- Instagram is continuing to expand what’s possible in the DMs
- You can now schedule a message and easily translate one
- The bigger news dropped from JENNIE and Doechii as you can share music now
Sure, Instagram DMs might be best known as where you might shoot your shot with someone or send Reels to friends with common interests, but Meta wants them to be used as a core messaging service. At least, that’s what we think this pretty major expansion to Instagram DMs, which is rolling out now, indicates.
Just days after debuting the ability to give another user a nickname timed to Valentine’s Day, Instagram is rolling out four major improvements to its DMs. Starting with the ability to schedule a message, which I was surprised wasn’t already there. Instagram is now playing catch up with the likes of iMessage – which only got this feature in iOS 18 – Messenger, and WhatsApp.
Within Instagram, though, you can now write out a message – emojis, GIFs, and all – and schedule it to be sent later for individual or group messages. You can schedule one for up to 29 days in the future, which might prove fruitful if you need to be sure an important message will be sent, like for a friend’s birthday or an anniversary with a loved one.
Further, Instagram knows its platform is global and that you might be messaging someone in another language. And rather than copying that message into another app or the web for a translation, you can now translate a message into 99 different languages right within Instagram. You can do this by long holding on to the message and selecting the translate option. This one could prove pretty handy.
Next, we’ve all been there when group messages get busy – it can be a constant onslaught of new items to read, and other messages or items shared can get lost in the mix. Instagram has a fix, well, at least one that could help, as you can now pin up to three messages to the top of an individual or a group chat. So, if you’re planning a weekend trip with friends, you can get the essential details up top.
Considering Instagram already integrates music into Stories and lets you share an adorable vinyl record spinning with artwork, it was only a matter of time before this feature arrived in messages. The result is that you can share your favorite tracks with your friends in a one-person or group message and listen to the track simultaneously.
You also don’t need to navigate out to Apple Music or Spotify to find the track as you can search for your favorite songs right in-line from a new pop-up menu. It’s similar to picking a track to share on Stories or as backing music for a Reel. Instagram actually partnered with JENNIE and Doechii to unveil this feature.
All of this stacks up to make messaging in DMs a bit more seamless but also to keep you more within Instagram rather than navigating out to other apps. Additionally, Instagram also now lets you generate a QR code so another user can easily join a group chat by just scanning it.
Let us know what your favorite feature of this Instagram DM drop is in the comments below, but in the meantime, I’m going to share some new music in a DM with my friends.
