Get ready for some new features to be hitting Instagram later today, as the Facebook owned company has just announced a new feature called Instagram Direct, which will allow you to send videos and photos directly to friends or any user of your choice. It’s a welcome feature for some, and will add another layer of personalized fun to the photo sharing app.
Instagram Direct was announced at an event early this morning, and will be landing on mobile devices as Instagram Version 5.0, which will begin its rollout today, and should be on your device by the afternoon.
From how you capture photos and videos to the way you start conversations through likes and comments, we built Instagram Direct to feel natural to the Instagram experience you already know. When you open Instagram, you’ll now see a new icon in the top right corner of your home feed. Tap it to open your inbox where you’ll see photos and videos that people have sent to you. To send a photo or video to specific people, tap the camera button to enter the same simple photo or video capture and editing screens. At the top of the share screen, you’ll see the option to share with your followers (“Followers”) or to send to specific people (“Direct”). To send using Direct, tap the names of the people you want to send your photo or video to, write your caption, tap “send” and you’re done. – Instagram Blog
While not a full-fledged messenger app by any means, Instagram Direct does allow for comments on the shared videos and photos, which helps create a dialog around the media. This will keep your inbox nice and tidy, as requests will only be sent to users who you are already following.
Instagram version 5.0 will be rolling out through the day for iOS and Android devices, so expect to see the update soon. The Windows Phone app is still in beta, and there’s no word when Instagram Direct will make it to those users.
Via: Instagram Blog