Do you love to share photos on your Instagram account and view your friends’ photos and videos? If it is so, you are among the fans of this super popular social media application. Instagram allows you to share every moment of your life and stay tuned with what your friends are up to. But it is not just an app for photo sharing. You can also use Instagram to send private messages to your friends. Do you want to how the messaging feature of Instagram works? If it is so, you are in the right place. Read along to learn everything about Instagram Direct.
What is Instagram Direct?
Instagram, which is a photo sharing application, comes with a private messaging feature as well. You can use this feature of Instagram to share photo and videos or just send plain texts with a specific Instagram user or a group of users. Instagram was launched in 2010 but it did not offer the messaging feature until 2013. Before the Direct feature, the only way to contact another Instagram user was to write a comment for their photos.
How does Instagram Direct work?
Direct messages on Instagram can be sent to anyone you are following. It is also possible to send a message to a person you are not following but it will appear as a message request in their inbox and you should wait for them to accept your request in order to start a conversation. When a message request is approved, all the messages will appear in the inbox even if you are not following each other.
Whenever you have a new message on Instagram, you will be notified. It will appear as a number on top right corner of the screen. All you need to do is to tap on it and you will be taken to the messaging section.
How to send a message with Instagram Direct?
It is absolutely easy to send a message on Instagram. There are two ways you can do that:
- Tap on the messaging icon on top right corner of the main page and you will be taken to your messaging section. Tap on the “+” icon on the top right corner. Type down the username of the person in the “To…” box and then tap on “Next“. A conversation page will open and you can now type down your message.
- Search for and open the profile page of the person you want to send a message to. Tap on the three dots icon on top right corner of the page and then choose “Send Message” from the list. A conversation page will open and you can start chatting.
How to create a group conversation on Instagram Direct?
You can also use Instagram messaging feature to send messages in groups. in order to do so:
- Enter the Direct section on your Instagram app
- Tap on the plus icon on top right corner
- Choose all the members of the group you want to create from the list or type down their username in the “To…” box
- Tap on Next and now you can start messaging in your group
You can also choose a name for your group or mute its notifications if you want. You can also leave the group you have created without deleting the group.
How to share posts via Instagram Direct
When you see a post on Instagram, there are several buttons you can use. Aside from the like and comments button, there is a button you can use to share the post with a friend through Instagram DM. So, all you need to do is to tap on that icon. Then you will need to choose or type down the name of the person you want to share the post with. You can also choose the name of a group if you want to share it in a group. The post will be sent to the person as a direct message.
Is Instagram Direct secure?
Security is an absolutely important factor to consider when it comes to messaging. It is absolutely crucial to use a messaging app which ensures that your messages will be delivered to the target person safely. One method that messaging apps use to account for the security of data is end-to-end encryption. This method ensures that no in-between person will be able to intercept messages. As for Instagram Direct, there is no end-to-end encryption and it may create worries as it might be possible to spy on Instagram messages. So, if you are looking for a secure messaging app, other applications such as Signal or Telegram can be a better option. These apps focus on security and offer the latest technologies for security of data.
