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by Colin Kirkland , 74 minutes ago Instagram has quietly launched “Instants,” a new stand-alone mobile app for iOS and Android that mimics Snapchat’s disappearing photo-sharing model -- expanding the company’s roster of Instagram-connected social platforms. 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.” advertisement advertisement “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

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Instagram is once again expanding its list of social apps, this time with “Instants,” which mimics a core part of Snapchat. Available now, Instagram Instants is a dedicated app for what was known as “Shots.” The functionality was previously baked into the messages section of Instagram and designed for quick, in-the-moment sharing. It wasn’t the most well-known experience, though, which is probably a part of the reason it’s being split out into its own app. The Instants app lets you log in with your Instagram account and opens straight to the camera. You can send those moments to your friends and, after 24 hours, the photos disappear. Instagram explains: Introducing Instants, an app from Instagram. Share disappearing photos with friends. Connect with your favorite people over life’s little moments. Real life, real quick Get straight to the camera to share with friends, fast. No edits, share instantly. Photos disappear Instants can’t be viewed again once they’re gone, and can’t be viewed after 24 hours. Use either app Share and view instants from here or on Instagram. Anything shared from/to Instants can also be viewed in the main Instagram app. This new experience, available both on Android and iOS (region-dependent), is

Skip to main content Venice-Mar Vista, CA Westwood-Century City, CA Brentwood, CA Marina Del Rey, CA Culver City, CA Pacific Palisades, CA Beverly Hills, CA West Hollywood, CA Studio City, CA Encino-Tarzana, CA California Top National News See All Communities Snapchat owner Snap Inc., which is headquartered in Santa Monica, has eliminated about 16% of its global workforce, the company's CEO revealed in a recent message to employees. Days later, the company announced that its chief financial officer was leaving. "(W)e are announcing changes that will impact approximately 1,000 team members at Snap, including 16% of our full time employees, in addition to closing more than 300 open roles," CEO Evan Spiegel wrote in an April 15 message to employees. Find out what's happening in Santa Monicafor free with the latest updates from Patch. "This is an incredibly difficult decision, and I am deeply sorry to the colleagues who will be leaving us," he added. "You have made important contributions to Snap, and we are committed to supporting you through this transition." The reason for the layoffs, Spiegel said, was plans to eliminate $500 million in costs during the second half of 2026 in an attempt to "establish a clearer

Snapchat rolls out ‘Place Loyalty’ Badges on Snap Map for frequent visitors  Snapchat has launched the latest “Place Loyalty” feature that will show users when they are among the most frequent visitors to a place on Snap Map over the past year. The feature shows rankings based on visits over the past year. Users in the top 25% will see their status on Snap Map, with bronze, silver, and gold badges awarded to the top 25%, 10%, and 1% respectively. These badges can be shared with others, although rankings remain private unless users select to display them. For brands and chains, visits are aggregated across all locations. Snapchat stated the feature aims to boost engagement and let users to share their activity with friends and across other platforms. However, badges are only visible if location sharing is enabled. Released in 2017, Snap Map initially enabled users to view friends’ locations and explore public snaps all across the world. Over time, it has evolved into a feature for discovering local hotspots and activities. Snap Map now has over 400 million monthly active users, underscoring its significance to Snapchat’s ecosystem. The platform continues to evolve with features like “Footsteps,” which tracks travel

Wed, April 22, 2026 at 3:44 PM UTC Abilene man accused of sexually abusing runaway teen he met on Snapchat ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – An Abilene man accused of sexually abusing a runaway teen he met on Snapchat has been arrested. Emilio Fernandez was booked into the Taylor County Jail Tuesday for Sexual Assault of a Child in connection to an incident that happened in April 2025. Court documents state the brother of a 14-year-old runaway called police to report Fernandez had sexual contact with his sister. The documents state when the 14-year-old returned home after running away, family members found inappropriate videos, messages, and pictures on her phone involving Fernandez. During a subsequent interview with detectives, the documents state Fernandez admitted to meeting the 14-year-old on Snapchat, picking her up, and bringing her to Abilene, where they were together for two nights and did have sexual contact. Fernandez was indicted for the Sexual Assault of a Child case in October and now remains held in the Taylor County Jail on a $150,000 bond. Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming

