Which Meta service did Instagram Direct begin merging with in August 2020?

In August 2020, Instagram Direct began merging with Facebook Messenger.

The integration connected Instagram’s private-messaging system with Facebook’s Messenger infrastructure. For users included in the rollout, the Instagram Direct icon changed to the Messenger symbol, signaling that the two services were becoming more closely linked. The move was part of Facebook’s broader plan to make messaging across its major platforms more interoperable.

Instagram Direct itself had launched in December 2013, allowing users to send private photos, videos, and messages rather than sharing only through public posts. Over time, Direct gained threaded conversations, message reactions, disappearing media, web access, and other features associated with modern messaging apps.

The August 2020 change is sometimes confused with a complete immediate merger or with WhatsApp integration. The initial rollout was gradual and reached only a segment of users. Cross-platform messaging features expanded afterward, but the service named in the question is Facebook Messenger, the messaging product owned by Facebook, Inc., later renamed Meta Platforms.