How to update instagram direct message


How to Update Instagram Messaging With Messenger Features

  • You can update Instagram messaging to a new version that incorporates Facebook Messenger features.
  • You can find the option to upgrade by tapping the direct message icon at the top right of the screen. 
  • Here's everything you need to know about the new updated Instagram messaging.

Thanks to an Instagram update, you can upgrade to Facebook Messenger features in the popular social media app. After making the change, you will have access to features from Facebook Messenger in Instagram — the usual direct message icon at the top right of the screen is replaced by a Facebook Messenger icon, and Messenger features will be merged into Instagram, including the ability to chat with Facebook friends. 

How to update Instagram messaging

It doesn't matter whether you're on iPhone or Android — the update process is the same for both.  

1. Start the Instagram app and tap the DM icon at the top right of the screen. 

Tap the DMs arrow. Dave Johnson/Business Insider

2. You should see a pop-up screen that invites you to upgrade to Messenger. Tap "Update."

Tap “Update” to get Facebook Messenger features in Instagram. Dave Johnson/Business Insider

3.  You'll see a page indicating your messaging has been updated. Tap "Continue."

If you've previously clicked "Not now" to update Instagram messaging, the process is slightly different, but just as easy. All you have to do is click on your profile picture in the bottom right corner, tap the three horizontal lines in the top right, hit "Settings," and then select "Update Messaging." Tap "Update."

That's it — you should now see the new Messenger icon at the top right of the screen. 

What's new in Instagram messaging

Facebook has begun to blend its features into Instagram with this update. After making the update, you can communicate seamlessly between Instagram and Messenger. (Although Instagram messages do not appear in Facebook Messenger in web browsers.) You can chat with Messenger users and see search results for Messenger on Instagram.

If you are in a video chat, you can watch content together within the chat — just tap the Media icon at the bottom of the video chat window and select the content you want to share.  

Watching video together is one of the new capabilities in Instagram messaging. Dave Johnson/Business Insider

You can swipe to reply to messages — swipe right on any message to immediately reply to that message. 

Instagram messages now have a "Vanish" mode. To use it, swipe up in any chat in which both you and your chat partner have upgraded, and you will enter an incognito mode in which your chat disappears after the session is over. 

In addition, there are other new features, such as the ability to reshare posts, react to messages with any emoji, change your chat color, send animated stickers, and more. 

  • How to turn on dark mode on the Facebook Messenger mobile app


  • How to use Facebook Messenger Rooms to video chat with friends and family from any device

  • How to see your message requests on Instagram, accept or ignore a message, or block a user

  • How to manually update Instagram on your iPhone, so you never miss out on its latest features

  • How to get dark mode on Instagram for an iPhone using iOS 13

Dave Johnson

Freelance Writer

Dave Johnson is a technology journalist who writes about consumer tech and how the industry is transforming the speculative world of science fiction into modern-day real life. Dave grew up in New Jersey before entering the Air Force to operate satellites, teach space operations, and do space launch planning. He then spent eight years as a content lead on the Windows team at Microsoft. As a photographer, Dave has photographed wolves in their natural environment; he's also a scuba instructor and co-host of several podcasts. Dave is the author of more than two dozen books and has contributed to many sites and publications including CNET, Forbes, PC World, How To Geek, and Insider.

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How to Update Instagram Messages: A Complete Guide on Messenger Features

I’ve recently come across some new Instagram features on my friend’s phone but realized that I couldn’t access them on my IG! If you’ve had a similar experience recently, then you must also be wondering how to update Instagram messages and what happens when you do!

Instagram keeps coming up with new updates to make our experience smoother and more enjoyable. And since Facebook has merged its messenger with Instagram, we’ve witnessed several positive changes and options that are not accessible through other Instagram DM apps.

This article will focus on the Instagram messenger and its new features. So, if you’re interested to know how to update messages on Instagram, keep going! We’ve got some interesting facts for you 😉

 

Contents[hide]

  • 1 What Is the Instagram Messenger
  • 2 How to Update Instagram Messages
  • 3 How to Update Instagram Messages: Access Messenger Features
    • 3.1 The Vanish Mode on Instagram
    • 3.2 Watch-Together
    • 3.3 Forwarding Messages & Posts
    • 3.4 Colorful Chat Themes
    • 3.5 Replies & Emoji Reactions
    • 3.6 Instagram DM Search
    • 3.7 Shortcut for Instagram Replies
    • 3.8 Advanced Reporting & Blocking
    • 3.9 Personalized Stickers
  • 4 What the New Instagram Message Update Doesn’t Offer
  • 5 Last Words on How to Update Instagram Messages

What Is the Instagram Messenger

Did you know that users on the Facebook family of apps send more than 100 billion messages daily?! It is true; Instagram has turned into an ideal place for friends to connect and for brands to find new customers! 

