‘So cool!’ cheer Instagram users after finding a new secret game hidden in DMs

INSTAGRAM has added a secret game to your private messages – and only an emoji can unlock it.

Fans of the app are excited about the new feature, which appears to have been quietly added in a recent update.

The Instagram game involves controlling a paddle to hold up an emoji

Drop the emoji and it's game over — Drop the emoji and it’s game over

On Instagram, you can now play a special game where you hold up an emoji by bouncing it against a paddle at the bottom of the screen, as discovered by The US Sun’s Patricia Rogers.

It’s a bit like a vertical solo game of Pong or Breakout for arcades – and you earn points for successful bounces on the paddle.

The emoji moves faster as you progress through the game, making it harder to stay in the air.

Send an emoji in a DM on Instagram to find the game.

Then simply tap the emoji and you will be transported to the hidden game.

A small number of Instagram fans enjoyed the discovery in a Reddit thread posted two days ago.

One user wrote: “It’s happened to me now too. I guess it’s an update.”

Another said: “It just happened to me!! So cool!”

TIP TIP

Users boasted about their high scores, with one Instagram fan claiming they had reached an impressive 58.

People are just noticing that Android phones have a ‘hidden game’ next to your apps – it’s completely free and so addictive

But some users complained that they could not see the game.

“It’s not working for me,” moaned one frustrated user, while another said: “It worked yesterday too, but today when I wanted to show it to one of my friends, it stopped working.”

It’s unclear how widely the game has been rolled out, but The US Sun has gotten the game working on several devices.

If you don’t have access to it, it’s worth checking to see if there are any updates available for Instagram in the Apple App Store for iOS at iPhoneand the Google Play Store on Android.

If it still doesn’t work for you, unfortunately it’s unclear how exactly you can unlock it.

We’ve reached out to Instagram for comment and will update this story if there is any response.

GAME ON

There are some other hidden app games that you should check out.

If you have the official Google app, go to the tabs panel and quickly swipe up on the screen.

This will bring up a hidden pinball game that you would otherwise very easily miss.

If you have Google Chrome, turn off your Wi-Fi and mobile internet and then try to load a website.

You will get an error page with a small dinosaur icon.

Tap the dinosaur and you will play an infinite runner game.

You have to clear obstacles by tapping the screen, and you earn a higher score the longer you can run.