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Johannesburg - Photo and video sharing social networking app Instagram is reportedly testing a new text-only story feature and screenshot notifications, likely to ward off stalkers.
Instagram’s primary use is for users to share photos and videos by posting them for their followers to view and like.
Stories by users can be posted and are highlighted in their profiles for 24 hours.
However, WhatsApp third-party blog WABetaInfo revealed new features were being tested for Instagram, which along with WhatsApp is owned by Facebook.
The website said that it had discovered the new feature in Instagram, very similar to one implemented in WhatsApp.
“Instagram is currently internally working to a new format for stories, that will allow the user to write text statuses, offering him some customised options. You will find a new option called Type, swiping right in your Instagram feed to open the Camera. Selecting this option, Instagram will ask you to TAP TO TYPE,” WABetaInfo said.
“After typing a text, you can customise the story, choosing a font and a nice background color. There will be 4 Instagram fonts available in the iOS app (these fonts are already available for some users only for stories, mainly in Japan) and the main one is called Modern,” the website went further to report.
WABetaInfo also reported that when a user takes a screenshot of another user’s story, Instagram does not notify the user who posted it about this action, but it currently does when an user sends you an image in Direct.
“Soon this will change: Instagram will notify the user when you will take a screenshot of his story! Anyway don’t worry, when this feature will be available, Instagram won’t send the first screenshot notification, but it will inform you that the next time it will do,” WABetaInfo said.
In December 2017, Fin24 reported Instagram’s "Recommended for You" feature which shows posts from other users, even if a user is not following them.
The feature suggests posts for users based on those that have been liked by other accounts a user follows. In the past only posts of people followed, appeared in the feed.
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