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Instagram continues Snapchat attack, adds new ‘Remix’ annotation feature & endless loop replays

Instagram has not been shy about competing head-to-head with Snapchat, and a new update today continues that trend. In a blog post, Instagram announced a new feature that allows users to “remix” photos from friends…

The company says that, when viewing images from friends, users can tap the camera icon in the lower left corner to access annotation features. From there, they can add stickers, text, and drawings directly to the image and send it back “for a fun visual of the conversation.”

When viewing a photo message from a friend, tap the camera icon at the bottom and capture a reply. Your reply includes a sticker of what you’re replying to. Move and resize it, and add your own twist with stickers, text and drawings.

This is one of the top features of Snapchat, which has supported image annotations since the beginning. What makes Instagram’s implementation unique, however, is that users can annotate images originally shared by other users. In Snapchat, users can only annotate their own images and images from news sources such as CNN and The Daily Mail.

In addition to the new Remix feature, Instagram is making changes to replays, including a new endless loop option:

Choose “One View” for messages you want your friends to only see once. For everything else, choose “Allow Replay” so your friends have more time to view your messages. Photos and videos sent with “Allow Replay” loop automatically and your friends can tap and hold to pause.

Instagram says these changes are rolling out today on both iOS and Android. Note that if you don’t have the updates yet, it may take a few days to hit your account.


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Avatar for Chance Miller Chance Miller

Chance is the editor-in-chief of 9to5Mac, overseeing the entire site’s operations. He also hosts the 9to5Mac Daily and 9to5Mac Happy Hour podcasts.

You can send tips, questions, and typos to chance@9to5mac.com.

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