WhatsApp Update Brings Snapchat-like Camera Features
Just after Telegram took instant messaging to a whole new level, a new WhatsApp update that brings everything that its rival Snapchat can boost of is already rolling out. The popular Facebook-owned chat messenger has been working on this feature since early this month and finally, it is live!
With the new camera features that come with the latest WhatsApp update, users can now do more. They can write or draw on pictures and videos as well as add emojis. The interface looks so similar to the one on Snapchat that you might not even be able to distinguish one from the other.
In a post, WhatsApp said: “Now, when you capture a new photo or video or share one which is already on your phone, you will automatically see the new editing tools”.
The Snapchat-like drawing tools features are brought up simply by taking a picture. Once that’s done, a little series of icons will appear – click the crayon to draw on top of a picture, for instance, or choose the T to write text.
And the actual process for taking pictures borrows from Snapchat, too.
The updated WhatsApp app now supports front-facing flash, so that people can better take pictures in the dark. That brightens up the screen so that pictures using the front camera work much better in the dark.
That feature is already offered on some iPhones – where it works slightly better than when apps try to do it – but is a useful way of taking selfies in the dark on other models.
The camera features have been given other changes like the ability to slide up and down the screen to zoom in and out and double tapping on the screen to swap between the front and back cameras.
In addition, the WhatsApp update includes a convenient zooming feature for recording videos. (Like many of Snapchat’s features, those might not be immediately obvious.)
This not the first time Mark Zuckerberg‘s WhatsApp has been integrating Snapchat-like features. First, it was Instagram Stories concept that had been popularized by Snapchat, implementing it in much the same way and openly admitting that it had been inspired by the popularity of Snapchat’s version.
And then it launched a separate app called Lifestage that lets you create your profile using photos and videos: things you like, things you dislike, your facial expressions, your best friends. Very similar to Snapchat except it lets teens creep other teens that they don’t even know.
More recently, we heard that it was testing Messenger Day in Poland that includes disappearing messages – Snapchat’s central feature, but the first time anything of the kind has been available in the country.
Speaking on the new WhatsApp update on its official blog, it said the features are only “new ways to customize and enhance the photos and videos you share with friends and family around the world”.
The new camera features should be rolling out on Android phones starting today, so check and see if there’s an update available if you want to try these new features.
Have you tried these new features on the updated WhatsApp yet? What are your thoughts on using WhatsApp’s new camera features? Let us know by leaving a comment below!
