It was just a matter of time. Instagram has already incorporated Snapchat-inspired features, such as IG Stories. Now, Facebook is looking to encourage its users to snap more pictures and add stickers/filters to subtly compete with Snapchat.

 

Starting today (March 28), Facebook will allow users to do the following:

  • Access the camera with one swipe of their finger
  • Add digital stickers like a rainbow or a beard of glitter
  • Share a picture privately with a friend
  • Add a picture to a gallery known as a “story,” similar to a feature on the Snapchat

 

Facebook, to-date, has 1.86 billion users. The company denies that they’re borrowing ideas from Snapchat.

“Our goal here is to give people more to do on Facebook, and that’s really been the main inspiration,” Connor Hayes, a Facebook product manager.

A cool capability that Facebook’s camera will deliver is the ability to change someone into a yellow “Minion.” Facebook is reported to have license content from six film studios and two artists. The app will also integrate other visual effects down the line.

 

Photo credit: Techcrunch.com