, which described the app as a tool to “share disappearing photos with friends.”

Source: @alex193a

Instagram had also been testing an Instants feature, previously called “Shots,” within its main app in select countries before the standalone launch.

Instants joins a growing lineup of standalone apps under Meta’s umbrella, which includes Threads, Edits, and Meta AI. Meta has not confirmed whether or when Instants will expand to the U.S.

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