Instagram is rolling out major updates to its Direct Message feature
The updates will allow you to share music, schedule messages, translate text and more.
Something is brewing in Instagram’s DMs, and while it's not a "u up?" text from your ex, you'll love what is coming.
Imagine being able to connect with people across languages, or sending your friends a song that perfectly captures your mood. These moments are now easier than ever, thanks to the updates to Instagram's direct messaging system.
One of the standout updates is message translation, a long overdue feature that Facebook Messenger has had since 2018. Now, you can translate messages directly in your chats by simply long-pressing a message and tapping on the "Translate" button.
The translated text will appear right below the original, making cross-language conversations possible. Surprisingly, WhatsApp still lacks this feature, but at least Instagram is catching up.
But that's not all. Instagram is also bringing music stickers, scheduled messages, and better group chat management. For music lovers, the new music stickers in DMs let you share a 30-second preview of your favorite songs. This feature lives under the Stickers tab in your chat, where you can search for and send a snippet of a song.
Emmanuel Oyedeji
Additionally, Instagram is expanding on its DM scheduler feature which was first unveiled late last year. You can now schedule messages to be sent at a later time by simply long-pressing the send button. Now, you can sleep peacefully knowing the birthday wish you scheduled for Tom will get to him at 12 AM.
Group chats are also getting a small but useful update with personalized QR codes. Each group now has its own unique QR code that can be shared to invite others. Admins still maintain control, as they can refresh the QR code whenever needed to limit access.
Another tweak to DMs is the expansion of the chat pinning feature released last year. Previously, you could pin up to three chat threads in your DMs for easy access. Now, Instagram is allowing you to pin specific messages within both one-on-one and group conversations. This makes it easier to keep important texts visible instead of endlessly scrolling through chat history.
These updates are rolling out globally, so if you don’t see them yet, they should be available soon.
