Meta Expands Its Creator Ecosystem With Instagram’s New Instants App

InnovationCreator EconomyMeta Expands Its Creator Ecosystem With Instagram’s New Instants AppByEmma Cortes Ellendt,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Creator of Emma's Edition & the Creative Edition Podcast.Follow AuthorMay 20, 2026, 06:12pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.A person holds a phone displaying the Instagram logo in Knurow, Poland, on April 20, 2025. (Photo Illustration by Klaudia Radecka/NurPhoto via Getty Images)NurPhoto via Getty ImagesContent creators and influencers have a new Meta app to consider in 2026: Instants. This real-time photo-sharing platform, accessible both within Instagram and as a standalone app, is designed for sharing unedited photos that disappear after 24 hours or after being viewed. Here's what you need to know about Instagram's Instants and what it means for creators and influencers.What Is Instagram’s Instants?Instagram Instants is a new way to share photos with your followers or your close friends. You can share in-the-moment experiences with your audiences directly on the app.You can find Instants both within Instagram and as a standalone app. As of May 2026, Instants is the No.1 Social app in the app store.Photos shared on Instants cannot be edited. Photos also disappear from Instants after they've been viewed. There is also a 24-hour expiration timeline on photos. How Does Instagrams’s Instants App Work?Step 1: You can access Instants in your Instagram inbox by tapping on the pile of photos at the bottom right corner.Step 2: Next, users can instantly snap a photo of what they're doing and upload it with a caption. Instants does not allow users to upload photos from their phone's photo galleries.MORE FOR YOUStep 3: Choose who you want to share your photo or your "instant" with. Users can choose their "Close Friends" or "Followers&qu...