Photo-sharing app Instagram is testing direct messages feature for its web version. The testing of direct messages was reported by popular app researcher Jane Manchun Wong, who tweeted a screenshot of the feature.
Currently, Instagram’s web version is stripped down variant of its mobile app with less functionality and shows little more than the feed. There is no option to add or upload photos, and updates to web version come at an incredibly slow pace.
While browser notification support was added in September last year, other notable features including the ability to add stories and edit posts are only available on its mobile app.
Direct messages coming to the web would be a huge step for the desktop version. The move could be a step behind Facebook’s plans to consolidate Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram DMs into one place.
In January, Instagram began allowing users to share the same post from multiple accounts on iOS. The move represents a big step for content creators that are constantly looking to increase their reach both of their personal and brand accounts.
Instagram has started gradually rolling out the feature globally on iOS. The post to multiple accounts functionality is available at the last stage of the post posting process. Users can then select the accounts that they want to publish their post from at the same time.
Starting this week, Instagram users will be able to view IGTV videos from the people they follow directly on their timeline. These IGTV videos will have a tag differentiating them from others.
