In the social media world where things can be very noisy and public, Instagram has a solution.
And that simple solution is Direct Messages. Also called the DM feature, the in-app messaging feature allows users "to share and privately exchange text, photos, Reels, and posts with one or more people. Instagram DMs are a space for you to connect and collaborate over shared interests with friends."
But sometimes, in the ever-increasing hectic digital world, people simply don't have time for everything.
Which means that Instagram users may not have the time to type or respond to a DM.
To make things easier, the Meta-owned platform has officially launched a new feature allowing users to schedule DMs to be sent at a later time.
The update, aimed at improving the app’s messaging experience, is introduced to offer greater flexibility for communication.
The option to schedule DMs will be especially useful for creators and brands that want to schedule outreach messages at optimal times. It will also be useful for regular users who want to reach their friends at a certain time due to different time zones. Plus, they can use the feature to send
First spotted by social media expert Lindsey Gamble, the feature is simply an option for users to schedule DMs to be sent.
This should be useful for creators and brands, who want to schedule outreach messages at optimal times, for example. For regular users, the feature should help them reach their friends at intended time, or at certain time due to living in different time sones.
And because the feature is a way to send DMs at a later time, the feature also comes with a reminder.
On a dedicated help page, Instagram explained that to schedule a DM to be sent at a later time, users must long-press the 'send' button in a chat window, after which a menu will appear, prompting them to select the date and time for delivery.
Once its done, a notification will appear in the chat, showing the message as a pending message.
Users can tap on the notification to review the message, delete it, or choose to send it immediately by long-pressing it.
Initially, the feature only supports text-based messages, with Instagram clarifying that photos, videos, and GIFs cannot yet be scheduled and still need to be sent in real time.
The feature can schedule a message up to 29 days in advance.
Read: Instagram Updates DM Feature So Users Can Better 'Express Yourself And Deepen Friendships'
This Instagram update reflects its continued efforts to strengthen its messaging platform.
Meta Platforms, Instagram’s parent company, has been focused on improving user engagement by enhancing direct messaging, which has become an essential part of the app.
And here, features like message editing, live location sharing, and interactive tools like drawing on photos have already been added to compete with rival messaging apps, like Snapchat.
As social media platforms increasingly prioritize private messaging, this scheduling option brings Instagram in line with tools typically seen on business messaging platforms.
With its growing focus on communication tools, Instagram continues to expand its role beyond being just a photo-sharing platform.
Read: 'Updates To DM Request': Instagram Adds Sort And Filter Feature To Its In-App Messaging