Instagram rolled out two big new features, live video on Instagram Stories and disappearing photos and videos for groups and friends in Instagram Direct. Putting together the best of Snapchat and Periscope on camera.
It’s not another Facebook Live and Messenger; Instagram puts an ephemeral spin on video streaming and private messaging.
In August, Instagram introduced Instagram Stories as a way to share all the moments of a day, not just the ones you want to keep on your profile. Now over 100 million people use it every day.
Live Video on Instagram Stories
Live video on Instagram Stories helps you connect with your friends and followers right now. When you’re done, your live story disappears from the app so you can feel more comfortable sharing anything, anytime.
It’s easy to go live — swipe right from feed to open the camera, tap the “Start Live Video” button, and start sharing for up to an hour. Your friends may get a notification when you go live so they can tune in. While you’re living, you can pin a comment for everyone to see or turn comments off altogether.
When someone you follow starts a live story, you’ll see “Live” under their profile photo in the stories bar. During the broadcast, you can comment and like as much as you want. You can also check out new live stories on Explore. Tap “Top Live” to see exciting live stories happening at that moment and swipe right and left to skip around easily.
Live video on Instagram Stories and will be rolling out globally over the next few weeks.
Disappearing Photos and Videos for Groups and Friends in Instagram Direct
Now you can send disappearing photos and videos directly to groups and individual friends in a spontaneous, pressure-free way.
Since launching improvements to Instagram Direct last year, the number of people using Direct each month has grown from 80 million to 300 million people worldwide. In fact, many of them use group threads every day to stay in touch with their closest friends and family.
Today’s update keeps regular direct messages the same and adds a more visual way to connect with your closest friends — all in one convenient place.
Swipe right into the camera to take a photo or video, then tap the arrow to send it privately. You can choose a group or create one in just a few taps — and you can also send it to individual friends at the same time. Send anything you want, from inside jokes to your worst selfies. Unlike other messages in Direct, these photos and videos disappear from your friends’ inboxes after they have seen them. And you’ll see if they replayed it or took a screenshot.
Whether your account is set to public or private, you can only send disappearing photos and videos to people who follow you.
To open your inbox, tap the new paper airplane icon at the top right corner of your feed or swipe left. You’ll see disappearing photos and videos in a bar at the top. Tap the ones with blue rings to see what your friends sent you. You can see everyone’s responses in a group — and who else has seen them — in a slideshow format. Then when you’re done, tap their faded profile photo to send a quick response.
Disappearing photos and videos in Instagram Direct will start rolling out globally today.
