WEBWIRE – Friday, April 1, 2022
Takeaways
- Were introducing several new messaging features, including the ability to share music previews, send a message silently, the ability to see whos online to chat and more.
- This announcement is part of our ongoing work to improve how you connect and share with your closest friends.
Were introducing seven new messaging features. As we announced at the end of last year, were making more investments in messaging on Instagram to help you connect with your closest friends in more seamless and fun ways.
Browse and chat at the right time
Weve made several improvements that help people respond, share, and chat:
- Reply while you browse: Receive a new message while youre browsing your feed? You can now reply without going to your inbox and losing your place. This new feature makes it that much easier and more convenient to chat while on the app.
- Quickly send to friends: We want to help people reshare interesting content without interrupting their Instagram experience. By tapping and holding the share button, you can effortlessly reshare posts to your closest friends.
- See whos online: At the top of your inbox, you can see whos free to chat at that moment, helping you find serendipitous opportunities to connect with friends.
New experiences in your message threads
Customize your messaging with your friends using these new features:
- Play, pause, and re-play: Enabled by integrations with Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Spotify coming soon, you can now share a 30-second preview of that song you just cant get out of your head, and your friends can listen directly from your chat.
- Send messages quietly: Send messages without notifying friends late at night or when theyre busy by adding @silent in your message. Now you can reach out without worrying about sending unwanted notifications.
- Keep it on the lo-fi: Feeling chill? Try the new lo-fi chat theme to make your conversations feel more personal.
- Create a poll with your squad: Deciding where to go to dinner or what time to meet up? Were bringing one of Messengers most beloved group chat features to Instagram so you can create a poll directly in your group chat.
These new features are available in select countries, with plans to expand globally. This is part of our ongoing work to improve how you connect and share with your closest friends. Stay tuned for more fun ways to connect.