From message editing to disabling the read receipts: Meta is rolling out new features on Instagram
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You can now edit your messages and remove the read receipts thanks to Instagram’s new features.
Meta is rolling out new messaging features on its social media platform Instagram, making it look more like WhatsApp than your usual DMs.
The first feature made available in the latest round of updates makes it possible to edit direct messages for 15 minutes after hitting the button “send,” an update Meta had already rolled out for Messenger in December.
To modify a message, you can now long-press it, and select “edit” from the dropdown menu.
The window seems a little bit too small to correct any alcohol-induced mistake, unfortunately, but it’s good to have the option to keep your discussion typo-free.
As for the other new updates, it’s now possible to pin up to three chats to keep them at the top of your inbox, a feature seemingly inspired by what WhatsApp already offers to its users.
To do so, swipe left or tap and hold on the discussion, then tap “pin”. This applies both to one-on-one conversations and group chats.
Now, for the subjectively most useful improvement: Instagram now offers the possibility to turn off those pesky read receipts in messages. We can now collectively exhale and ghost people in peace.
Given the availability of many of these features on rival platforms, Meta seems to be playing catch-up with the other instant messaging apps, especially after the hiccup that put its platforms offline for hundreds of thousands of users for a few hours on Tuesday.
Now for the fun updates: you can now save your favourite stickers to “upgrade your replies”.
It is also possible to reply to messages with stickers, GIFs, videos, photos, and voice messages.
Instagram also added new themes to personalise your discussion, including a lollipop one for… reasons, let’s say.
Instagram wasn’t the only platform to be given new features.
The latest version of the app Threads – launched by Meta as an alternative to Twitter – received a new gesture feature.
In the For You tab, users have now the ability to interact with posts by swiping right to express appreciation or left to conceal the content.
