With over two billion active users per day, Instagram is without a doubt one of the most popular social media apps out there.
If you use Instagram, you probably know the basics of the app, but there are still some secret features you might not be taking full advantage of.
One of the most exciting hidden features is a secret emoji game, which several users have stumbled upon in recent weeks.
A bewildered user who discovered the game this month wrote on X (Twitter): ‘Did I not know this or is the CIA finally trying to break me?’
Here’s how to play Instagram’s secret emoji game.
One of the most exciting hidden features is a secret emoji game, which several users have stumbled upon in recent weeks
It is very easy to find Instagram’s secret game.
Open the Instagram app on your smartphone and tap the paper airplane in the top right corner to open your direct messages (DM).
Search for a friend’s name in the search box, then open a DM with them.
Tap the text box at the bottom of the screen and send your friend an emoji.
Finally, tap the emoji in the message thread and the game begins!
The game is a variation on the classic Pong, with the emoji playing the role of the ball.
Simply use your thumb to move the paddle and intercept the bouncing emoji before it shoots off the bottom of your screen.
As you get each emoji correct, your score will increase.
But be warned: the game gets harder and the emojis bounce faster and faster.
Send your friend an emoji, tap the emoji in the message thread and the game begins!
When the game inevitably comes to an end, your final score will be announced and you will be asked to play again or return to your DM.
The game works with all emojis, whether it’s a smiley, a ball or a naughty eggplant.
Some characters even evolve during the game: for example, the caterpillar turns into a butterfly after a few levels.
Although the game is not new, several amazed Instagram users only recently discovered it.
One user said about X: ‘IF YOU CLICK ON AN EMOJI IN INSTAGRAM CHATS IT TURNS INTO A BRICK PONG GAME???’
While Instagram’s secret game isn’t new, several puzzled Instagram users have only just discovered it
“Today I learned that if you click on an emoji that was sent by itself in a DM chat, you can play a game of pong with the emoji,” one user said
One user said about X: ‘IF YOU CLICK ON AN EMOJI IN INSTAGRAM CHATS IT TURNS INTO A BRICK PONG GAME???’
Another user said: ‘Today I learned that if you click on an emoji that sends itself in a DM chat, you can play a game of Pong with the emoji.’
And one joked: ‘I clicked on the crying laughing emoji on Instagram and it took me to a mini game where you play pong with it????? Is this a thing? Am I going to die?’
They added: ‘It works with any emoji? And keeps score??? Is this something I didn’t know or is the CIA finally trying to break me.’