To ensure the high quality of our experience on Instagram, they’ve been trying to improve its features. Even now, they’re rolling out a ‘Show All’ feature for Instagram stories. This goes to show that Instagram is trying to facilitate our success on the platform. That’s why updating your messenger or using an Instagram story maker to optimize your content will go a long way!

As for the messaging features, the ultimate measure was that Facebook merged messenger with Instagram to move some of the most practical options to the DM section here. That is to say, Instagram and messenger now share certain features, and you can send messages to your IG followers from Facebook and vice versa. This is good news since you can exploit many new features and don’t need to move across platforms to connect with your friends on different social media. 

So, that’s the story of Instagram messenger, but how can you access it?! If you don’t know how to update Instagram messages, don’t worry. Here, we’ll discuss this question at length!

 

How to Update Instagram Messages

Since Instagram and messenger merged, there has been gradual progress and changes in how the DM section on Instagram works. To see all these new changes and use them, you need to learn about the Instagram DM update. 

If you’ve recently realized that your Instagram DM is not working or that there are certain features others can access but you can’t, your Instagram is not up-to-date! And the solution is pretty simple: Instagram messaging update!

No worries, though! You don’t need to take any extraordinary measures; it’s straightforward. To understand how to update Instagram messages, just follow the steps below:

  • Open your Instagram feed and tap on the Instagram DM icon in the top right corner,
  • Now from the popup, choose ‘Update!’
Source: Dignited.com

Pro tip: if you’ve selected ‘Not now’ before, there’s a chance that this popup won’t appear again. So, you need to take this instruction:

  • First, open your Instagram profile feed and choose the three horizontal lines in the top right corner,
  • Then, select ‘Settings,’
  • Now, choose ‘Update Messaging.

Voila, you’ve mastered how to update your Instagram messages! All you need to do now is wait for the update to launch. Then, you’ll get your hands on all the new options. Isn’t it fabulous?!

 

How to Update Instagram Messages: Access Messenger Features

As explained earlier, one of the reasons why Facebook merged messenger with Instagram is that the users won’t need to switch apps to connect with friends across various platforms. Another compelling reason is that the messenger features would also be available on Instagram.

So, now that you know how to update Instagram messages, let’s see what features become accessible to you once you do that.

The Vanish Mode on Instagram

Have you ever used the secret chat on Instagram or the self-erasing messages of Snapp chat?! Ever wondered why such a feature is not available on Instagram? Well, it is now!

Instagram vanish mode, which appeared among the messenger features, enables you to send Instagram messages that will automatically disappear once the conversation is over. So, now you can send DMs without worrying about deleting the messages from both sides. Besides, if you or the recipient try to take a screenshot, Instagram notifies both parties. 

To find out how to turn off/on the vanish mode on Instagram and what it does exactly, you can check our article on what vanish mode!

Watch-Together

Have you ever wanted to show your friend a video or a part of a movie while in a video call only to realize that you can’t?! So far, we had to end the video call to be able to watch the video. 

Yet now, with the brand new messenger features, you can watch IGTVs, reels, or even movies and shows while in a video call! Enjoy watching movies and getting real-time reactions from your friends and family members! 

Forwarding Messages & Posts

If you’ve ever tried to forward a DM or sth you had previously shared with a friend, then you know that Instagram did not allow it. But now, you can forward messages to your friends. Plus, if you’ve shared an interesting post or story with one of your friends before, you can forward that post or story to other followers.

forward Instagram messages

The only limit is that you can forward content to 5 friends or groups max. But so long as you can do this, you can handle the limit. Right?! 🙂

Colorful Chat Themes

Your conversation theme on Instagram DM is now changeable. In other words, you can use a variety of color gradients and find what matches your mood today! To change the chat theme on Instagram messages, you can follow the steps below:

  • Open your Instagram DM section and choose a conversation.
  • Then, select the icon in the top right corner of the screen.
Change the Instagram theme
  • Under ‘Chat Settings,’ tap on ‘Theme.’
Change the conversation theme
  • Now, you can select any of the chat colors you like, and the theme will immediately change. And if you don’t know which one to choose, try them out!

