At a press event in New York, Kevin Systrom the founder of Instagram announced that his photo sharing service was introducing private photo sharing and messaging. The new feature is being called Instagram Direct.
The new feature marks a new phase for the company. Now users who follow each other will be able to send each other private messages much like Facebook or Twitter. These messages can also include photos or videos, but previously users could only comment or like other peoples photos.
Here’s how the new feature works:
- When you go to post a picture like normal you will see two new tabs at the top of your post, followers or direct
- With direct you are able to choose a specific friend and leave your own message. Once your friend opens up the message, a tick will appear next to their profile picture to indicate that they have read it.
- You can send direct message up to 15 people as well
When you receive a message you will a see an inbox icon in the top right which will take you to your private messages and you can either chat one on one or in a group. The downside is you can not send text only messages, they must include a photo to start the chat. You can download Instagram for iOS from Apple’s App Store or for Android available on Google Play. Below is a video preview about the new feature:
