Several new messaging features announced last year are now being unveiled on Instagram with the intention of helping people better connect and interact with the people closest to them, according to a press release on Thursday (March 31).
Instagram users can now send people music clips, reshare content and reply to direct messages (DMs) while scrolling, quickly see who is online and more. New experiences are also being added to message threads, including the ability to customize threads in a variety of ways.
Users will soon be able to play, pause and re-play 30-second snippets of music from Apple Music, Amazon Music and Spotify, and friends can listen right in the chat window.
Other features include the ability to create polls within group chats, the option to send messages without sending a notification and a new lo-fi chat theme that can make conversations feel more personal.
The new features are being introduced in select countries and plans are in the works to launch the features internationally, though the release did not offer any specific time frame. In the release, Instagram said these updates are part of its “ongoing work to improve how you connect and share with your closest friends.”
Earlier this week, a developer shared a screenshot of a supposed new Instagram feature that would allow users to send voice messages in response to stories. Private likes are also being weighed as a new way for users to interact with stories, PYMNTS reported.
Read more: Instagram Reportedly Developing Voice Response to Stories
Additionally, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are also in the works for Instagram, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced at the SXSW conference in mid-March, pending technical issues being sorted out.
Instagram parent company Meta is also said to be mulling the creation of a marketplace to buy, sell and resell NFTs. However, marketplaces have had numerous complaints regarding allegations of forgeries and improper licenses.
See also: Zuckerberg: Metaverse-Friendly NFTs Coming Soon to Instagram
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