Getting started is easy, just swipe right from your feed to open the camera. Instagram says that since launching Direct a year ago, its monthly usage has jumped from 80 million to 300 million. The “Live video” will disappear as soon as one’s done broadcasting it. If you’re someone watching the live video, you can tap and leave hearts (similar to Periscope) or leave a comment. In August, we introduced Instagram Stories as a way to share all the moments of your day, not just the ones you want to keep on your profile. Moving forward, you’ll see a badge on them that says “Live” while they’re recording. Like Snapchat, Instagram will notify you if someone takes a screenshot. It, however, has started providing users with an option to send ephemeral photos and videos to Instagram Direct. When in a group, they can see who has viewed the content and what their response are.
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However, the biggest addition to the app comes in the form of “Live videos” – something which is absent in Snapchat. Instagram has now added a disappearing capability to Direct Messages, wherein a message shared between friends can only be viewed twice before it vanishes. The Live video feature is inbuilt in the current Instagram Stories feature.
The disappearing photos and videos option starts rolling out today, although Instagram didn’t offer a timeframe for when it would reach all users. These new features will initially be available on Android and iOS. You and your friends will be able to converse and post comments and you can stay on-air for up to an hour.
Instagram also took steps to align itself with competitor Snapchat by adding disappearing photos and videos directly to groups and individual friends.
The inbox gets a new icon with the update, you can access it by tapping the paper airplane at the top right corner of the app. The disappearing pictures and videos can be sent only to the people who follow the user. Disappearing photos or videos will appear in a bar at the top of the screen.
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The second major feature to be released by Instagram is a change to direct messages, both one-on-one and to groups.
