Snapchat Adds New Features. Will Instagram Follow Suit?

Snapchat now has more tools to make your life a bit more interesting.  Specifically, they’ve added some new backdrops, and a voice-filter option. In addition they have also given you a way to add links to your images and videos, called paperclip.  Without sounding too snarky, I feel like this is coming to Instagram very soon.  Or at least something similar.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the competition, but it always seems to go back and forth with them. Am I wrong?  Regardless, these features seem to be kind of neat.  I also feel like they’re constantly updating their app.  There’s always something new.  Which, on one hand is great, but is a bit overwhelming as well.

• Backdrop

The backdrop feature lets you…. you guessed it… change the background.  You can place images behind people or objects in order to change what it looks like.  While not an overly useful tool, it’s kind of neat as you can add some fun images.  Snapchat will be adding a bunch of new backdrops every day, which will make choosing one fun.  It’s also great that they’re adding new backdrops so you don’t have to use the same ones over and over again.

• Paperclip

The new paperclip feature might be the most useful of all.  This one allows you to add a link to your Snap, which directs your friends to view in their internal browser.  In previous versions, only advertisements and Discover content could include links.  Now everyone can!  You must, however, abide by Snapchat’s terms of service as far as the links go.  So don’t be posting inappropriate things, people. If you do post something inappropriate, users can (and are encouraged to) report the content.  Just play by the rules and this won’t be an issue.

• Voice Filters

The last “new” feature is voice filters.  It’s not technically new as you were able to remix the sound of your voice in previous versions.  But the way you change your voice is set up differently.  You now tap the speaker icon and select from a range of character voices to make your Snap even funnier.  When I first read about this, the way it was described lead me to believe that you could “mask” your voice.  Like if your friend was being held for ransom and the kidnapper was calling you.  That’s the vision I had in my head.  But it’s not.  Just more bumble bee and chipmunk sounding voices.  Got it.

Like I said before, the paperclip feature might be the most useful of all these updates.  It seems to me that you can let people know where you bought something.  Or direct them to your website.  To me, this kind of update would be useful for a business trying to promote some products.  Maybe this is something Instagram could benefit from?  I say that with a smirk on my face.  The reason I’m saying this is because I often see a person trying to promote their business.  They put the link to their website in the message, which is below the image.  Perhaps this would be an improvement for Instagram as well.  Just saying. If you want to see, in action, how to use these new features, take a look at the video below.