We've all been there - you thought that winky face emoji was flirtatiously hilarious when you sent it to your crush at 2 am, but by morning, you realise it might have come across as a bit too preachy. Or maybe you were trying to formulate the perfect elegant sentence to re-engage with an old classmate, only to discover right after sending that you definitely missed a crucial "not" in there somewhere.
Instagram
knows your struggles and has provided what may be the most meaningful update in the sea of idiotic changes that nobody asked for.
Now, if your fingers betray you with an egregious typo or your attempt at witty banter falls flat, you have a 15-minute grace period to restore your dignity.
DM walk of shame no more"Whether it's a typo or something just doesn't sound right, you can now
edit messages
up to
15 minutes
after sending," Instagram said. To use this, you only need to long-press on the offending message and select "edit" from the dropdown menu.
It's the DM equivalent of being able to re-do that drunken walk of shame from the night before when you come to your senses the next day. Though in typical social media fashion, the app will add an "edited" disclaimer to your revised message, hopefully sparing you from any "wait, what did that say before?" awkwardness.
Now you can pin the chats, too
Aside from editing messages, users can pin up to 3 message threads to the top of their inboxes - whether that's for your most personal conversations or just to remind someone you're still waiting for a reply passive-aggressively.
Never let them know if you’ve read their messages
Instagram is also giving folks the ability to disable read receipts, allowing you to properly "keep them on read" without them realising it. Between that and an
edit
button for regrettable messages, it's almost like Instagram acknowledges we all engage in some level of emotional mind games over
DMs
these days.
New theme options to perfectly express your vibe
But don't worry, Instagram hasn't gone full emo just yet. The app is also rolling out new chat theme options to let you personalise your messaging ambiance. Whether you want a sweet "Love" motif, an "Avatar: The Last Airbender" tribute, or just something refreshing like "Lollipop," Instagram has you covered to set the right mood.
You'll also be able to save and easily access your favourite stickers and GIFs for all your perfectly crafted (or rapidly edited) DM reactions. So rejoice! Your days of DM shame and regret are over. Though you may still want to think twice before sending that 2 am winky face!
English (US) ·