Instagram is bringing Direct Messages to the web, with a small percentage of users getting access to the feature at the moment.
After years of hoping for the feature, it’s finally here! Instagram is ready to bring Direct Messages to its web app. Starting today, a “small percentage” of global users are getting the ability to send and receive DMs from Instagram’s website. As you are well aware, until now, DMs could only be sent and received via Instagram’s Android and iPhone apps.
The news comes as a relief for brands, businesses, creators and community managers around the world who often had to rely on their phones to keep in touch with followers. Last year, Facebook started unifying Facebook and Instagram inboxes, therefore this feature is mainly for regular users, rather than businesses.
Instagram says that today’s rollout is only a test, but confirmed that DMs should become available to all via its website very soon.
The experience will be very similar to the one on mobile. You will be able to create new groups or start a 1-1 conversation either from the messaging screen or directly from a user’s profile. Messages can also be liked with a double click and you will be able to share photos from your computer into your Instagram’s conversations.
Facebook has long chosen to promote messaging platforms, as part of its efforts to bring confidence back to its main platform. Despite this, Instagram DMs on the web will not benefit from full encryption, stirring some worry among an already privacy-conscious generation of users.
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