Instagram Releases Progressive Web App With Direct Messaging Feature on Microsoft Store

Instagram has mostly shied away from adding any real features to the Web or desktop platforms in the last couple of years. The Facebook-owned app clearly wants everyone to just keep using its mobile apps. But things are about to change, or at least that's what it looks like. Instagram has now released its progressive web app (PWA) on the Microsoft Store with a bunch of enhancements. A PWA isn't a real desktop app but it's made to feel like a native Windows 10 app.

The Facebook-owned photo-sharing app's PWA is now available on the Microsoft Store as an update (version 42.0.2.0) to the Instagram app for Windows 10. The app adds support for direct messages, a feature that's been missing on the Web and the desktop for a while now, even though the company has been testing the direct messaging feature on the Web.

Instagram app users on Windows 10 will be able to send and receive direct messages on their desktop itself. The PWA also signals hope that newer Instagram features may land on desktop sooner rather than later. The update also promises to make Instagram more stable on the desktop.

With direct messaging coming to desktop, we're probably very close to getting the feature on the Web as well. Earlier this month, Instagram added a new feature that allows users to respond to their friends' stories using GIFs from Giphy.

Instagram had also removed its IGTV button from the Android and iOS apps. In May last year, Instagram killed its standalone messaging app called Direct which allowed its users to send direct messages with a more camera-centric approach.