The ability to initiate a direct message (DM) conversation from a user’s profile or main feed by partially swiping their profile photo or content entry, then retracting the swipe before fully executing the DM action, is referred to in common parlance as a partial swipe-to-DM initiation. Functionality of this type permits a user to visually confirm the DM button is available without actually sending a message. In some contexts, this feature provides a quick visual cue that a profile or content is message-enabled.
The perceived importance stems from its perceived efficiency, offering a rapid, non-committal method for users to ascertain the messaging availability of a contact. Historically, Instagram’s user interface has not consistently supported a dedicated ‘check DM availability’ feature; therefore, users have, at times, devised methods such as this to achieve a similar objective. Furthermore, the lack of a readily available method for confirming messaging availability contributes to users frustration.