Instagram isn't done copying Snapchat
Facebook kicked off its ruthless copying of Snapchat when it released Instagram Stories last August.
Now Instagram is replicating the 3D filters that Snapchat made popular with the addition of its own face filters on Tuesday.
Instagram can now show virtual effects like rabbit ears, flower crowns, and more from a new face icon at the bottom right of the app's camera. There will be eight of these filters to start. Unlike Snapchat, an Instagram spokesperson told Business Insider that "we have no plans to offer sponsored face filters at this time."
There are a few more creative tools now in Instagram:
- A new rewind mode plays videos you record in reverse.
- You can add a hashtag to a story to let viewers explore related photos and videos.
- An eraser brush can remove whatever you've drawn over a photo. (Snapchat recently released a similar feature, except its eraser tool can remove actual objects like Photoshop.)
Instagram Stories recently surpassed Snapchat with 200 million daily active users. Facebook purchased the app MSQRD earlier last year to build these virtual face filters, which are already available in the main Facebook app's camera as well. Instagram has been testing these face filters in an internal version of its app for employees for the last several months, according to a person familiar with the matter.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently unveiled Facebook's augmented reality platform for developers to create virtual camera effects that display over the real world. "Even if we were a little slow to add cameras to our apps, I'm confident that we're going to be the ones to push this augmented reality platform forward," he said.
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