Instagram has updated its Stories feature with support for geostickers, as the Facebook owned messenger app continues to mimic its rival Snapchat. The firm announced its new geostickers in a blog post and explained that the feature is launching first in New York City and Jakarta. Geosticker can be added to any photo or video […]
Instagram has updated its Stories feature with support for geostickers, as the Facebook owned messenger app continues to mimic its rival Snapchat.
The firm announced its new geostickers in a blog post and explained that the feature is launching first in New York City and Jakarta.
Geosticker can be added to any photo or video once they’ve been taken, by clicking on the sticker icon in the upper-right corner.
As the name implies, geostickers are only available if the user is in a certain location, making them very appealing to bands and retailers looking to boost footfall to a certain location, such as a restaurant or event.
Unline Snapchat’s geofilters, Instagram lets users add more than one. Additionally, someone viewing your Instagram Story can tap a geosticker to see the location page for that specific city.
“Since introducing stickers in December, we’ve loved seeing how you’ve used them to bring your stories to life—from hats to Valentine’s Day fun to customizable location stickers,” reads a post on Instagram’s press website. “Now, with more than a dozen new stickers each for New York City and Jakarta, you have another creative option for adding context to your everyday moments.”
As of launch on Tuesday, March 7, the feature works only in New York City and Jakarta, Indonesia, but it seems likely Instagram will expand to other locations in the near future.
With geostickers in place, the last big Snapchat feature missing from Instagram Stories is augmented reality selfie Lenses.
Facebook acquired MSQRD last year to bring these AR masks to its products. Yet despite their rollout on Facebook and Messenger, they haven’t come to Instagram yet.
Instagram Stories already has 150 million daily users, more than Snap’s original version of the feature. Instagram Stories is stealing Snapchat usage, which led Snapchat’s user growth to plummet 82% in the two quarters after Instagram introduced Stories.
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