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Instagram Just Became Snapchat With 'Stories' That Disappear After 24 Hours

Tuesday August 2, 2016 7:33 am PDT by Mitchel Broussard
Instagram today announced the launch of a new feature called "Instagram Stories," which lets its users post customized images and videos onto their profile, abiding by the ephemeral rule of rival service Snapchat: every post disappears completely within 24 hours. The company said that this lets users not have to "worry about overposting" and clogging up their profile in the process.

Stories will appear in a bar at the top of each user's normal Instagram feed, updating with new posts of all the same friends, family members, and popular accounts they follow. Each time someone posts a new picture or video within their Story, a colorful ring circles their profile picture. Jumping into Stories is as easy as tapping on one of those profile photos, and swiping to move back and forward through each user slideshow.

instagram stories
Today, we’re introducing Instagram Stories, a new feature that lets you share all the moments of your day, not just the ones you want to keep on your profile. As you share multiple photos and videos, they appear together in a slideshow format: your story.

With Instagram Stories, you don’t have to worry about overposting. Instead, you can share as much as you want throughout the day — with as much creativity as you want. You can bring your story to life in new ways with text and drawing tools. The photos and videos will disappear after 24 hours and won’t appear on your profile grid or in feed.
Comments are allowed on Stories, but are only able to be sent through Instagram's direct message feature, because "unlike regular posts, there are no likes or public comments." Keeping in the vein of Snapchat, you can swipe up on your own story to see every Instagram member who has viewed the post so far. To add a bit of flair to a profile, users can also post specific Stories to their page if they decide they want to keep the photo or video longer than 24 hours.

Some users are reporting that the Instagram Stories update has already been added to their device via an update that describes only "Bug fixes and performance improvements," but the company itself mentioned that the update should begin rolling out to iOS and Android devices "over the next few weeks." You can download the Instagram app for free on the App Store. [Direct Link]

Tag: Instagram
[ 73 comments ]


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keysofanxiety
40 months ago

Meh, no thanks. I already use Snapchat to post silly/funny images or videos to my story. I'd prefer to keep Instagram with images that I shoot, then edit using the various apps on my iPhone before posting to IG. One app to post to my "story" is more than enough for me.


But can you make your cat shoot freaking laser beams out of its eyes?

Rating: 14 Votes
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mrgraff
40 months ago
I miss the "good old days" when an app did one thing and did it well. If you wanted to do something else, then you downloaded a different app. Nowadays, everything has to be a features smorgasbord in order to steal users and revenue from each other.
Rating: 10 Votes
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captain cadet
40 months ago
Did Instagram just become Samsung?
Rating: 8 Votes
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zorinlynx
40 months ago
I don't get this new obsession with stuff that vanishes forever.

Do we not want to save cool things to look back on them later anymore? Nostalgia is a wonderful feeling; I love finding stuff I posted online 15 years ago. If I'd been using Snapchat like services back then, there would be nothing!
Rating: 8 Votes
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Chatter
40 months ago
Next up: swipe left or right if you like the story.
If you like it, a dating profile pops up for quick contact.
Rating: 7 Votes
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sbrhwkp3
40 months ago
Wow. Now that's just annoying.
Rating: 5 Votes
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alexandr
40 months ago
i remember when instagram implemented videos and killed vine. true story.
Rating: 4 Votes
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aamoren3
40 months ago
So stupid.

Instagram= photography. Snapchat= dpics
Rating: 4 Votes
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Porco
40 months ago

Snapchat turned down Facebook's $3,000,000,000 offer to buy them out. Now Facebook is planning to destroy them. Will Facebook fail to capture their market because they're no longer cool with the kids? Will the founders of Snapchat regret their greed since they have problems monetizing their platform? Find out next year on DOES ANYBODY ACTUALLY CARE.


I guess some people will care for about 24 hours, and then the caring will disappear altogether.
Rating: 4 Votes
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keysofanxiety
40 months ago

Nostalgia is a wonderful feeling; I love finding stuff I posted online 15 years ago.


It's the complete opposite of that for me if I look over things I posted on the Internet a decade ago… :oops:

Boy I'd love to utterly destroy every one of my stupid comments and hormonal ramblings from the face of history.
Rating: 3 Votes

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