Meta has launched a new app called Instants, rolling it out in Italy and Spain this week as a test market. This marks another chapter in the social media giant’s ongoing strategy to capture different ways people connect.
Instants lets users share disappearing photos with their friends. These photos last 24 hours and can’t be viewed more than once. The app’s slogan, per the current app listing is said to be “Real life, real quick.”
The app is intended to “give people low-pressure ways to connect with friends,” a Meta spokesperson confirmed. The concept combines elements from multiple competing platforms like Snapchat’s disappearing content model, BeReal’s unfiltered authenticity, and the stripped-down interface of apps like Locket.
Users can take photos (or short videos) with the app’s camera and add text, but cannot edit the content further. Critically, the app prevents uploading photos from your gallery and using filters or editing tools. What your phone’s camera captures is exactly what’s posted to Instants, ensuring a visual authenticity that traditional social media platforms have lacked.
The user opens the app, taps once to capture a photo with the in-app camera, and sends it to mutual followers or a Close Friends list. Recipients can view it exactly once, and the photo disappears entirely after 24 hours. There is no camera roll upload. There is no editing, text overlay is the only allowed modification. There are no likes, no comments, no algorithm.
The Instants app is available for download on Android and iPhone devices, though only in select European markets. Meta did not share more details about its plans to roll out the app in the US.
Spain and Italy are not a random pick. Both countries rank among Europe’s heaviest Instagram markets per capita, both have unusually engaged Stories audiences, and both have shown sustained adoption curves for ephemeral and casual social formats.
A Meta spokesperson indicated the company is in exploratory mode. “We’re exploring multiple versions of Instants,” the company stated, suggesting the app remains experimental. The move signals Meta’s broader shift: testing standalone apps separately rather than embedding features directly into Instagram, a strategy also used with its Edits video editing app.
