Instagram has been working on new features, despite the world going into lockdown due to the pandemic. A few days ago, Instagram’s parent company Facebook acquired Giphy – a well known GIF company.
There are no doubts that the entire app is filled with filters and features for users to try out, making our quarantine life more interesting. Various face filters and challenges like “Guess the Gibberish” have been keeping everyone busy for a while. However, developers are always looking for ways to make it better.
Wong M Jane, a tech blogger with a history of unlocking unreleased features, has made a few revelations on Twitter about upcoming features that Instagram is working on.
Here’s what we know so far about all three new features which she shared on her Twitter account.
Instagram’s Video Sticker Update
Introducing video stickers is not something new as the app already includes options for adding several types of stickers. However, this new feature seems a bit different as instead of GIF’s, a small original video, playing on loop, will be added to stories. Wong Jane tweeted the following GIF as a sample of what the sticker might look like:
Instagram is working on video stickers pic.twitter.com/LWrzxbr76k
— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) May 19, 2020
These video stickers will be available in the same place that everything else is. However, it may take some time before Instagram releases the feature for the public.
Card-like list UI for Stories
Wong Jane also shared a prototype for a card-like view of Instagram stories. The new feature looks good as it gives us a peek into what is shared on the user’s story as well. It could be useful for users who like to avoid tapping through all stories to see what everyone is up to. However, there is no release window given for this new feature as well.
The Instagram Stories card-like list UI looks a lot better than the previous prototype now pic.twitter.com/xJIQJ1wl0z
— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) May 19, 2020
The card UI looks similar to Facebook’s card UI for stories.
Quick-Switch Option for Stories
Lastly, Wong shared a prototype for a quick-switch option which may be rolling out sometime soon for Instagram Stories. The feature is a time-saver and helps users to quickly switch from one user’s story to another’s without having to tap their way through or exiting the story.
Instagram used to work on a similar prototype two years ago
This time, the switcher on the top instead of bottom https://t.co/y0NKzPw911
— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) May 7, 2020
A similar prototype was shared by Wong in June 2018. The only difference was that the available stories were displayed at the bottom, whereas now they are at accessed from the top by swiping down.
Instagram seems to be focusing their attention on making their Stories feature much better and easier to use. These new features will surely be used by almost ALL Instagram users whenever a story fails to keep their attention, all the while saving time as they won’t have to tap their way through. We’re looking forward to these new updates, whenever Instagram decides to roll them out.
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