Instagram is rumoured to be preparing for the launch of a new messaging service to rival Snapchat
Instagram is holding a press event in New York today, at which it is expected to announce details of a new private messaging feature. The company sent invitations to members of the media last week, inviting them to "share a moment" with the Instagram team.
The rumoured messaging service, thought to be called 'Moments', is expected to be integrated into the main Instagram app, and will allow users to chat with each other in real time. It has also been suggested that the service will feature messages that will disappear over time - like Snapchat.
The messages could potentially include photos and videos as well as text, allowing Instagram to build on its strength in digital imagery. Mashable suggests that the art and captioning tools will extend beyond traditional Instagram filters and allow users to draw on images and add icons and avatars.
Instagram was purchased by Facebook for $1 billion in 2012. Facebook already offers an instant messaging service, but this does not currently integrate with the Instagram app.
By following the Snapchat model, Instagram's new messaging service could help Facebook appeal to teenagers, whose interest in the social network is dwindling. According to a recent Piper Jaffray study, interest in Facebook among teens declined significantly between Spring 2012 and Spring 2013.
A Pew study highlighted the same trend, stating that although 77 per cent of surveyed teens are on Facebook, their interest is “waning”.
Snapchat, meanwhile, is extremely popular among teenagers and young adults, who send almost 350 million pictures or messages a day. Last month it was reported that Snapchat had turned down a $3 billion (£1.9bn) acquisition offer from Facebook, with CEO Evan Spiegel reportedly holding out for an even larger valuation.
Source : The Telegraph
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