Instagram users have been able to view photos and stories on the web for a while now, but the latest upgrade to the online app adds direct messages as well.That means you can slide in and out of your Insta DMs right in your web browser, without touching your phone.

Based on the official tweet announcing the news, it looks as though the feature is live right now for everyone around the world.If you're new to the whole Instagram-on-the-web experience, you need to open the site here and then log in using your account credentials.

Your DMs can be accessed by clicking the little paper aeroplane icon in the top right.You can start new conversations, continue old ones, send pictures from your computer, and jump to the profiles of your friends.

Everything syncs to the app on your phone, as you would expect.With Instagram on the web able to send you notifications as well, just about the only thing you can't do through a browser is post new photos to your feed or story – this is still limited to the mobile apps for now.You can explore what's happening across the Instagram network, check up on activity directly related to your account, start following and stop following people and now handle your direct messages too, including group chats.Most mobile apps now have at least some presence on the web too – you can check out your Facebook news feed or send messages from WhatsApp for example.

Snapchat and TikTok are two exceptions that remain very much mobile-only for the most part.As for Instagram, it's also recently been experimenting with a new dark mode, as well as changes to the order of the main feed, and a tool for seeing which Instagram users you're interacting with the least.Via The Next Web