Meta is reportedly working on a new app called Instants. The app is still under internal testing and is not available to the public yet. As per the information available, Instants is focused on sharing disappearing photos and videos with close friends.
Alessandro Paluzzi (@alex193a) shared a screenshot on X showing a reference to Instants in the Instagram app.
After the news broke, a Meta spokesperson confirmed that the internal prototype of Instants exists, but they are not testing it publicly. This means the project could still change or even get cancelled.
At the same time, Meta is testing a similar feature inside Instagram. This feature was earlier called Shots. It allows users to send unedited photos that disappear after being opened. These photos also expire after 24 hours if they are not viewed. This shows that Meta is experimenting with the same idea across multiple products.
This move is not surprising. Meta has a long history of adopting features that already work well elsewhere. Instagram Stories is the biggest example. It borrowed heavily from Snapchat and later became more popular than the original feature.
Instants also fits into Meta’s recent interest in private sharing. Over the past few years, Meta has pushed features like Vanish Mode, view-once media, and close friends lists. Public feeds are slowing down, while private and small group interactions are growing. Instants seems designed for this exact behavior.
This is also because the younger generation prefers sharing content privately. Meta likely sees this as a way to stay relevant with Gen Z users who are drifting away from traditional social feeds.
However, there are still open questions. It is unclear why Meta needs a separate app instead of improving Instagram’s existing features. There is also no clarity on how Instants will be moderated or how privacy will be handled, especially given Meta’s past criticism around data and user trust.
For now, Instants remains a rumor-backed project with strong signals but no launch timeline. It could become Meta’s next big experiment in private social sharing. Or it could quietly fade away like many internal prototypes before it.
