Instagram is releasing an instant messaging app called Direct

Instagram users already know that the app provides a means of communicating with other users via a messaging system build into the app. Recently, the company is testing a standalone app to replace this chatting feature called Direct, which is currently being tested by beta testers and developers around the world.

Currently, only six countries have access to both the iOS and Android versions of the app, and the company has not provided a timeline for when it will be available for everyone to use. Directing messaging has been a widely used feature since the release of Instagram Stories, and Instagram took note of this when developing Direct. Its safe to say that Stories will not be moving over to the new app as it has a firm standing on the main Instagram app.

It is unsure if the company might want to move Stories over to Direct but it might not be a welcome change as the user base has a good amount of users that use Stories and uploading photos to their account, there are users that use both the features but some might not be happy if the company splits one of the main features to a secondary app.