Instagram is shutting down its dedicated Direct messaging app you probably forgot about

If you’re one of the many people who rely on Instagram’s standalone app for direct messages, we have some bad news – the company is shutting it down in the coming month. This was first spotted by social media consultant Matt Navarra who confirmed the upcoming closure on Twitter.

This news came about when Navarra recieved a notification stating that Instagram would no longer support the Direct app “in the coming month.” No specific timeline was given, but it did mention something about automatically transferring all direct messages to Instagram’s main app.

Confirmed: Instagram is killing its standalone Direct Messaging app pic.twitter.com/owt2gXtfCE

— Matt Navarra (@MattNavarra) May 16, 2019

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That’s about it. Nothing more than that.

As to why they’re shutting it down? Who knows. But if I was a betting man, it’s probably due to the fact that Facebook is bundling WhatsApp and Instagram direct messages all into Facebook Messenger. Meaning, if you get a DM on Instagram, you can reply to it directly from Messenger.

It’s either that or Instagram discovered not many people were using the app. But again, bundling Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and Whatsapp into a single messaging app could very well be the reason.

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Honestly, who cares. You probably never used the app anyways. It’s not the end of the world. You can still direct message people, the only difference now is that you have to do it from the Instagram app.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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Kevin Raposo

Kevin is KnowTechie's founder and executive editor. With over 15 years of blogging experience in the tech industry, Kevin has transformed what was once a passion project into a full-blown tech news publication. Shoot him an email at kevin@knowtechie.com or find him on Mastodon or Post.