Snapchat logo is seen in this illustration taken July 28, 2022. (REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo) Staff Reports | REUTERS Snapchat-parent Snap on Monday named Doug Hott as its new CFO, replacing Derek Andersen. Hott, 53, has served as the company’s vice president of finance, strategy, and corporate development. Andersen, who has been in the role for seven years, is expected to leave on May 8. The move comes soon after the social media firm last week laid off 1,000 employees, including 16% of full-time staff, becoming the latest technology company to shift towards leaner teams. The company is expected to report first-quarter results on May 6. Editor’s Note: Reporting by Koyena Das in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel Category Sponsor REUTERS NEWS SERVICE Through a content partnership the Digital Free Press publishing Science & Technology reporting from the International News Service: Thomson Reuters Show All Posts Published On: April 21, 2026 Category Sponsor Newsletter Sign Up Could we interest you in Community Updates? How about Enterprise Business Reporting & Real Property & Homes? Community Updates Scottsdale firefighters fund autism‑focused training through community T‑shirt effort For individuals with autism and other forms of neurodivergence, loud... Scottsdale Art Auction posts $16.5 million in

April 21, 2026, 11:09 a.m. ET An investigation into a teen's sexual abuse report uncovered a human trafficking operation in Brevard County. A 26-year-old man was arrested for trafficking the teen, whom he met on Snapchat and filmed with clients. A Brevard County corrections officer was also arrested for unlawful sexual activity with the minor. An investigation into an underage teen’s report of sexual abuse uncovered a human trafficking operation that netted the arrests of a Brevard County corrections officer and the teen’s 26-year-old trafficker, Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey said. Other arrests could be made as Brevard County sheriff’s investigators sort through videos taken of the teen with nearly 50 clients that the sheriff's office said she was forced to engage in sex with over a two-year period. The unidentified teen met her trafficker on Snapchat, the sheriff's department said. Ivey announced the results of the investigation on Monday, April 20, following the arrest of Antonio Gilbert Granados, of Melbourne, on charges of human trafficking, promotion of sexual performance by a child and possession of material depicting the sexual performance of a child. “He preyed upon a teenager, he trafficked her, he prostituted her and he emotionally and physically

By Brittany Siminitz | April 20, 2026 Facebook Wants to Scan Users’ Camera Rolls If users allow it, Facebook in the U.K. will ask to scan their camera roll, in order to recommend photos to post and provide suggestions for edits, collages, and more. “Many people capture life’s moments but rarely share them—whether it’s because they don’t think their photos or videos are shareworthy or because they simply don’t have time to create something special,” said a statement from Facebook owner Meta. “With your permission, this opt-in feature analyzes media in your camera roll to find standout moments—the memories that can get lost among screenshots, receipts, and random snapshots.” While it’s possible this feature could produce some good recommendations for brands to engage further with their customers, will anybody want to opt in to it? The thought of a big platform like Meta having access to one’s entire camera roll could be unsettling. Facebook experimented with a similar function in the U.S. last fall, and it does not appear to have been wildly popular. Perhaps the U.K. will have different results. Snapchat Lays Off More Than 15% of Full-Time Workforce Snapchat announced—on Tax Day, no less—that it is in the

LOS ANGELES – Snap is getting ready to launch new smart glasses later this year, and the company is positioning them as a major step beyond the smartphone. I recently spoke with Snap co-founder and CEO Evan Spiegel about what they’re planning to launch, and got some hands-on time with an early version. The Los Angeles-based social media giant calls the upcoming glasses “Specs,” and they’re designed to bring augmented reality into everyday life. Inside the lenses, a virtual interface puts games, information and tools directly into the real world. During my demo, I grew virtual plants, did some finger painting, played an airbending-style game and even asked AI to identify objects around me. Spiegel says the goal is to make computing feel more natural. “I think one of the things that’s so exciting about specs is that they bring computing into the real world with see-through lenses,” he said. That shared, real-world experience is a big part of the vision. “We’ve been trying to do something different. We’ve been trying to make computing more human by grounding it in the real world and allowing you to share it together with your friends and your family,” Spiegel said. If a