When will Instagram stop cloning Snapchat like features?

Instagram, the photo-sharing app is back with one more feature that will keep your Stories trunk always full. But before jumping to the features, we will first address the most obvious question here. Is this new feature copied from Snapchat? A big loud 'yes'!

Facebook-owned Instagram launched the Stories feature less than a year back, which looks almost similar to Snapchat's Stories feature in both size and scale. Adding to the long list of copied features, Instagram has rolled out two new types of Stories, which was initially launched by Snapchat two months back: Location Stories and hashtag Stories.

With location stories and hashtag stories, you can see what’s happening around you and find stories related to your interests. The new feature goes live as part of an update to iOS and Android.

Location Stories:

Now users can search for any city, town, landmark or local business with location-based Stories. Just type the location and search, and you will see a Story tied that particular area. Users will know when one of their stories has been shown in a Story by checking their Story views.

For example, a photo or video tagged with the “San Francisco” location sticker could appear in a location Story with posts from others who used the same “San Francisco” tag.

Instagram has already launched the Location Stories feature.

Hashtag Stories:

Similarly, hashtag stories, which is expected to be launched over the coming weeks will help you find stories related to your interests. When you search for a hashtag, you may see a story ring at the top of the page filled with stories using that hashtag.

Is there any difference between Snapchat & Instagram's Stories version?

Yes, there is one significant difference. Instead of human curators, Instagram is going to pull all of these Stories together using only software algorithms.

The company believes that using algorithms will help the company produce a greater volume of group Stories at a faster clip.

Stories will have the same privacy settings as before, so public-facing Instagram accounts can show up in any location or hashtag Story. People with private accounts may still have snaps from Stories surfaced to their followers.

Not only stories but ads also:

Though currently, Instagram says there’ll be no ads in Story Search or Explore, the company is expected to add the feature at some point down the line. Just like Snapchat, who also made some good money doing so.

The war between Instagram and Snapchat to be the best and get you to watch more than just your friends’ content, is still on. So you can expect such more reports, stay tuned.