Starting today, Instagram has been rolling out direct message support on the web for a “small percentage” of users globally.
As reported by The Verge, Instagram states the the web experience will nearly match that of the iOS and Android app.
The direct messaging experience will be essentially the same through the browser as it is on mobile. You can create new groups or start a chat with someone either from the DM screen or a profile page; you can also double-tap to like a message, share photos from the desktop, and see the total number of unread messages you have. You’ll be able to receive desktop DM notifications if you enable notifications for the entire Instagram site in your browser. Instagram says it’ll “continue to iterate” on this during the test.
When The Verge’s Ashley Carmen asked the company why they would ship DMs on the web before an iPad app, a spokesperson for Instagram dodged the question saying that iPad support isn’t a priority.
When asked why Instagram prioritized web DMs over something like an iPad app, a company spokesperson referred The Verge back to its usual justification and said that DMs on the web help its users “stay in touch with the people you care about.”
