Instagram: courier reply to Snapchat

Kevin Systrom, one of the founders of Instagram announced this Thursday, Dec. 12 the advent of e-mail ("Instagram Live") on the social network. This new feature will send pictures or mini-movies of a maximum of 15 seconds or more (up to 15) of contacts.

"There are times in our lives we want to share, but that will be relevant only to a small group of people - a joke between friends, a moment with family or just an extra photo of your new puppy," writes Instagram on his blog to describe the option. The application boasts more than 150 million users worldwide.

Now available on iOS and Android, the new version has a Instagram icon in the top right corner. By touching your mailbox opens. To send content, it will take a picture as usual, through the editing screen, then choose between disseminate his "Followers" or specific people. "Instagram Direct" lets see who has viewed your pictures, which has "likes" and commented.

Declaration of War

The Instagram initiative , acquired by Facebook in April 2012 , comes as Twitter is to allow sending photos in private messages that week. More importantly, it aims to compete head WhatsApp and Line , apps experiencing a huge success , especially among younger people.

But more than anything , "direct Instagram " recalls Snapchat that Facebook could not acquire despite its offer to $ 3 billion . Could not absorb it, "direct Instagram " well looks like a declaration of war.

On Twitter , users were quick to make the connection , mocking an Instagram " desperate to become Snapchat " . Both interfaces are also particularly like.

A Twitter user also recalls that Instagram had drawn his video function in response to the success of Vine .

Instagram Snapchat wanna be so bad .

- Tre Hood Himself ( @ ItsHoodTV ) December 12, 2013

Direct comparison of Instagram Direct to Snapchat : pic.twitter.com/SqJOqhmFC6

- Lauren K. Gray ( @ laurenkgray ) December 12, 2013

. @ lemondefr We see the thing . Instagram is: - when Vine work, we do the same . - when Snapchat work, we do the same .

- Sébastien FRIED (@ Seb_Frit ) December 12, 2013

Launched in September 2011 by two young Stanford students in their twenties, Snapchat allows sending messages that self-destruct after 1-10 seconds. On Wednesday, the start- up confirmed that it had raised $ 50 million from Coatue Management.