DMs on Desktop: Instagram is Testing Direct Messages for the Web
Instagram is testing its DM (direct message) for the web on mobile and desktop, according to app researcher who shared a screenshot of the feature on Twitter.
Currently, the desktop version of Instagram is a minimal, pared-down tale of the mobile app that displays little more than the feed. There’s still no straight way to upload pictures, and the service is always delayed to add new features. Browser notification was added only last September. Some features, such as uploading stories, are restrained to the mobile app only. Instagram said it has “no plans to let users upload photos or stories from the desktop.” DMs coming to the web would be a big step ahead for the previously mobile-only app.
There are many reasons why this change to the web could be happening now. Instagram has established a standalone messaging app called Direct, which it started testing in 6 countries in 2017, and the transit to the desktop could be a hint that messaging has become more to the Instagram team. The move could also have something to do with Facebook’s plans to merge Messenger, Instagram DMs, and WhatsApp, into a single, united platform. For now, an Instagram spokesperson told The Verge that the feature isn’t being publicly tested.
