Instagram makes it easier to get back deleted messages. The company is introducing a “recently deleted” feature in the app that allows you to view and recover content that you have deleted, including photos, videos, roles, IGTV videos and stories. Instagram positions this feature as useful against hacks, especially when hackers gain control of an account and start deleting content. Starting today, users must confirm that they are the account owner via text message or email to permanently delete or restore content.
Deleted items remain in the folder for 30 days and if left untouched, they are automatically deleted afterwards. However, deleted stories are an exception – they only remain in the recently deleted section for 24 hours before being permanently deleted. To access the folder, navigate to Settings> Account> Recently Deleted.
Obviously, Instagram wants to give people the chance to keep their content before deleting it permanently. The app already offers an archive or a way to keep messages without them being publicly available, and this feature allows people to keep their messages as an option even if they want to delete them initially. Instagram benefits from having more content and therefore more data about users. The more it can encourage people to keep their posts, the better for the service.
Correction 2/2, 12:22 PM ET: This story initially stated that users must confirm that they are the account holder to access the feature in general, but they really only need to do this to permanently delete or restore content. We have been updated to reflect this change.