Following the announcement made in January, Instagram has rolled out the ability to send direct messages (DM) on the web version of the image sharing platform. This feature was previously exclusive via its application on mobile devices.
Prior to the feature’s rollout, the company has been beta testing web-based DMs with a select group of people. This is in order to troubleshoot certain bugs and to gradually introduce more features along the way. The final version of web DM now sports a similar experience to its mobile counterpart, with the inclusion of various emoji selections and a gallery view for photos and videos.
*Sliding into your DMs*
Now you can get and send Instagram Direct messages on desktop, no matter where you are in the world 👍 pic.twitter.com/CT2SwuxHTv
— Instagram (@instagram) April 10, 2020
The introduction of DMs to Instagram Web is also in line with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s plan to incorporate all three company-owned platforms – Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram – into a unified ecosystem. Facebook’s previous update allowed for cross-posting on both its own platform and on Instagram.
In an official Facebook blog update posted in March of last year, Zuckerberg expressed interest in shifting all three brands into becoming a “privacy-focused communications platform” with a strong emphasis on encryption. However, he did not reveal when the actual shift is planned to be set in motion.
(Source: Instagram via Twitter)
