Facebook is known to constantly tweak features on its products, and the latest is Instagram that adds not one but three new features to Stories. So, users can add URL links to their Stories, add mentions ‘@name’ in a friend’s story and add a Boomerang directly without the need to create it separately on a Boomerang app. Boomerangs are short video clips that loop back and forth.
To begin with, the ability to add URL links would means with a single click you will navigate to the web page that has been linked. Users will find ‘See More’ links at the bottom of the stories, which will allow verified accounts to add links. Techcrunch explains that the’see More’ button instead of actually seeing links will keep the photo free of ugly links while still allowing one-click access to them. Moreover, Instagram will block inappropriate links. As aforementioned, Instagram is testing it with verified accounts and may later expand to others too.
The second feature Mentions will let you tag a friend in a story using @. So, you take a picture or video for a story add text and tag a friend using @name. Instagram will also autocomplete the user names. “You’ll receive a notification in Direct when you’re mentioned in someone else’s story. Just tap the preview to go straight to the story for as long as it’s live. If someone you don’t follow mentions you, you’ll see the notification in your message requests,” Instagram writes in a blogpost.
Finally, Instagram will let you take Boomerang directly inside Instagram. So, swipe from your feed to open stories camera and a new format picker under the record button will allow users to select Boomerang mode. Once users tap on record, the camera will stitch together a burst of photos into a mini video that will play forward and backward. Users can then share it to their stories.