Instagram is Testing Its Own Version of Facebook's Messenger Called Direct
Instagram has revealed that they are testing out a new app called Direct, which is expected to completely replace the inbox messaging feature of their original site. Furthermore, speculations indicate that this might be the social media giant's bold attempt at winning over Snapchat.
"We want Instagram to be a place for all of your moments, and private sharing with close friends is an important part of that," Hemal Shah, an Instagram product manager, told The Verge. "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."
Direct has been released to six countries for the first stages of the test: Uruguay, Chile, Turkey, Italy, Portugal and Israel. The new app from the Instagram developers will let its users create and share stories, as well as access some new and exclusive filters. Furthermore, the users' friends on Instagram will instantly be synced to the contact list of Direct.
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According to TechCrunch, Direct might be Instagram's latest assault on Snapchat, especially since most of its features mirrors that of Snapchat. However, the circumstances do beg the question of how different is Direct compared to Instagram and why would users actively choose to switch out apps in order to message their friends? The social media giant has yet to respond to these questions, but considering that Direct is still in testing, more information is expected to be released in the coming months.
Direct should now be available for free on the App Store for iOS users and in the Google Play Store for Android users. There is no official announcement yet on whether or not it will be released in the U.S.
