Instagram rolls out Snapchat-like augmented reality 'Face Filters'

Facebook has finally brought the last and the only feature that was yet to be copied from Snapchat to Instagram.

Instagram rolled out a selection of augmented reality 'Face Filters', including furry koala ears, math equations swirling around your head, nerd glasses, a butterfly crown, wrinkle-smooth makeup and an ice crown.

Mark Zuckerberg announced the filters on Facebook. He said, 'These kinds of effects are how we'll experience augmented reality for the first time. This is just the beginning.'

Users can use the filters from the face icon in the right corner of the Instagram app when filming a story. Just like Snapchat, users need to tap a filter to try it on, and there are individual and group filters to use with friends in the frame. Face Filters also integrate with Boomerang by default, and it can be sent as an Instagram DM or uploaded to story.

At the TechCrunch Disrupt conference in New York, Instagram VP of Product Kevin Weil said, "Face filters are an expected part of a modern camera, so we're super excited to launch them today. The first eight filters are live now, and we've also launched a handful of other things including a reverse video format, a hashtag sticker allowing you to tag stories the same way you can tag mentions and some other tools like an eraser."

"If we're honest with ourselves, this is the way the tech industry works, and frankly, it's how all industries work. Kudos to Snapchat for being the first to Stories, but it's a format, and it's going to be adopted widely across a lot of different platforms," he further added.

Other new features include a rewind mode for videos, which will allow users to play video in reverse, and hashtag stickers to visit hashtag pages.

These updates are available as part of Instagram version 10.21 for iOS in the Apple App Store and for Android in Google Play.