May 18, 2026, 10:34 am | Read time: 2 minutes
Instagram has been evolving its platform for years, often taking cues from other services. The parent company, Meta, is now announcing another innovation that clearly draws on existing concepts. This time, the focus is on a standalone application called “Instants.” With this, the company is once again adopting ideas from competitors to keep its platform current and explore new usage forms.
Instagram’s history goes back about 16 years. Originally launched as a pure photo platform, the service quickly gained significance. Just two years after its launch, Meta, then known as Facebook, acquired the app and continuously expanded it. New features often emerged with an eye on successful competing offerings. For instance, short vertical videos were introduced as Reels, which strongly resemble TikTok. The Stories, which disappear after 24 hours, were also adopted from Snapchat and have become a staple of the platform.
New App Now Available in Germany
A few weeks ago, Meta confirmed to “TechCrunch” a test run of “Instants” in Italy and Spain. Now the app is also available in Germany. It is a standalone app focused on sharing spontaneous content. Users can take photos and videos directly and share them with friends. The content can only be viewed once and then disappears. At the latest, they are completely deleted after 24 hours.
A similar concept was already tested within the Instagram app. Now Meta is taking it a step further by offering the feature as a separate application. “Instants” are available both within Instagram itself and as a separate app. The quick snapshots are intended as an alternative to the often heavily edited content on Instagram.
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Focus Is on Unfiltered Content
Instants deliberately focuses on simple and unaltered content. Photos and videos must be taken directly through the app’s camera. Already saved files cannot be used. Editing or filters are also not intended. This is to keep the content as authentic as possible.
With this approach, Meta is tying back to the early days of Instagram, when the focus was more on spontaneous snapshots. The new app is currently available for iOS and Android. It remains unclear how successful the concept will be. Similar offerings have already faced challenges. Other services that rely on comparable features have been experiencing declining user numbers for some time.