Instagram to Separate Messaging into a Standalone App As It Looks to Grow Direct

As Instagram continues its war against Snapchat, the company is bringing some radical changes to its platform. The company could soon separate its direct messaging feature Direct into a standalone app on Android and iOS. The new standalone app, also called Direct, is currently being tested with users in Chile, Israel, Italy, Portugal, Turkey, and Uruguay.

The idea behind Instagram moving its direct messaging product out of the core app makes a lot of sense. Instagram has been improving Direct over the recent months to take on Snapchat and sustaining that growth will require the company to continue developing the platform. But as long as Direct is a part of Instagram, expanding the platform would get increasingly difficult for the company. “We want Instagram to be a place for all of your moments, and private sharing with close friends is an important part of that. Direct has grown within Instagram over the past four years, but we can make it even better if it stands on its own. We can push the boundaries to create the fastest and most creative space for private sharing when Direct is a camera-first, standalone app,” an Instagram Program Manager told The Verge.

Windows Intelligence In Your Inbox

Sign up for our new free newsletter to get three time-saving tips each Friday — and get free copies of Paul Thurrott's Windows 11 and Windows 10 Field Guides (normally $9.99) as a special welcome gift!

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

By expanding Direct out of Instagram, the firm will require you to install two different apps for its service. Installing Direct will give you access to exclusive filters, and the usual Instagram features like Boomerang. Direct’s design is very similar to Snapchat at the moment, as it opens to the camera and you can swipe to the right to access your inbox, or to the left to access your profile. It definitely feels a bit empty for now though.

Like its parent company Facebook, moving Direct out of its core app could turn out to be quite successful for Instagram in the long run. When Facebook originally moved Messenger out of Facebook, the company faced a lot of backlash but it has been able to exponentially grow Messenger ever since.

The growth of Messenger, however, has almost taken away the pure Messenger experience we have to come expect for years — you see, Messenger in 2017 is a crowded mess, ruined by ads, stories, payments, games, and…bots. And knowing Facebook, Direct will probably follow the same route.

Tagged with

Share post

Please check our Community Guidelines before commenting

Conversation 6 comments

  • richfrantz

    Premium Member
    07 December, 2017 - 3:07 pm

    <p>I don't use Messenger, and I won't use Direct either.</p>

  • Sebastian Ambrose Hilton

    07 December, 2017 - 6:24 pm

    <p>Why exactly having they just merge direct and Facebook messenger or better yet merge facebook messenger and direct into already popular whatsapp</p>

    • offTheRecord

      08 December, 2017 - 3:37 am

      <blockquote><a href="#225308"><em>In reply to Chaoticbastian:</em></a></blockquote><p>Because, of course, what *we* all need is another messaging app. They just want to give us what we need.</p><p><br></p><p>Just kidding.</p><p><br></p><p>I would guess that what *they* want is another avenue to users who may not be using Facebook or WhatsApp. And even if they are already using these other apps, the more avenues to users (I believe they call it "engagement") the merrier.</p>

  • akkipanwar

    27 December, 2017 - 6:47 am

    <p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">i am the big fan of this game we have play more site to </span><a href="http://ducklife.xyz&quot; target="_blank" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">duck life game</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> according to another games there are many level in this duck life .we play and enjoy to get the earning to play his throwing duckling its a most important part of duck life.</span></p>

  • binto88

    04 January, 2018 - 3:28 am

    <p><span style="color: rgb(66, 66, 66);">Actually the reason I started to like Snapchat was&nbsp;</span><em style="color: rgb(66, 66, 66);">because</em><span style="color: rgb(66, 66, 66);">&nbsp;of its different UI which, I agree, gives many people the cold feet. But let’s look at it this way. The reason people felt uncomfortable with a peculiar design was that we have grown used to the idea of having the feed-like interface for most of our social networks. Snapchat has more of a&nbsp;</span><em style="color: rgb(66, 66, 66);">cluster</em><span style="color: rgb(66, 66, 66);">&nbsp;design. I think the design is quite simple once you get the hang of it (it’s a learning curve, I admit). The chat feature has the most minimal design that I had yearned for. But the elephant in the room again. I don’t have a good reach. Maybe that’s because Snapchat never wanted to be the next Facebook or Instagram?</span></p>

  • SenaZuch

    27 February, 2018 - 1:52 pm

    <p>Oh no, I would not want a separation of the Direct and Instagram . They want to copy the actions of Facebook. I'm as a young student who always uses social networks, against this actions. The memory on the phone is over. I'm currently working on a <a href="https://supremedissertations.com/writing-services/buy-dissertations&quot; target="_blank" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">affordable dissertation</a>, part of which I bought from very cool writers. Do you know what I talk about? The influence of social networks on the brains of children. This is very entertaining.</p>

Windows Intelligence In Your Inbox

Sign up for our new free newsletter to get three time-saving tips each Friday

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Thurrott © 2024 Thurrott LLC