Meta is building an internal prototype of a standalone app called Instants for sending disappearing photos, a spokesperson confirmed to Business Insider. The app mirrors Snapchat's core feature: photos disappear after opening and expire 24 hours after sending, can be sent only to mutual followers, and is not currently being tested externally; Instagram has trialed similar features in some countries.
Key Points
- 1Builds Instants prototype for disappearing-photo messaging, confirmed internally by Meta spokesperson to Business Insider
- 2Highlights competitive mimicry of Snapchat features, aligning with Instagram's focus on friend-centric interactions
- 3Signals need for product teams to reassess disappearing-message UX and privacy controls for mutual-follow models
Scoring Rationale
Credible company confirmation and moderate novelty, but limited scope and shallow detail reduce industry-wide impact and practitioner utility.
Sources
Public references used for this report.
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