Instagram Messages: Now Silent or With Music Previews

If you are popular on Instagram, you know how annoying it can be to receive lots of DMs, especially as you’re busy or asleep. Now, Instagram introduces silent messages that will not distract you. Along with this, it implements musical messages and the possibility to answer questions while still browsing through your feed.

First, now you can send messages in silent mode. It makes the entire Instagram experience much friendlier, as it’s not always the time to answer. You can answer the silent messages when you see them in your inbox.

Another great feature that the inbox has received is the online list. Your friends that are currently online can be seen in a list above, similar to the story carousel in the main feed. By tapping someone’s avatar there, you open the messenger instead of their page or story. This may seem unfamiliar so far, but soon everyone is sure to get used to it.

Sharing content has also become easier. For example, you can now share tracks from Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music. Your message with a track will contain a 30-second preview and the link to the full version on the service you share it from, so the recipient can either buy the track or add it to their library. This integration may soon include other services, like Pandora or Deezer.

Other additions include polls in group chats (like those we already enjoy on Messenger), a new lo-fi chat theme that can be chosen in the chat settings, and – the most important for many of us – the possibility to answer messages without leaving your feed. As you receive a message, a pop-up window appears with its text and the field for your answer. So you can use it immediately, unless the message contains some content that should be viewed in full mode.

Which of these new features do you consider the most useful? Have you already received these updates, or still waiting for them to roll out? Let us know what you feel about it in the comments!