Instagram Copies Snapchat, Adds “Stories”

However, this next part is where IG Stories differs from Snapchat Stories.

The new feature, like Snapchat, does not give users the option to like or comment publically on the posts. Taking a lot of cues from Snapchat, Stories is a way to post content on a secondary feed that will disappear automatically after a day. Flash forward to 2016, and instead of trying to buy Snapchat again, Instagram is straight up copying the app with its own Stories feature.

Instagram Stories lets users share a series of moments and then customise them with text, drawings and emoji icons. This will not appear on a user’s profile or the feed of their friends. Profile pictures of those you follow will be displayed, and when one of them has a new story for you to view, it will have a colorful circle around it. However, the fact that Snapchat is able to garner a similar number of views with just 25% of the daily active users when compared to Facebook overshadows Facebook’s achievements.

You can also tap to go backwards or forwards or swipe to jump to another person’s story. Unlike regular posts, there are no likes or public comments.

The privacy settings on users’ stories are the same as their account – if their profile is set to private, their stories will only appear to those who follow them. You can share multiple photos and videos to a specific story throughout the day, which are displayed in a slideshow format.

Instagram today announced a new feature to its app, dubbed “Instagram Stories”. Now you can share your highlights and everything in between, too.

Instagram Stories will roll out globally over the next few weeks on iOS and Android. To learn more, check out help.instagram.com.

Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom told The New York Times in a recent interview that, “Stories will alleviate a ton of the pressure people have to post their absolute best stuff”.

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It seems odd that Instagram would introduce a feature that is such a blatant rip-off of Snapchat’s main signifier (also with Snapchat being the most celebrated social media medium of the moment).