Quick Summary
Instagram has added a number of key new features to its app that improve direct messaging.
There are some fun additions, such as new themes and personalisations, while some are more functional.
Instagram's latest update is targeted directly at its DMs section, making messaging a bit more intuitive and flexible.
Plenty of people use Instagram as their messaging app across the best smartphones, but it's lagged behind a bunch of other services since it's not really a messaging app first – that's just a byproduct of its success.
Well, the latest app update is one you'll want to get downloaded because it brings a list of useful features to DMs. The first is the ability to pin chats to the top of your inbox for quicker access.
The new Instagram features
You can pin up to three chats, whether they're groups or one-to-one conversations. All it takes is swiping left on a chat and choosing the "Pin" option. That'll be very familiar to users of WhatsApp, which works in a very similar way.
Also arriving in Instagram is the option to turn read receipts on or off globally or per chat. This is a new setting in your account settings, under the "Messages and story replies" section, and is great if you get a bit anxious about replying to things immediately.
The sticker system is also being slightly upgraded, letting you long-press stickers to save them as favourites that will be easier to find in the future.
Perhaps the most fun bit of all, though, is the addition of themes that you can set chat by chat. These let you customise the colour palette of the chat and its background. There are even launch options that include Love and Lollipop.
Sign up to the T3 newsletter for smarter living straight to your inbox
Get all the latest news, reviews, deals and buying guides on gorgeous tech, home and active products from the T3 experts
An Avatar: The Last Airbender theme also suggests that there will be plenty more branded tie-ins down the line. The whole thing is a big throwback to the days of funky chat backgrounds on the likes of MSN Messenger.
The update to bring all these little tweaks and features to your Instagram app should be rolling out now, so you'll either get it very soon if you have auto-updating turned on.
Alternatively, you can head to the App Store or Google Play Store for Android phones to manually update your app and get them immediately if it's available.
Max is T3's Staff Writer for the Tech section – with years of experience reporting on tech and entertainment. He's also a gaming expert, both with the games themselves and in testing accessories and consoles, having previously flexed that expertise at Pocket-lint as a features editor.
-
Your iPhone or iPad might lose Netflix soon – here's why
Netflix is dropping some support
By Max Freeman-Mills Published
-
WhatsApp update will soon add messages from other apps, but there's a catch
Third-party chats are coming
By Max Freeman-Mills Published
-
Instagram gets a great free upgrade that photo lovers will enjoy most
This will change your social media game
By Sam Cross Published
-
Apple Photos undergoing major changes in iOS 18, but some you'll never see
Apple's walking some stuff back
By Max Freeman-Mills Published
-
Google Maps just got a neat design upgrade for free
Maps is becoming simpler to navigate
By Max Freeman-Mills Published
-
Spotify U-turn sees must-have feature return for free
Has scrapped making you pay for something you've previously enjoyed at no extra cost
By Max Freeman-Mills Published
-
Finally, X is getting a new feature that's genuinely useful
The network formerly known as Twitter has undergone a lot of change, this is one of the better ones
By Max Freeman-Mills Published
-
WhatsApp working on huge free upgrade that will make video calls much more fun
Taking a leaf out of Snapchat's book
By Max Freeman-Mills Published