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Though there is no doubting that mobile is fast becoming the device of choice for a generation, it would be churlish to ignore desktop devices. With desktop’s still having 43% market share, Instagram, the mobile first app that seems to be taking over the world, is trialling a nifty feature as part of Facebook’s domination in messaging.
| Device | Market Share (%) |
| Market Share Worldwide – December 2019 | |
| Mobile | 53.29% |
| Desktop | 43.99% |
| Tablet | 2.72% |
As of yesterday, a “small percentage” of Instagram users worldwide will have the ability to access their DM’s from the Instagram desktop website.
Currently, the desktop version of Instagram allows users to view the feed, notifications, navigate the explore page, and of course the users own profile.
It’s currently reported that there are over 375 million monthly active users that take advantage of Instagram’s Direct feature. With the ability to add 32 people into a group message using Instagram Direct, it’s not only influencers but also brands and businesses alike that can benefit from this potential feature rollout. Similarly, journalists and other business professionals can adopt the feature update into their daily working life – rather than having to chop and change their communication channels across devices.
It’s been estimated that over 200 million Instagram users visit at least one business profile a day. While Direct messages have been around for some years, giving users the ability to communicate directly with businesses, this feature update can only look to improve the communication between the two parties.
Head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, tweeted that for now it’s a test to “make sure it works well” but he hinted at the feature being a global rollout in future.
For those of you into your DMs, today we start to test Direct on the desktop web. Now, it’s only a small percentage of people for now — we need to make sure it works well — but we hope to bring this to everyone soon.https://t.co/x0toGW66Bp
— Adam Mosseri (@mosseri) January 14, 2020
For many, the last five years or so has had the spotlight on improving mobile experience for all. The fact that Instagram are now turning some attention to Desktop is an interesting move, a possible suggestion that a percentage of their audience may use the platform on desktop over the mobile app.
Is the mobile use of Instagram slowing, or are they looking to grow the user base further by reaching a wider audience? I’m looking forward to finding out.
For more information on how Instagram can help your business reach new potential, contact a member of the team today.
