Instagram may have copied Snapchat’s Stories, but it looks like it is already more successful than Snapchat. The company just announced that they now have over 200 million people using Instagram Stories everyday – that’s almost 50 million more than Snapchat’s user base as a whole. Instagram is also updating its app, bringing in new sticker tools so you can share more creative pictures and videos with your friends.
As of December 2016, Instagram reported that they had over 600 million users. In the latest update, Instagram announced that 200 million of those users are using Instagram Stories everyday. The number of users is measured based on someone posting to Instagram Stories, or viewing a friend’s story. Snapchat reported that they had around 158 million daily active users as a whole in their Q4 2016 report.
With this announcement, Instagram is also launching some new sticker tools. Selfie sticker lets you take a mini selfie, frame it, adjust the size, and put it anywhere on your photo; you can use as many creative tools as you want. The update also brings a new pinning feature. You can now pin any stickers (including selfie stickers) and text onto a specific spot on your video. Just tap and hold the sticker, move it over any object, and confirm by tapping “Pin”; you can even pin multiple things in a video.
Instagram is also expanding its geostickers to four new cities. If you are staying in or traveling to Chicago, London, Madrid or Tokyo, you will start seeing geostickers for those cities “over the coming days”. With the addition of so many stickers, Instagram also wants to make it easier for you to find your favourite stickers. This update also brings a shortcut to your favourite stickers – simply swipe right to see your recently used stickers. Finally, when you record a video on “Hands-Free” mode, tap and hold the button to see a timer that counts down to when the video begins.
Today’s update are available as part of Instagram version 10.16 for iOS, and version 10.16.1 for Android devices. Check out Instagram to find out more about its latest update.
