News
How to turn off Instagram’s new Instants feature and retract photos you accidentally shared
Yesterday, Instagram globally released a new feature called “Instants” that’s designed for sharing authentic, disappearing photos. While the Meta-owned social network billed Instants as a new format to share real-life moments as they’re happening, many users are looking for a way to turn off the feature, especially those who have ended up accidentally sending images to others, not fully understanding how the feature works.
When you open up Instagram’s new Instants section for the first time by tapping the mini photo stack in the bottom-right corner of your inbox, the app opens up a brief introduction about the feature that informs users that Instants disappear, there’s no viewers list, and that reactions and replies are private. The app then quickly takes you through the process of viewing and reacting to Instants.
Once you get to the camera, underneath it is a shutter button, and below that is a toggle that lets you choose between “Friends” and “Close Friends.” By default, it’s set to “Friends.”
What Meta doesn’t immediately make users aware of is the fact that the moment you tap the shutter button, the photo that’s captured is automatically sent to everyone on your Friends list, unless you manually switch the setting to “Close Friends” beforehand.
Since the process of sending an image isn’t clearly explained, many users have ended up accidentally sending a photo to others they didn’t intend to. (It’s worth noting that Meta does offer an “undo” option once a photo has been sent, but it’s easy to miss because the whole experience of accidentally exposing yourself to others can be quite jarring.)
On an app like Instagram, where users are accustomed to reviewing and carefully curating their content before sharing it, the feature’s instant-send design has understandably frustrated many people, considering their privacy is at stake.
Unsurprisingly, many users are looking for ways to disable the feature. We’ll walk you through how to turn it off and how to unsend a photo if you accidentally shared one.
How to turn off Instants
To turn off the new Instants feature, you need to go to your profile, click the three-line menu at the top right to open up your settings. Then, you need to scroll down to “Content Preferences” and then toggle the “Hide Instants in Inbox.”
Once you select this option, you will no longer see the Instants feature in your inbox. You also won’t see any Instants that people have sent you.
If you don’t want to turn off the feature altogether, you can hold down the pile of Instants in your inbox and swipe right to temporarily stop receiving them.
How to undo an Instant
As soon as an Instant is sent, an “Undo” option appears beneath the shutter button, allowing you to quickly retract the photo before recipients view it.
Additionally, you can go to your archive by selecting the four-box icon located at the top right of the camera and delete an Instant to unsend it to friends who haven’t opened it yet.
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.
News
“We Still Have a Lot to Improve” — Busari Refuses to Get Carried Away After Flamingos’ 5-0 Rout
Flamingos head coach Akeem Busari has refused to get carried away by Nigeria’s emphatic start to the WAFU-B U-17 Girls’ Cup, insisting his players still have plenty to improve despite thrashing Niger Republic 5-0.
Nigeria began their campaign in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire, in commanding fashion, with five different players finding the net as the defending champions secured three points and a clean sheet.
Captain Harmony Chidi opened the scoring in the 16th minute before Awawu Bashiru doubled the advantage before half-time.
The Flamingos then turned the contest into a rout late on, with Ohunene Sunday, Mary Dunstan and Ayomide Rotimi adding three more goals.
But Busari believes the scoreboard should not disguise the lessons his players still need to learn.
The coach expressed satisfaction with the result but maintained that Niger were not pushovers, adding that his team must continue improving as they prepare for tougher challenges.
His reaction fits with his pre-tournament position that the WAFU-B competition is about more than winning matches.
Busari had described the tournament as an important opportunity to identify the Flamingos’ strengths and deficiencies before the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.
He also believes the standard of women’s youth football across Africa is rising rapidly, warning that African teams could become increasingly difficult opponents at major international competitions in the coming years.
For the Flamingos, therefore, five goals and three points represent an encouraging beginning rather than a finished product.
Nigeria’s next test comes against Ghana on Saturday, another World Cup-bound side, in what should provide Busari with a stronger indication of his team’s progress.
The message from the coach after a five-star opening was simple: enjoy the victory, but keep working — because the bigger tests are still ahead.
News
2027: Peter Obi, Kwankwaso movement unveils 59-member presidential campaign council [FULL LIST]
-
News2 days agoNigeria Takes on the World! Chess Stars Begin 2026 Olympiad Battle in Samarkand
-
News3 days ago
Felix Arome Assumes Office as Director-General of Front Line Alliance Network
-
Health3 days ago
97% of PHCs in 16 states fail national staffing standards – Report
-
Health3 days ago
Nigerian senator receives Health Champion 2026 award, calls for stronger health financing
