The messaging app never took off, so Instagram decided to delete it from online stores. Here's what's going to happen in a month
Maybe not everyone remembers, but originally Facebook and Messenger were merged into one app, just like what happens in the current web version. Private messages were handled through the social network. Now we all know that if you want to chat with a friend, you have to resort to the appropriate messaging app.
What not everyone knows is that a similar app also exists for Instagram. Its name is Direct and it was launched by the company in 2017 to allow users to have a standalone channel to converse with friends or send photos and videos, Snapchat-style. But unfortunately, Direct wasn't as successful as Messenger, and today it's mostly unknown. In fact, many people still use Instagram's internal chat. For this reason, Mark Zuckerberg's company has decided to retire Direct and eliminate it very soon from the Google Play Store.
Addio to Instagram's Direct app
Instagram has a parallel app that is tasked with managing online conversations between users. Unfortunately, it has never been successful and that's why the company's top management has decided to get rid of it soon. The app is called Direct and is currently downloadable from mobile stores. But not for long. The leaker Matt Navarra has published a tweet in which he reveals that soon this application will be removed from the Google Play Store, as you can read in the screenshot attached to the tweet. The image shows the app's tab and the following message in English "The Direct app is going away".
The Direct app was launched on December 7, 2017. It was distributed in Portugal, Uruguay, Chile, Israel and other countries. From the beginning, it contained only a few functions: in addition to the list of all the chats, it gave the possibility to send photos and videos edited with masks and effects, very similar to Snapchat.
When will it be eliminated?
In short, the app certainly didn't have the same fortunate fate as Messenger, which instead went independent in 2014 and has been increasingly successful ever since. There's still no official news about the final elimination of Direct, but it will presumably happen next month. But don't worry: those who use the service will not lose their old chats, which will be transferred and synchronized within Instagram's chat function. Those who have installed this tool should therefore not do any operation for the moment and in case will be notified with a message on the application.