Instagram’s standalone Direct app can be its version of Snapchat’s new friends-only tab

Instagram’s Direct app will give people a dedicated space for their friends, similar to Snapchat’s Friends tab. A week after Snapchat said that it was separating the social and media sides of its service, Instagram is making a similar move. Instagram is testing a standalone app for its private messaging feature, the Facebook-owned photo-and-video platform announced on Thursday. Called Direct, the app is being tested in six non-US countries — Chile, Israel, Italy, Portugal, Turkey and Uruguay — and Instagram plans to roll it out globally next year, according to a company spokesperson.