Instagram Adds New Ways To Reply To Direct Messages With Photos, Videos

Instagram recently updated its app to show threaded comments for its post. Now, the company has once again updated the Instagram app to add new ways to reply to Direct messages.

“Today we’re introducing new ways to reply with photos and videos that help you have fun, visual conversations with your friends,” Instagram said on its blog. “Now you can reply with a photo or video to specific photos, videos, and reshared posts in Direct. Your reply will automatically include a sticker of what you’re replying to.”

In order to do this, users will simply have to tap on the “reply” button to open up the camera. When the user takes a selfie, it will now include a sticker of which specific photo they’re replying to.

The update is pretty useful when friends are having conversations that include sending photos and videos. This avoids any confusion as to what exactly the user is replying to.

In a way, this new feature feels a lot like an extension of threaded comments on Instagram. Threaded comments make it easier to see which comments are direct replies by having all of them grouped under a single thread.

The sticker can be moved around, resized and rotated before a user sends their picture. Users can also tap the sticker once to turn it into a split-screen photo (see below). Lastly, users are able to put additional filters, stickers, texts and doodles before sending their reply.

Although the new feature for Instagram is heavily being promoted to be used for Direct messages, it can also be used for Instagram Stories, according to TechCrunch. When a user is watching an Instagram Story, they can either reply to it with a text message or with a picture.

To reply with a picture, users will have to tap the camera icon on the bottom left of the screen instead of the message box. The Story will be turned into a sticker for the user’s photo reply. Likewise, the sticker can once again be edited to the user’s liking.

The new reply feature for Instagram Direct also works for regular videos and Instagram’s Boomerang looping video format. These new features are now available for the Instagram app version 10.34 and above for iOS and Android devices.

Users should update the Instagram app on the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store. If the new reply mode isn’t available yet after updating the app, users should just wait for it to become available.

Aside from adding threaded comments and the new reply mode, Instagram also recently added new customizable Face Filters for Stories. These newly added Face Filters are inspired by the culture and style of the 1960s, Instagram said.

Instagram has been quite busy adding new features to its iOS and Android app. Facebook, Instagram’s parent company, has been copying Snapchat’s core features. Now, it looks like the company is making more refinements and improvements as it develops new ways for users to interact on Instagram.