Social media platform Instagram has recently introduced a new feature: a secret emoji game! And the best part? It’s hidden in your direct messages (DMs)! The objective of the game is simple – use your finger to move the paddle located at the bottom of your screen to keep your chosen emoji afloat and bouncing. Drop the emoji and it’s game over. It takes inspiration from classic pre-installed games found on older phones, such as Breakout or Pong.
To access this hidden game, all you have to do is open a DM chat, send a single emoji, and then click on it. This will instantly transport you to a yellow screen where you can control your emoji with the paddle. As you progress in the game, the emoji will move faster and the background will get darker.
During my testing, I discovered that you can choose to play with any emoji of your liking, but the game can only be activated by sending a single emoji. What’s interesting is that the game keeps track of your high score, so you can always come back and try to beat it. The high score is saved across all your DMs, so you don’t have to go back to the first emoji that you sent to play again. Additionally, you can also start a game by clicking on an emoji that someone else sent in a DM.
It’s important to note that the other person you are chatting with will not be aware of what you’re doing, so you may want to clue them in on the secret game to avoid confusion.
Unfortunately, the game is not available to all users on both iOS and Android platforms. In tests conducted by TechCrunch, some users had access to the game while others did not.
An Instagram spokesperson revealed that the company is constantly working on innovating and making the platform more enjoyable for its users, which is why the game was launched. However, the availability of the game remains a mystery.
