Instagram Launches Photo-Sharing Copycat App 04/27/2026 – MediaPost

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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