7 New Messaging Features for DM’s Introduced by Instagram
With approximately 1.1 billion users globally, Instagram is one of the most popular social networking networks. Thanks to Meta continually putting out updates and introducing new features to keep up with the competition, what started as a gateway to share photographs with friends and family has turned into a massive social media platform with millions of communities interacting with each other.
Instagram is also one of the few well-known platforms that isn't afraid to make big adjustments and introduce new features. Seven new features have been added to Instagram as part of a recent update, which should improve how you use and interact with the platform. Let's have a look at all of the new features and how they can be used.
Instagram releases updates in waves in order to collect input from early users and make required improvements. Make sure your Instagram app is updated if you haven't yet received the new features. If you have an Android device, you can also enroll in the beta program through the Google Play Store.
WHATs and HOWs?
The new DM features are part of Instagram's "ongoing development to improve how you interact and share with your closest friends," according to a statement on their press page.
1.Quick Reply While Browsing
One of the most irritating aspects of the Instagram app has been the inability to respond to messages without going into the app's messaging section. To participate in the chat, you had to put any photo or video you were watching on hold.
When you receive a message, it now appears as an in-app notice, which you can tap to respond immediately. Although quick reacting through alerts has long been a part of Android, this in-app enhancement makes it available to all devices. You may respond to messages without ever leaving the app.
2.Quickly Send Posts to Friends
We all have a group of pals with whom we share memes or posts on a regular basis. The new Quick Share feature makes it even easier to share Instagram posts with a shortcut, eliminating the need to manually choose a recipient from a long list.
A popup with a handful of your regularly contacted contacts will appear when you tap and hold the Share button below any post. Toggle your finger from the Share button to your friend's or follower's profile image. Without any additional processes, the post will be shared with the person right away.
3.See Who's Online on Instagram
Seeing a friend online gives you the impetus to strike up a chat. While Facebook's Activity Status function has been around for a long time, there has never been a method to quickly scan a list of online friends.
Instagram has taken a page from Messenger and now shows a row of individuals who are online or active at the top of your conversations list. If you tap on them, you'll be taken directly to their DM.
4.Music Integration
For a while now, Instagram has allowed you to use Spotify to add music to your Stories. Instagram DMs now have a music integration, making it easy to exchange snippets of your favorite songs.
You can play and pause a 30-second preview of any song someone sends you, avoiding the need to click a link that takes you to another app while you're in the middle of a chat. Instagram will support Amazon Music, Spotify, and Apple Music once the feature is enabled.
5.Send Messages Without Notifying
Instagram now allows users to send messages without announcing them to the recipient. The person on the other end will not receive a notification if you simply include "@silent" in your message. This is fantastic news for folks who don't want to annoy others with unwelcome notifications but yet want to make their point.
When putting in someone's login, you can instantly mention them by touching on their name. When opposed to putting in the complete username like before, this saves a lot of time.
6.New Lo-Fi Chat Theme
Chat themes have brought a depth of customisation that was sorely lacking before, replacing the relatively bland white or black background. These themes change for different chats, and so can be used to create the ideal ambiance for a one-on-one or group chat.
This new version adds a new Lo-Fi style to the conversation, giving it a relaxing feel. To change the chat theme to Lo-Fi, follow these simple instructions:
Create an Instagram DM.
In the top-right corner, click the Info button.
Select Lo-Fi from the Theme menu in the Chat settings.
Return to the chat room, and the new Lo-Fi chat theme should have been applied.
This chat theme, in comparison to the dozen others, has a more pleasant and soothing vibe, as you can see.
7.Create an Instagram Poll
This list's final feature may be the most exciting. In group chats, you can now construct polls to make decisions much more easily. Say goodbye to receiving hundreds of texts only to find out that you don't agree with them.
The chat members can vote for current alternatives or create new ones after you start a poll in a group.
To create polls in a group chat on Instagram:
Create an Instagram group chat.
Just above the keyboard, next to the gallery symbol, tap the Plus icon.
Choose Poll from the list of stickers by tapping the Stickers icon.
Create a poll question and add poll options. When you're finished, press Create Poll.
It's as easy as that. To participate in a poll, simply touch on it in the group chat.
If there's one good thing to come out of Facebook and Instagram's merger, it's the significant advances in chat features. Instagram is constantly experimenting with new features in order to appeal to a wider audience, and it's always entertaining to be exposed to new features.
