Instagram is testing disappearing messages - it's the latest example of the app borrowing ideas from Snapchat

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Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri.

• Instagram is prototyping a feature that would let people send disappearing messages, similar to its existing feature that lets people send disappearing photos in chat.
• After the prototype was uncovered by hacker-researcher Jane Manchun Wong, Instagram confirmed that the feature is in development but not yet being tested externally.
• It's Instagram's latest foray into features that bear a strong resemblance to Snapchat.
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Instagram has a new feature in the works - and it looks a lot like Snapchat.

The app is prototyping a disappearing messages feature that would clear people's direct messages chat whenever they close out, similar to Snapchat's longstanding chat mechanic.

The disappearing chat function was discovered by hacker Jane Manchun Wong, who regularly unearths prototypes of new features hidden in apps' code. After Wong tweeted about the feature, Instagram confirmed that it's in early development.

It's not the first time Instagram developed a feature that mimics Snapchat. Instagram's Stories feature, rolled out in 2016, rocketed to nearly double the number of daily active users posting stories on Snapchat within 2 years.

Instagram Stories now account for roughly 10% of all ad revenue brought in by Facebook, which owns Instagram.

Instagram is working on "�� mode" where messages disappear

It seems to be in an early barebone version but I tried my best to demonstrate how it might work pic.twitter.com/ZrUZZj0TWo

- Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) March 19, 2020

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