Instagram releases surprising new messaging feature

Instagram has released a surprising new feature – in fact, a whole new app – to change the way users message their closest friends.

The newly released standalone messaging app, Threads, which has been designed for close groups of friends to stay in touch with camera-first messaging.

It allows users to share photos and videos with select groups of friends in a totally private space, as the app only facilitates messages between users and the people on their Instagram 'close friends' list.

This means you're totally in control of who can and can't contact you on the app, protecting users from unwanted messages and harassment.

Photos and messages from threads will also appear in a user's Instagram direct messages, meaning they can respond to friends across both platforms.

Some Instagram users have likened Threads to Facebook's Messenger app, which moved the platform's messaging service to a standalone app on mobile phones.

"So Facebook messenger?" one Twitter user said in response to the news.

The similarities have left some people wondering if Instagram now plans to remove the messaging feature in the main app, however there are no signs that this is the case – yet.

Others wondered why another standalone messaging app is necessary when there are already so many on the market and filling up our phone screens.

"Why does anyone need this? iMessage, direct messages, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger...come on," one person tweeted.

But some have been won over by the app already, with many users cheering for Threads' dark mode, which shifts the app's colour palette from white to black.

Dark or night modes have been fan favourites on apps like Twitter for years and plenty of Insta-fans are keen to see it finally integrated, though through the new app.

"So Threads for @instagram is basically just DM's but it has a midnight dark theme so it's instantly better than the native app," one tweeted.