Facebook-owned photo-messaging app Instagram is reportedly testing internally a web version of Direct Messages (DMs) that would allow personal chat and sharing of posts between users on the app.
"Mobile reverse-engineering specialist and tipster Jane Manchun Wong alerted us about the Instagram's test. It's still being internally 'dogfooded' -- used heavily by employees to identify bugs or necessary product changes. But she was able to dig past security and access the feature from both a desktop computer and mobile web browser," TechCrunch reported late on Tuesday.
In the current design, Direct on the web is reportedly available from a Direct arrow icon in the top right of the screen.
Instagram added notifications feature in 2016, and later in 2017 added Explore and some other features for web users.
With a 1-billion user-base worldwide, the app still does not allow web users to post Stories from the desktop.
Rolling out a web version of Direct could prove to be a full-fledged SMS alternative rather than just a tacked-on feature for discussing the photo and video app's content, the report said.
Facebook launched its chat feature on web before releasing it on mobile phones.
Similarly, Facebook-owned messaging app WhatsApp launched a web portal in 2015 followed by desktop clients in 2016.
It could also pave the way for Facebook's upcoming unification of the back-end infrastructure for Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram Direct that should expand encryption and allow cross-app chat, the report added.
Instagram has not officially responded or commented on the subject.
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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)