has announced five features that are coming to messaging on the platform. These include
editing ability
and
pinning of chats
to top of the inbox. These features are rolling out to
direct messages
(DMs) on the Meta-owned company.
“Today, we are excited to announce a number of new DM features to help you better connect with friends, making your messaging experience more flexible and enjoyable,” the company said.
The new features were first announced by
Meta
CEO
Mark Zuckerberg
on his Instagram Channel. “New DM feature: edit. Game Changer,” he wrote.
Edit your messages on Instagram
Instagram users will now be able to edit their sent messages within a time span of 15 minutes. This way, they can correct a typo or fix the grammar of their messages. To make a change, press and hold on the sent message, then choose “edit” from the dropdown menu.
Pin chats to top of Instagram inbox
Some chats are important and pin chats feature will help you quickly access them within the clutter. “For chats you have with your best friends or family, or simply ones you want at the top of your inbox, soon you’ll be able to pin up to three group or 1:1 chats for easy access,” the company said.
- To move a chat to the top of the inbox, swipe left or tap and hold on the chat
- Then tap “pin”
- You can choose to unpin a thread at any time.
Toggle read receipts in DMs
Read receipts are indicators that let others know that you’ve read their message. Now, users can choose to turn read receipts on or off, for all of your chats or specific ones – just like it is done in WhatsApp.
To turn it on or off for all chats:
- Go to account settings
- Tap Messages and story replies
- Tap Show read receipts
- Toggle read receipts on or off for all of your chats
Save stickers in Instagram DMs
Users will now be able to save stickers in DMs for quick access. Press and hold on the sticker you want to save and you’ll find them at the top next time you go to stickers. Additionally, stickers, GIFs, videos, photos, and voice messages are already available while chatting on the platform. They can be accessed by simply pressing and holding on the message.
Personalise your chats with themes
Users can now set the mood for a chat with themes.
“Whether it’s planning for a get together or some fun banter with friends, there’s a theme for that. Check out our newest themes including Love (soon to be animated), Lollipop, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and many more,” the company said.
To change the theme for a chat
- Tap the chat name up top
- Go into themes
- Pick one of the themes available.