Pro tip: once you select the theme, this sentence will appear on your chat:

Change the chat background

And by tapping on ‘Change theme,’ you can go with a different color. 

Replies & Emoji Reactions

Gone are the days you couldn’t reply to a specific message on IG. Gone is the time when you could only react to a DM with a heart emoji! After you learn how to update Instagram messages, you’ll see notable changes in this respect.

Two of the most practical options added to Instagram DMs are: replying to specific messages and reacting to DMs with emojis. And it gets even better: you can now customize your emoji reactions. So, instead of reacting with hearts, you can have a customized set of emojis for your reactions!

react to Instagram messages with customized emojis

So, don’t be shy! If you don’t know how to reply and react to messages on Instagram, read this complete guide.

Instagram DM Search

One of the terrible limitations of the Instagram messages section was that we couldn’t search words within a conversation. Now, we can search terms and phrases, and Instagram will show when and where that phrase was precisely used. 

To search your Instagram conversation, follow this instruction:

  • First, choose a conversion from your list of Instagram chats.
  • Now, tap on the icon in the top corner.
  • Then, tap on ‘Search in Conversation.’
how to search the Instagram chat
  • Next, type the word or phrase and tap on the magnifier on your keyboard.

That’s all. After you find out how to update your messages on Instagram, you can also enjoy this Instagram message search. 

Shortcut for Instagram Replies

Unfortunately, you can’t send autoreplies on the Instagram app. But you can set shortcuts for your Instagram replies. That is, you can set a specific word, phrase, or punctuation to be replaced by a special text. This option facilitates the process of replying to Instagram DMs.

To make a shortcut, follow the steps below:

  • Open a conversation on Instagram DM,
  • Then, tap on the ‘+’ icon in the bottom right corner,
set a reply shortcut
  • Now, choose the message icon,
write message shortcuts
  • Finally, write the shortcut and the original message to replace it.
add your saved reply on Instagram

Advanced Reporting & Blocking

If you update the Instagram messenger, you’ll have more blocking and reporting options. Not only can you report a full Instagram chat now, but also you can report single messages. In other words, you won’t have to worry about Instagram spam messages anymore. Now, feel free to report and block DMs wherever you see fit!

Personalized Stickers

Take selfies and make boomerang stickers with them. Then, you can use them in your conversations. Wouldn’t that be cool?!

personalized stickers for Instagram messages

These new features and options are among the ones that will become available as soon as you update the Instagram messenger. So, wait no more and follow the steps for your Instagram DM update!

 

What the New Instagram Message Update Doesn’t Offer

So far, we’ve covered how to update messages on Instagram and what features we can access once we do. But let’s figure out what shortcomings this Instagram messages update has. 

Despite all the added features and options, Instagram doesn’t enable us to send mass DMs, preset messages for auto-replies, or turn off the Instagram read receipt. To take such actions, you can’t use the official app then! Instead, you should use a reliable Instagram service, like DMpro!

DMpro is a highly efficient service that allows us to:

  • Send bulk messages to a targetted audience,
  • Write a message as an auto-reply for whoever texts you,
  • Send and receive IG messages from your Email and without the ‘seen’ receipt,
  • Access a DM inbox on your PC,
  • Include multiple links to your website and social media on your Instagram bio,
  • Create coupon codes and landing pages.

Since you can’t access any of these features on the official app, it’s high time you started with a trustworthy service. 

Don’t miss your chance and sign up on DMpro for free right now!

Last Words on How to Update Instagram Messages

In this article, we tried to explain how to update messages on Instagram and what messenger features you’ll get once you do it. Remember that the Instagram update for messages offers impressive features you can’t possibly forgo. So if you want to use Instagram DMs to the full extent, it’s time to take the necessary steps. 

How to update the messenger on Instagram: new features of Yandex.Direct

After a recent update, the built-in Instagram messenger has additional features. How to install a new update? Go to "Settings", select "Update Messaging". This time, the Instagram developers did not make an automatic upgrade, but allowed users to switch to an improved version of the messenger on their own, noting that the old version would not be available.

