Instagram users want Instants gone: Why the new feature is sparking privacy fears and how to turn it off

Instagram’s latest Instants feature hasn’t been off to the warm reception that Meta would have hoped for. Instead, the feature has received mixed reviews, with users quickly trying to look up how to remove the unwanted photos from their DMs. Users on social media have also raised privacy concerns around the feature due to its no-confirmation approach before sending images.

Here’s everything you need to know about Instagram Instants:

What is Instagram Instants?

Instagram Instants is a new disappearing photo-sharing feature designed to encourage more spontaneous and unfiltered interactions between friends. The feature sits inside Instagram’s inbox and lets users quickly capture and send photos that disappear after being viewed, similar to Snapchat’s Snaps.

Unlike Stories or regular posts, Instants is focused on casual sharing with no editing tools or polished presentation. Meta says the idea is to make it easier for people to share “life as it happens.”

The photos themselves disappear after they are viewed and are no longer visible after 24 hours. Instants also cannot be screenshotted or screen-recorded in order to protect the sensitivity of the content.

However, the content is still saved privately in the sender’s archive for up to a year, allowing users to revisit it or even turn it into Story recaps later.

Why are netizens worried about Instants?

Instagram may have pitched Instants as a casual, in-the-moment sharing feature, but it has spooked many users online. Across Reddit threads and community discussions, there has been backlash against Instagram over how the new feature works and how little control users feel they have over it.

A major concern around Instants is the feature’s instant-send approach, where users don’t get a chance to preview the content they are sending, unlike Stories or posts.

Several users on Reddit said the onboarding process for Instants was confusing and moved too quickly, making it easy to trigger accidental actions. One Redditor wrote that Instagram “forced me to go through a tutorial where I really didn’t know what was happening” and said they accidentally ended up sending a foot emoji to a random client.

One user bluntly wrote on Reddit that “the fact it just uploads directly without any confirmation is insane”, while another called the experience “absolutely diabolical” because users often test features without realising content is immediately shared.

The timing of the new feature has also added to anxiety. Notably, Meta went back on a long-standing privacy promise for Instagram DMs this month as the company removed end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for Instagram chats. With E2EE, messages are scrambled in a way that only the sender and recipient can read them, preventing even the platform itself from accessing their contents.However, after removing E2EE, Instagram DMs are now only covered by standard encryption, meaning they could technically be accessed by Instagram. The change coinciding with the new Instants feature has led to increased scrutiny around Meta’s privacy promises, with some users questioning whether Instagram is the right place for sensitive or personal conversations.

How to turn off Instagram Instants?

• To disable Instants on Instagram:
• Open Instagram and go to your profile
• Tap the three-line menu in the top-right corner
• Open Settings
• Scroll down and select Content Preferences
• Find Hide Instants in Inbox and turn it on

Once enabled, the Instants section will disappear from your inbox. You also won’t see Instants shared by other users.

If you don’t want to completely disable the feature, Instagram also lets you temporarily hide it. Press and hold the Instants stack in your inbox and swipe right to pause them for the time being.

If you accidentally send a photo, Instagram allows you to call it back by tapping the “Undo” button immediately after sharing. You can also open the archive section through the four-box icon in the camera interface and remove a sent Instant.