Instagram Updates Galore, Google and Amazon's Bitter Row, Facebook Bring Back Some Fun and The Poo Emoji is Not Getting an Upgrade.

Instagram follow tradition

This week it was revealed that Instagram were following in the steps of Facebook and testing a new standalone app for private messages called ‘Direct’. This is the first step toward possibly removing the messaging feature from the core app. If you download the app the messaging option disappears from Instagram and can only be accessed via ‘Direct’.

Hemal Shah, an Instagram Product Manager said: “Direct has grown within Instagram over the past four years, but we can make it even better if it stands on its own. We can push the boundaries to create the fastest and most creative space for private sharing when Direct is a camera-first, standalone app.”

It would appear that Instagram has followed the advice from Facebook mogul Mark Zuckerberg; “On mobile, each app can only focus on doing one thing well” and followed in the footsteps of Messenger. While direct messaging was originally an afterthought in Instagram, by April of this year it had accumulated 375 million monthly users. Its rise has coincided with the growth of Instagram stories, which encourage users to fire back quick replies to friends’ messages by adding a ‘send message’ box underneath each one.

In its current experimental state, there is little in ‘Direct’ you won’t currently find in Instagram. The app consists of just three screens. Like Snapchat, it opens to the camera, in an effort to get you in the habit of regularly sharing. To the left of the camera is a profile screen that lets you access settings, switch accounts, and navigate to various corners of Instagram. To the right is your inbox of messages. That’s the whole app.

The other novelty to be found in the test app is four exclusive filters. One filter bleeps you at random while blurring your mouth, which you’ll appreciate if you’ve ever seen or enjoyed Jimmy Kimmel’s Unnecessary Censorship videos. Another filter creates a live cut-out of your mouth and superimposes it over your actual mouth, making you look like an insane clown and a third filter creates an infinite video loop, zooming in on your open mouth as multiple versions of your head swirl around you.

While this all sounds like a bit of fun, it may have worked for Facebook but only time will tell whether ‘Direct’ can achieve longevity and we eagerly await its release here in the UK.

Instagram pin up

Another new feature updated on the Instagram platform that appears to be a big hit with brands and celebrities is the fact you can now pin a story to your profile page; a way to preserve the photo and video montages that usually disappear within 24 hours.

Users can create their story and leave it on their profile for good and there is no limit to how many stories you can have saved.

It is a positive feature, especially for brands, as celebrities or influencers that endorse products etc. can create a story and pin it to their profile. The fact it lasts for longer than 24 hours means more viewers will see it, possibly gaining more followers and views. Brands themselves can also pin stories which can give them a free way to promote campaigns or content they want users to see.

Although the appeal of the stories feature was perhaps the fact that they did disappear within 24 hours, it will be interesting to see how this new feature changes the way people post stories. The new update will be released as a free app update next Tuesday, so get ready!

Google and Amazon’s break up gets bitter

Google has once again started to block access to YouTube on Amazon’s Echo Show device Tuesday, and is notifying users of Amazon’s Fire TV that they won’t be able to access YouTube anymore starting January 1st.

A Google spokesperson out right blamed Amazon’s unwillingness to strike a business deal with Google for the step: “We’ve been trying to reach an agreement with Amazon to give consumers access to each other’s products and services. But Amazon doesn’t carry Google products like Chrome cast and Google Home and doesn’t make Prime Video available for Google Cast users. Furthermore, last month they stopped selling some of Nest’s latest products. Given this lack of reciprocity, we are no longer supporting YouTube on Echo Show and FireTV. We hope we can reach an agreement to resolve these issues soon.”

Amazon shot back Tuesday afternoon: “Echo Show and Fire TV now display a standard web view of YouTube.com and point customers directly to YouTube’s existing website. Google is setting a disappointing precedent by selectively blocking customer access to an open website. We hope to resolve this with Google as soon as possible.”

The conflict between the two companies has been ongoing for quite some time now and significantly escalated in late 2015 when Amazon stopped selling Google’s Chrome cast streaming adapter, which previously was the top-selling streaming device on Amazon.com.

Amazon also never sold Google’s Home smart speaker, and the company quietly booted some of Nest’s products, including the nest thermostat E, off its store after Google first blocked YouTube on the Echo Show in September — something that will undoubtedly harm the sales of these devices during the crucial holiday season.

With the bitter feud continuing, let’s hope a mutual agreement can be reached soon as this is going to be one awkward Christmas in the Google/Amazon household.

Facebook, did you know?

Remember the TBH app Facebook acquired in October? No, us neither. Apparently it’s not doing too well and to combat the lack of app downloads, Facebook have decided to use a similar format on their main platform.

Facebook now wants you to share a bit more about yourself on your profile, so it’s launched a new feature to web and mobile users called “Did You Know?” where you can answer questions about yourself to clue friends into your secrets, dreams, goals and feelings.

As people back away from statuses and focus more on sharing articles, videos and photos, this feature offers an opportunity for users to answer questions about themselves more directly. So many of Facebook’s recent efforts to change how people customise their profiles have seemed to get buried in the clutter. The shareability of this might be a bit nicer given its visibility; you can share with the customised colourful backgrounds that Facebook have pushed on its statuses already.

While still in the early stages featuring questions that are pretty basic and quite ‘jokey’, it could be something that leads to a more sophisticated advertiser profile in the future.

The frowning poo emoji gets flushed!

And on a lighter note... plans to introduce a "frowning pile of poo" emoji have been pushed out from the latest proposals by the group in charge of creating the symbols. The symbol was suggested as one of many to be introduced in 2018, but it angered typographers who said it was "embarrassing" to the group.

The official list already includes a "pile of poo" emoji, but Smartphone giant Apple added a grinning face to the character on the iPhone which popularised the idea. In response to the proposal, typographer Michael Everson wrote: "This should embarrass absolutely everyone who votes yes on such an excrescence" He also argued that a face-free "coil of dog dirt with stink lines and flies" was the "proper semantic" for the symbol. Typographer Andrew West agreed with his argument saying: “Is there really any need to add a range of emotions to PILE OF POO?".

While the poo emoji may never develop further (probably for the best) some other emoji’s that are in the process of being developed for 2018 include a mango, a cupcake, a badger, a llama and a bagel, and if you ask us these are definitely more exciting than a sad poop!