Facebook now testing selfie filters and AR overlays to up its Snapchat competing game

posted by Luis D. / Aug 08, 2016, 3:47 AM

Photo by Josh Constine

When they open Facebook, they are met by a camera prompt which suggests they take a photo or video and trick it out with Olympics-themed AR filters and stickers. Not just any ol' emoji and film grain trickery, mind you, but rad stuff like painting your face in the colors of your favorite team or placing an AR overlay over your photo.

Features like these were pioneered by Snapchat and have proven themselves quite successful. Prior to the new Facebook functionality, Instagram was upgraded with the Stories feature that lets users post disappearing photo and video slideshows.

While it would have been easier for Facebook to just buy Snapchat and assimilate it into its vast organism of message, photo, and video sharing services, we do remember that Snapchat once rejected a $3 billion buyout deal from Zuckerberg's company.

Unable to walk the path of least resistance, Facebook is now openly borrowing Snapchat ideas and building them inside its apps. This ought to challenge Snapchat to innovate, lest it wants to be rendered obsolete by Facebook's gargantuan reach.

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2 Comments

1. Atrixboyyy

Posts: 616; Member since: Nov 03, 2011

InstaWhat? Don't even use that anymore. Of course I'm not the only one that counts but the latest update is just one more thing to push me away lol

posted on Aug 08, 2016, 4:34 AM 0

2. Amroze

Posts: 597; Member since: Jul 04, 2016

Why damn update when there's no issues? I never update anything. My old Z2 is still running on 4.4.4, when 6.0.1 is available. I updated it, and it was worse. So I rooted and reverted back. Same junk happened to my S7, with updates, made the Exynos Cpu and phone sluggish, like the crappy Snapdragon S820. Which so many users say the Exynos is much better and faster than the S820. Smart move from Samsung to make thier Exynos same as the SHTY S820. Exynos Cpu were always better than Snapdragon.