Instagram copies Snapchat again with one-handed zoom for Stories
Instagram Stories just got its first significant update. But its newest features will -- surprise, surprise -- be familiar to most Snapchat users.
The update added the ability to zoom in on video while you're recording and the option to switch between the front and rear-facing cameras while recording. Both features are identical to their Snapchat counterparts.
Now, when recording a video for Instagram Stories, you can zoom in by dragging your finger up from the shutter button. You can zoom back out by dragging down. This is exactly how zooming works on Snapchat, as of an update in May.
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The Instagram update also added the ability to switch between the front and rear-facing cameras mid-recording by double tapping on the screen.
Naturally, the similarity between the two apps was not lost on users, who were quick to point out that Instagram was, once again, starting to feel a little familiar.
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The update is just the latest move in what some onlookers are now viewing as an all-out war between the two companies. Instagram caught many longtime users by surprise earlier this month when it announced its new Stories feature, which is Facebook's most blatant attempt at copying Snapchat yet.
Karissa was Mashable's Senior Tech Reporter, and is based in San Francisco. She covers social media platforms, Silicon Valley, and the many ways technology is changing our lives. Her work has also appeared in Wired, Macworld, Popular Mechanics, and The Wirecutter. In her free time, she enjoys snowboarding and watching too many cat videos on Instagram. Follow her on Twitter @karissabe.
