Meta is ramping up its competition with Snapchat by developing a standalone app called Instants, designed for sharing disappearing photos and messages. The ephemeral messaging tool aims to capture Snapchat‘s core audience of quick, temporary shares, and it’s already in internal testing.
Renowned app researcher Alessandro Paluzzi first spotted references to Instants on Instagram’s “Also from Meta” page, sharing a screenshot on X (formerly Twitter). A Meta spokesperson confirmed the prototype exists but isn’t public yet. Beyond the app, Meta plans to roll out an Instants feature directly within Instagram, blending it seamlessly into its ecosystem.
#Instagram is working on a standalone app for Instants/Quicksnap 👀 pic.twitter.com/d56vOeoGap
— Alessandro Paluzzi (@alex193a) February 8, 2026
This move fits Meta’s pattern of adapting Snapchat’s hits. Instagram Stories famously cloned Snapchat’s format years ago, driving massive adoption. Last year, Facebook revived its Poke feature to mimic Snapchat Streaks. Meta has also launched Threads as a Twitter rival and Edits to challenge CapCut—showing no hesitation in building its own versions of popular apps.
Will Instants finally chip away at Snapchat’s dominance? Snapchat boasts over 400 million daily users, but Meta’s scale could sway younger demographics hooked on Instagram. Internal tests suggest a focus on simple, fun exchanges that vanish after viewing, much like Snapchat’s snaps.
As Meta expands its app portfolio, users await official details. Stay tuned for updates—could this be the next big social shake-up?