What's new:

- Synchronize Instagram direct with Facebook messenger

- Additional "Like" reactions

- Change the design of Instagram chats

- Create a "selfie smiley"

- Reply to a specific phrase

Synchronize with Facebook

7

7 might not have mentioned this feature for Facebook users. Merging the contacts of two built-in social media messengers sounds handy. Set up synchronization in the tab "Privacy" → "Messages"

And to combine instant messengers, social networks and other contacts for Instagram, create multiple links using Hipolink.

Additional reactions

Previously, a “like” on Instagram expressed several emotions for a message - agreement, laughter, gratitude. Now you can put any available emoticon reaction that reflects not only a positive attitude. Long press the desired message and select an emoji - the most frequently used emojis are displayed.

If they do not fit, the string is adjusted by pressing the plus sign. Send a one-time smiley response or change the entire line by clicking the "Customize" button under the search bar.

Changing the background, color of the messenger

Now you can change the color of message blocks and the general theme of Instagram chats. To do this:

- select the dialog

- click on the information icon "i" - upper right corner

- go to the "Themes" section

There is a choice between full background themes or a white background with different color blocks gradient)

The set design is saved only for the current chat.

Selfie emoticon

Instead of a sticker, send a photo with an emoticon from available emoticons to your interlocutor on Instagram.

— Click the sticker (sticker) icon on the text input line

— Click on the left in the opened "Selfie" window

— Take a photo boomerang, overlay the proposed emoji

— Send by pressing the "arrow"

Touch the camera area in front shooting to select an all-black, color image, or a black-and-white photo with a colored background.

Directed reply

A useful feature found in many instant messengers. Now in Instagram Direct you can reply to a specific phrase from their general stream - swipe from left to right on the text of the interlocutor.

Want to add something to your phrase - quote by swiping from right to left.

Answers to many questions in a row will be clear, and those who like to discuss everything will feel more comfortable communicating at once.

After the above improvements of Instagram Direct, the transition to the new version is beyond doubt, especially since updating the built-in messenger is convenient and easy.

Instagram Direct update, Messenger integration

Share!

In October 2020, Facebook merged Instagram and Messenger chats so users from different apps can chat with each other without downloading. At the same time, Facebook and Instagram remained autonomous platforms, but with technical changes for integration with each other.

Merging chats of two social networks is not the only innovation. In Instagram Direct, you can now add animated stickers, change the colors of chats, send your reactions with any emoji. In addition, users were able to reply to messages by simply swiping their finger across the screen.

In this article, you will learn more about the changes to Instagram and get step-by-step instructions on how to use the new features.

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  • Collecting and filtering the target audience
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  • Delayed posting of photos, videos and stories
  • Mailing in Direct, autoresponder

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Important: Delayed posting on Instagram

Integration options for Instagram Direct and Messenger

Let's take a look at all the changes in the functionality and appearance of Instagram. These include:

  • Increasing the size of the Stories icons and changing the Direct icon to resemble the Facebook messenger icon.
  • The ability to change the color theme of the chat at your own discretion - more than 20 gradients and colors are available.
  • Use reactions with any emoji.
  • Long press to copy and delete text.
  • Privacy settings and convenient distribution of new messages into folders (into folders with a ban on receiving, chats, correspondence requests).
  • Ability to reply to a specific message.
  • Adding gif animations.
  • Correspondence with Facebook users.

New functionality will be available to you immediately after installing the latest version of Instagram - you just need to click on "Go" in the pop-up window. You can also update your messaging by going to your profile settings.

Integration management is provided in the settings; for this, the Account Center section has been added. Here you can manage cross-service features in the Instagram, Facebook and Messenger apps. This allows you to sync names and avatars, log in to your Facebook page through Instagram, and vice versa. And also share posts and Stories from Instagram to Facebook.

Article on the subject: How to set up an autoresponder in Direct Instagram

How to change the theme of the chat in Direct Instagram

To change the color of messages, do the following.

Open any chat and send a message. Click on the icon with "i" (open chat information).

Select the "Theme" item in the settings and set the option you like.

When you change the subject, a notification will appear in the chat.

Please note! At the moment, this feature is in the early stages of testing and is not available to all Instagram users. If you are unable to change the theme of the chat in Direct, update the app to the latest version and just wait.

Read also: Creating a content plan for Instagram: a guide for dummies

How to respond to messages in an original way in the update

Since the end of October, you can send an emoticon to your interlocutor in a few touches without calling the corresponding menu on your smartphone.


Learn more