Instagram has expanded access to its “Shots” quick image sharing feature to more regions, which enables you to capture a moment and share it with your connections in the app.
Which feels like a layover from the BeReal trend of 2022, and seems unlikely to catch on in the app in any significant way, though maybe there’s more to it than I can see.
As you can see in these screenshots, Shots is a “no-edit, no-filter” image sharing option, which enables you to quickly send a picture to a friend. That friend will then only be able to view your image once before it disappears from existence.
So as noted, it’s kind of like a mix of BeReal and Snapchat, which is designed to prompt spontaneous interaction in the app.
Shots can only be shared with followers who follow you back, and nobody else can see who you’ve shard a Shot with. Your sent Shots will be stored in your archive, but for the recipient, they’ll disappear after being viewed.
Shots has been floating around in experimental mode for some time, with users in some regions gaining access to it a few months back. But now, it’s being expanded to more users, as IG looks for another way to prompt direct engagement, and spark more interaction in the app.
Which, again, feels very BeReal-esque.
Instagram did actually try several other BeReal-like features at the height of BeReal’s popularity, including “Candid,” which replicated BeReal more directly, and a couple of other in-the-moment sharing experiments which never reached live production. Shots feels like a remnant of these tests, which also latches onto the popularity of Notes as a more intimate, direct engagement feature, which could prompt more sharing in the app.
Will that work? Well, as noted, I don’t personally see it becoming a major factor, but maybe, given the popularity of Notes, there is a demand for a quick sharing options in the app, which could prompt more people to stay in touch via IG connection.
It seems like a minor element, but maybe one to watch as more regions get access.
Also interesting: TikTok is also testing out a similar image sharing option called "PhotoSwap," so clearly there are some usage indicators to support this.
We’ve asked Instagram for more info on the rollout of Shots and we’ll update this post if/when we hear back.
