New Instants app: Meta challenges Snapchat?
Meta has officially rolled out the Instants app, which completely copies the mechanics of Snapchat with disappearing photos. When the app is launched, the front camera opens immediately, forcing you to take photos without filters.
Behind Meta's public statements about the audience's fatigue with perfect pictures lies cold calculation. Snapchat is currently experiencing an outflow of active users in the US and Europe. And while the company burns billions on developing AR glasses, Meta strikes directly at their last audience retention card.
In the new app, the developers have completely cut off access to the phone's gallery. Choosing a nice photo from your last vacation or uploading a ready-made advertising banner simply won't work. The app requires a snapshot here and now. In addition, Meta has removed the familiar statistics: you won't even find out who viewed your disappearing message. It turns out to be a private club for close friends, very similar to the popular BeReal, only tightly tied to your Instagram profile.
Instead of squeezing yet another feature into an already overloaded Instagram, Mark Zuckerberg has started splitting the audience. Want perfect Reels? Stay on Insta. Want honest communication without filters and masks? Welcome to Instants.
