New: Send a Live Video in Direct Messaging

You can now send live videos to friends in Direct. With a single tap of the Direct icon, you can send your own live video – or a live video you’re watching – to a friend or a group of friends to encourage them to join in the fun.

When you’re live, just tap the Direct icon at the bottom of the screen and send your live video to friends. You’ll also have this option when going live with a friend. Once sent, the recipient will see your live video in their Direct inbox. Friends can only view your video if you’re currently live. If your live video is over, your friend will see a message saying the video has ended.

If you prefer, you can disable the option to send your live videos in Direct in your stories settings. And if you have a private account, only your followers can view your live video.

As a viewer, you can send a live video to a friend in Direct the same way. While watching a live video, tap the Direct icon at the bottom of the screen and choose who you want to send it to.

Today’s change makes it easy to invite people to watch your live videos and send exciting live videos you’re viewing to your friends in real time. To learn more, visit the Instagram Help Center.

This update is available as part of Instagram version 26 available for iOS in the Apple App Store and for Android in Google Play.