Snapchat has always been a popular social media platform, allowing users to document their lives in ways that are fun and unique. The app has a particularly special feature, "face Filters," that let Snapchatters add funny and animated scenes to their faces when the camera is facing them. These filters range from a licking puppy dog face to a bright pink princess crown, with each one adding individual noises and movements. This feature was something that Snapchat took great pride in, since no platform had ever done it before, until recently.
Instagram adds Face Filters to app
Earlier this month, Instagram added face filters as part of their Instagram story feature. This feature is the same as Snapchat, allowing users to insert filters ranging from koala ears to a pair of crazy glasses onto their own faces.
According to many sources, it is apparent that Instagram has been trying to copy the techniques of Snapchat for a while. As competitors, they both offer similar features within their apps, and are always trying to one-up each other. The addition of face filters to the Instagram app was apparently the final move to compete with Snapchat.
So what's next for Snapchat?
The timing of this copy was particular rough for Snapchat, since it has been less than a week since Snapchat reported earnings for the first time, according to the website, Recode.
This was a huge disappointment for Wall Street investors, who were expecting the company to have a dramatic increase in user growth and business development.
There are many different opinions about how this event will affect Snapchat, with some saying that Snapchat will prevail, while other sources claim that "Snapchat is dead," like the website Man Repeller.
On one hand, even though Instagram added one of Snapchat's biggest features to its app, some sources claim that it is very unlikely that Instagram will eventually steal Snapchat users. After all, Snapchat was the initial inventor of sharing videos within an app so that friends can see them in almost real-time, which is something that users enjoy and value.
Instagram stories may be close to the same thing, but there are quite a lot of differences between the two, as well as differences in terms of user engagement and viewing.
On the other hand however, it is said that Snapchat now has nothing different to offer than the Instagram app. Instagram allows users to post pictures, follow other users, and do things that Snapchat can't, making a strong case in terms of which app is better overall.