Meta has launched Instants, a standalone Instagram application available since April 23 in Spain and Italy. The app replicates Snapchat's format: it only allows capturing photos with the built-in camera, with no option to upload files from the gallery, and messages are deleted after 24 hours or a single view. Users log in with their Instagram account without re-registering.
Instants is a rebranding of Shots with a focus on speed 🚀
Instants is not a new development from scratch. It is a rebranding of Shots, an experimental feature within Instagram that failed to gain traction. The app offers a faster and more direct experience than the main app, and shared content is also accessible from Instagram. Meta's strategy capitalizes on Snapchat's vulnerability, which in April laid off 16% of its workforce, to capture market share in regions where Snap does not dominate, such as Spain and Italy.
Meta revives its obsession with copying Snapchat (yet again) 🔄
Since Mark Zuckerberg tried to buy Snapchat in 2013 for $3 billion and was rejected, Meta has attempted to replicate it with failures like Poke and Slingshot. Only Instagram Stories were successful. Now, with Instants, Meta is back at it, but the app is a rehash of an experimental feature that no one used. It's as if Meta is saying: if we can't buy it, we copy it until it works, even if it's the third or fourth attempt.