On Thursday, Instagram released a new feature called Instagram Direct, which allows users to privately share photos and videos with up to 15 select followers.
Similar to SnapChat, this is the first time on Instragram that users can share photos/videos without it being all-or-nothing with their followers.
After updating to Instagram version 5.0, users will see a small inbox in the top-right corner where they can find messages they have sent or they are receiving. After sending an item through Instagram Direct, users will be able to see what they sent and the avatars of people they sent it to. Some users may appear gray, meaning that they haven’t opened the message yet.
The update is available on both iOS and Android.