- Facebook Canvas Ads are now called Instant Experiences. Same feature, updated name.
- Instant Experiences open full-screen on mobile inside the app. No browser required.
- They load nearly instantly and support up to 20 images plus unlimited short videos.
- Build them in Meta Ads Manager with templates or custom components in six steps.
- Coinis Image Ads generates mobile-ready creatives from a product URL for Instant Experiences.
What Are Canvas Ads (Now Called Instant Experiences)?
Meta renamed Canvas Ads to Instant Experiences in 2017. The feature is identical. Only the name changed.
Why Meta renamed Canvas to Instant Experience
The new name describes the user experience directly. Tapping your ad opens a full-screen environment inside the Facebook or Instagram app. No browser, no load time. Per Meta's Business Help Center, Instant Experiences are built specifically to deliver rich mobile content at near-instant speed.
Key differences from standard mobile ads
Standard mobile ads send users to an external website. Instant Experiences keep users inside the app. The result is a faster, more immersive session.
A single Instant Experience can hold up to 20 still images and unlimited videos. As long as total video runtime stays under 2 minutes. Each experience requires at least one action button. Text blocks can contain up to 500 words each, with basic HTML formatting supported.
When to use Instant Experiences vs. other ad formats
Use Instant Experiences for storytelling, product showcases, and brand awareness campaigns. They're available for these campaign objectives: Brand Awareness, Reach, Traffic, Engagement, App Installs, Video Views, Catalog Sales, and Store Traffic.
Use standard feed ads when a direct click to a landing page serves the goal better. Instant Experiences shine when you need to educate or inspire before the click.
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Create a Custom Instant Experience: Step-by-Step
The Instant Experience Builder lives entirely inside Meta Ads Manager. No external tool required.
Step 1: Set up your campaign in Ads Manager
Open Ads Manager and click Create. Choose a campaign objective that supports Instant Experiences. Traffic, Engagement, and Catalog Sales are the most common picks.
Step 2: Choose your ad format (image, video, carousel, collection)
At the ad level, select your format. All four formats work with Instant Experiences: single image, single video, carousel, and collection.
Step 3: Enable the Instant Experience option
Scroll to the Destination section in your ad setup. Check Add an Instant Experience. This unlocks the builder inline.
Step 4: Build with a template or from scratch
Meta offers three pre-built templates: Customer Acquisition, Storytelling, and Storefront. Pick one to get a head start with pre-arranged components. Or click Build a Custom Instant Experience to begin from a blank layout.
Step 5: Add components (images, videos, text, buttons)
Drag in the components you need. Images, video players, carousels, text blocks, and buttons are all modular. Reorder them freely. Add at least one button and link it to a product page, website, or app store listing.
Step 6: Preview and publish
Click the mobile preview icon before saving. It shows exactly how the experience looks on a phone screen. Once you're satisfied, save the Instant Experience and attach it to your ad. Then publish as normal.
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Instant Experience Specifications & Best Practices
Image dimensions and format requirements
Recommended image dimensions are 1080 x 1920 pixels. Use .png or .jpg format. This matches the full-screen vertical layout users see on mobile.
Video specs and duration limits
Videos should be at least 720p resolution. Use .mp4 or .mov format. Total combined video runtime across the entire Instant Experience must stay under 2 minutes.
Text and button guidelines
Each text block supports up to 500 words. Keep them shorter in practice. Users are scanning on mobile, not reading essays. Every Instant Experience must include at least one action button. That's a Meta requirement, not a suggestion.
Content recommendations for engagement
Lead with your strongest visual. Place the action button near the top of the experience. Don't make users scroll to find it. Keep video tight and front-load the message in the first few seconds.
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Speed Up Instant Experience Creation With AI
Building a great Instant Experience starts with great creative. This is where most advertisers lose time.
Using Image Ads to generate mobile-optimized creative
Coinis' Image Ads workflow generates ad visuals from a product URL. Paste the URL, select a format, and get mobile-ready images in seconds. Drop them straight into your Instant Experience components. No design tool, no sourcing stock photos.
How Revise helps polish images for Instant Experiences
Already have an image? Revise handles the finishing work. Smart Resize adjusts dimensions to fit the 9:16 vertical format Instant Experiences use. AI Erase removes unwanted background elements. Edit text on image swaps out headlines without rebuilding the whole creative.
Leveraging Brand Profile for consistent messaging across creatives
Brand Profile stores your brand voice, colors, and tone. Every image and headline Coinis generates reflects that context automatically. Run multiple Instant Experience variants. Product showcase, storytelling, seasonal offer. Without losing visual consistency across the set.
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Or let Coinis do it.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What happened to Facebook Canvas Ads?
Meta renamed Canvas Ads to Instant Experiences in 2017. The feature works the same way. Full-screen, mobile-only ads that open inside the app. All current Meta documentation uses the Instant Experience name.
What campaign objectives support Instant Experiences?
Instant Experiences are available for Brand Awareness, Reach, Traffic, Engagement, App Installs, Video Views, Catalog Sales, and Store Traffic campaigns.
How many images and videos can I include in an Instant Experience?
You can include up to 20 still images. Videos are unlimited in number, but total combined video runtime must stay under 2 minutes.
Do I need a designer to build an Instant Experience?
No. Meta's Instant Experience Builder uses drag-and-drop components inside Ads Manager. For creatives, tools like Coinis Image Ads generate mobile-ready visuals from a product URL. No design skills needed.