Over the past few years, Facebook and Instagram have been looking for the best way to catch-up with Snapchat’s ingenious platform. From being able to send pictures that disappear to creating an almost live stream of the user’s day, Snapchat has become a big player in the social media realm.
After trying to buy out Snapchat and getting rejected, both Facebook and Instagram needed a way to keep up with the new changes in their field. This is when Instagram introduced Instagram Stories, which was set up as a copycat of Snapchat and all of their features. Within the past few months, it has mostly been a back and forth battle between Snapchat and Instagram in terms of who can come up with the coolest new innovations and features.
Let’s Talk Instagram Stories
Three years after Snapchat launched their story feature to the app, Instagram Stories was launched. At this point in time, it had almost all of the same capabilities as Snapchat Stories had. Many people already believed that Instagram Stories would become bigger than Snapchat due to the larger amount of users, and it sure has.
Over the past few months, Instagram has been changing their features to be one step ahead of Snapchat stories. Just take a look at some of the features Snapchat Stories is missing out on:
- The swipe up feature for verified accounts
- The ability to tag other Instagram accounts with a clickable tag
- Hiding stories completely without unfriending or blocking the account
- Posting the story directly to the user’s Instagram account
- The “live” option for followers to tune into and comment/engage with
What About Snapchat?
Although Snapchat is the OG disappearing photo act, its number of users are still trailing behind Instagram. That hasn’t stopped Snapchat from combatting all of Instagram’s sly moves to undermine their popularity.
Even with Instagram copying many of the features and capabilities of Snapchat, there are still a few things Instagram just can’t compete with:
- The BELOVED filters that generate with facial recognition
- Ability to manipulate videos with slow-mo, fast forward, and even rewind
- Geotags that can be created by users for their towns or public events
- Spectacles that film snapchat videos hands-free and from the user’s POV
- This feature also allows viewers to rotate their screen and the videos will rotate with the screen motion
- Using customized Bitmojis in snaps
- Creating collaborative stories for different kinds of live events all over the world
The Most Recent Battle Between Instagram and Snapchat
As the battle continues, the two social media platforms have been updating their apps so users don’t have to miss a feature from one platform to the next. Snapchat has made the latest update allowing users some of the features that Instagram offers their users.
In this update, Snapchat rolled out limitless snaps, an emoji brush, looping videos, and a magic eraser. Two of these new features directly combat Instagram’s platform setup and Boomerang feature.
With the ability for users to send snaps with the limitless feature, it allows their followers to see the photo until they click to the next snap or close the app. The looping video feature also allows followers to see snap videos in a continuous loop until they click to the next snap or exit the app.
Snapchat also went one step further than these Instagram jabs with their updates. They now allow users to easily apply emojis to their snaps with the emoji brush rather than adding them one by one. The magic eraser is also something Instagram hasn’t messed with yet, but I’m sure we will see something similar soon.
UPDATE: May 16th, 2017
Only 6 days after the newest Snapchat updates, Instagram comes out with the EXACT SAME face filter option as Snapchat. If there has ever been a punch so hard to the face in this battle, Instagram has just thrown it. This feature allows users to use the same filters offered on Snapchat, BUT it doesn’t seem to include the voice changer options…. YET.
UPDATE UPDATE: May 23rd, 2017
Snapchat won’t go down without a fight! They have just updated their story features again to give users a renewed sense of community. With their latest update, users can produce stories that can be created and shared by and with friends that the user chooses OR the user can choose a geofence for the story. This update is similar to an app called “Flashgap” that allows users to contribute to an event album together, but they would only be able to access and see the shared content 24 hours after the event was created.
These new Snapchat Stories have the same abilities, but you can see the content right away for only 24 hours. The chance to share it with anyone in a geofence the user creates that may not be on their friend list (hint hint, could be a great idea for dating apps to look into) would be perfect for community, public, or even private events.
What’s Next in Social Media?
Honestly, who knows what will be next from either app! I, personally, am much more of a Snapchat Story fan rather than Instagram. Seeing my beloved app be copied by a bigger and badder social media app is just atrocious! I will never give up on you Snapchat!
As a brand or company though, Instagram Stories may have a much better ROI than Snapchat. To learn more about social media, be sure to follow @todays_business on Instagram!