This is Instagram’s new Twitter competitor

We finally have an idea of ​​what Instagram’s rumored text-based Twitter competitor could look and feel like, as revealed by Lia Haberman, who shared His ICYMI substack newsletter What appear to be leaked marketing slides and details about the app.

The slide doesn’t give the app a distinct name — instead, it just says “Instagram’s new text-based app for conversations” — but the app is codenamed P92, or alternatively Barcelona, ​​according to Haberman. Users will be able to sign in with their Instagram username and password, and your followers, handle, bio, and verification will transfer over from the main app.

In the app, you’ll see a feed, and you can create text posts of up to 500 characters with attached links, photos, and videos.

The app looks pretty similar if you lump Instagram and Twitter together, based on the two screenshots included in the leaked marketing slides. And Meta will have some decent moderation controls from the start, “equiping you with settings to control who can reply to you and mention your account,” the slide says. All accounts you’ve blocked on Instagram will obviously move over.

Perhaps most importantly, though, the new Instagram text app will also feature an element of decentralization. Instagram’s slide says, “Soon, our app will be compatible with some other apps like Mastodon.” “Users of these other apps will be able to find, follow, and interact with your profile and content if you’re public, or if you’re private and approve them as followers.” (Presumably that compatibility will come via ActivityPub, which Meta is exploring with other tech companies.)

If the app is widely released, it could make Instagram a more popular destination than ever. With the ever-deteriorating state of Twitter, many people are looking for their next place to share tweet-like updates. While platforms like Mastodon and BlueSky have gained some traction, a text-based Instagram app would offer a way for those who’ve already built a following on the platform to check out followers in yet another location. Keep posting there without doing it.

Meta declined to comment. In March, it made the following statement about its efforts To platformer: “We are exploring a standalone decentralized social network for sharing text updates. We believe there is an opportunity for a separate space where creators and public figures can share timely updates about their interests.