Instagram started as a basic photo / video-sharing platform. Since the Meta (Facebook at the time) acquisition, though, the service has been evolving into a more hybrid and feature-rich one. Users can now go live, engage in group and 1-on-1 on conversations, post or watch Reels, and much more.

Instagram has just released a huge update that includes even more Direct Messages features (DMs). It’s worth noting, though, that the deployment is limited to a few countries. These enhancements will be available globally at a later date, according to the business.

New Instagram Features

DM Shortcuts

Whether it’s memes, photographs of Mother Nature, or video of the latest calamity, many Instagram users share their postings with their pals via DMs. The Meta-owned company is adding a useful shortcut to make the sharing process faster and easier. When you press and hold the share button on a post, a pop-up window appears with a list of your Instagram friends. Simply tap on one of them, and the message will appear in their Inbox right away.

Quick Replies

When you’re browsing through your Instagram feed and someone DMs you, you can now swipe down on the in-app notification to bring up a Reply text field. There you can type a reply and send it without needing to actually navigate to your Inbox. This feature seemingly supports text replies only for the time being. If you want to respond with media, you would have to head to the Inbox — as you would normally do.

Online Status Bar

Have you ever wondered which of your buddies is also up at 3:28 a.m.? Do you want to talk to them about your never-ending existential dread, which keeps you up every other night? Instagram now provides a solution for you! In your Inbox, there’s a new top bar with a horizontal list of all of your online acquaintances.