You can now send GIFs within Instagram Direct

Instagram is slowly but surely building out its Direct platform as a holistic, do-it-all messaging product, which is a smart move considering how Instagram is increasingly serving younger audiences that no longer use or haven’t ever signed up for Facebook proper. The new feature arriving today is GIF support powered by Giphy. Now, you’ll be able to send animated GIFs in a Direct one-on-one message or group chat.

There’s now a new GIF button within Direct. From there, you can search trending GIFs, search by keyword for specific ones, or use a “random” option to send a surprise GIF based on your keyword search term. The feature is arriving on iOS and Android starting today, and Instagram is stressing that every GIF shared through the new feature will include attribution for content creators, so people know who created the animation they’re sharing. Instagram is also including a “see all by creator” option to help promote creators and their work on the platform.