As a strategic move to promote Stories and direct messaging Instagram is introducing a new feature that will let users start private group messages around specific Stories.
The company announced the change on Twitter today. Users will soon be able to add a “join chat” sticker to their Stories. If followers tap the sticker, they’ll be added to a private group chat — though the author will have the ability to approve or deny requests.
Introducing the new chat sticker in Stories. Now, there's an easy way to start conversations with a group of friends right from your story. pic.twitter.com/A1An7d9TjJ
— Instagram (@instagram) July 2, 2019
Instagram is promoting the “join chat” sticker as a new way to connect with friends, and while Instagram may have killed plans for a dedicated Direct messaging app, it’s clear that both DMs and Stories are important to the platform. It’s been steadily rolling out changes — like a revamped Explore section that includes Stories and a donation sticker. It’s likely we’ll see more updates along these lines in the near future.
