Global image messaging service Snapchat has scrubbed Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera from its app in Saudi Arabia at the request of Saudi authorities, the company said on Monday.&nbsp;

&quot;We make an effort to comply with local laws in the countries where we operate,&quot; a spokesman for parent company Snap Inc. said.&nbsp;

The request to block Al Jazeera&#39;s Snapchat presence in the kingdom was made before the weekend, the company told AFP.

According to Snap Inc., the Saudi ministry of culture and information found Al Jazeera&#39;s Discover Publisher Story channel to be in violation of local laws.

Saudi Arabia and its allies the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt have been boycotting Qatar since June 5 in the region&#39;s worst diplomatic crisis in years.

They sealed the emirate&#39;s only land border, ordered its citizens to leave and closed their airspace and waters to Qatari flights and shipping.

They also demanded that it close broadcasting giant Al-Jazeera.

Until now, Al Jazeera&#39;s Snapchat channel can still be viewed in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt.&nbsp;

Saudi Arabia, with its bulging youth population, is among the world&#39;s top users of social media per capita. The internet represents a limited space for freedom of expression in the conservative kingdom.

"We make an effort to comply with local laws in the countries where we operate," a spokesman for parent company Snap Inc. said.?

Global image messaging service Snapchat has scrubbed Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera from its app in Saudi Arabia at the request of Saudi authorities, the company said on Monday. "We make an effort to comply with local laws in the countries where we operate," a spokesman for parent company Snap Inc. said. The request to block Al Jazeera's Snapchat presence in the kingdom was made before the weekend, the company told AFP. According to Snap Inc., the Saudi ministry of culture and information found Al Jazeera's Discover Publisher Story channel to be in violation of local laws. Saudi Arabia and its allies the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt have been boycotting Qatar since June 5 in the region's worst diplomatic crisis in years. They sealed the emirate's only land border, ordered its citizens to leave and closed their airspace and waters to Qatari flights and shipping. They also demanded that it close broadcasting giant Al-Jazeera. Until now, Al Jazeera's Snapchat channel can still be viewed in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt. Saudi Arabia, with its bulging youth population, is among the world's top users of social media per capita. The internet represents a limited space for freedom of expression in the conservative kingdom.

Snapchat scrubs Al-Jazeera in Saudi Arabia

After <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-arabia-shuts-qatars-al-jazeera-amid-ban-crisis-16464">Saudi Arabia&nbsp;shutdown Al-Jazeera in its country,</a> Snapchat has now&nbsp;removed the Qatar-based global news channel from its app.&nbsp;

The <a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-economy/snapchat-upgrades-its-messaging-app-with-multi-snap-recording-feature-18080">image messaging application</a> has removed Al Jazeera from its app in Saudi Arabia.

Snapchat initiated the ban after a request from Saudi authorities.&nbsp;

A&nbsp;spokesman from Snap told&nbsp;Reuters that, &quot;We make an effort to comply with local laws in the countries where we operate.&quot;

Snap&nbsp;said that the Saudi ministry of culture and information found the news channel&#39;s Discover Publisher Story channel in violation of local laws.&nbsp;

Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt have been boycotting Qatar since June 5.&nbsp;

They&nbsp;have sealed their land border with Qatar and restricted their airspace&nbsp;and shipping. They have also asked Qatari citizens to leave their country.&nbsp;

The Saudi Arabia ministry recently&nbsp;withdrew Al Jazeera&#39;s license and accused it of promoting &quot;terrorist groups&quot; and supporting rebels in Yemen. &nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/saudi-arabia-suspends-dialogue-with-qatar-accusing-it-of-distorting-facts-4800">Many countries have ended diplomatic ties with Qatar </a>due to its alleged support of rebels.

The image messaging application has removed Al Jazeera from its app in Saudi Arabia

After Saudi Arabia shutdown Al-Jazeera in its country, Snapchat has now removed the Qatar-based global news channel from its app. The image messaging application has removed Al Jazeera from its app in Saudi Arabia. Snapchat initiated the ban after a request from Saudi authorities. A spokesman from Snap told Reuters that, "We make an effort to comply with local laws in the countries where we operate." Snap said that the Saudi ministry of culture and information found the news channel's Discover Publisher Story channel in violation of local laws. Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt have been boycotting Qatar since June 5. They have sealed their land border with Qatar and restricted their airspace and shipping. They have also asked Qatari citizens to leave their country. The Saudi Arabia ministry recently withdrew Al Jazeera's license and accused it of promoting "terrorist groups" and supporting rebels in Yemen. Many countries have ended diplomatic ties with Qatar due to its alleged support of rebels.

Now, Snapchat blocks Al Jazeera in Saudi Arabia

The multimedia mobile application, Snapchat, has upgraded its messaging app with new features.&nbsp;

Snapchat has removed one of the abnormalities from its app which restricted the video&nbsp;limit to 10 seconds.&nbsp;

The company will allow its users to record six 10-second clips continuously without interruption, though the videos will still appear to viewers&nbsp;as 10 separate clips.

It will be different from the videos posted on Instagram or Whatsapp.&nbsp;

The users will have the option of posting any number of videos out of the 6 that they shoot. They are not required to post the entire sixty seconds segment. The videos will be posted in chronological order but the user can eliminate any part of the six videos.&nbsp;

Before the updated feature, a Snapchat user could record a new 10-second video only after deleting or posting the existing one.&nbsp;

Besides the 10-second continuous video shoot, Snapchat is also coming up with another feature called &quot;Tint Brush&quot; which will allow its users to highlight a part of their snap.

The multi snap recording feature will be available only to iPhone users, while the company has assured its roll out for Android users in the future.

The Tint Brush feature will be available for both iOS and Android.&nbsp;

 
&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Snapchat has removed one of the abnormalities from its app which restricted the video limit to 10 seconds

The multimedia mobile application, Snapchat, has upgraded its messaging app with new features. Snapchat has removed one of the abnormalities from its app which restricted the video limit to 10 seconds. The company will allow its users to record six 10-second clips continuously without interruption, though the videos will still appear to viewers as 10 separate clips. It will be different from the videos posted on Instagram or Whatsapp. The users will have the option of posting any number of videos out of the 6 that they shoot. They are not required to post the entire sixty seconds segment. The videos will be posted in chronological order but the user can eliminate any part of the six videos. Before the updated feature, a Snapchat user could record a new 10-second video only after deleting or posting the existing one. Besides the 10-second continuous video shoot, Snapchat is also coming up with another feature called "Tint Brush" which will allow its users to highlight a part of their snap. The multi snap recording feature will be available only to iPhone users, while the company has assured its roll out for Android users in the future. The Tint Brush feature will be available for both iOS and Android.

Snapchat upgrades its messaging app with 'multi-snap recording feature'

Several reports reveal Google&#39;s planned to buy Snapchat for $30 billion in May, 2016 before Snap&#39;s last funding round, according to Business Insider Alex Health.&nbsp;

However, Snap&#39;s CEO Evan Spiegel declined the Google&#39;s offer even after Snap&#39;s market cap slipped to around $15 billion from $30 billion. According to a report in TechCrunch, Snapchat invalidated the information about the offer calling it &quot;false rumours &quot;. Several media reports had speculated&nbsp;talks of a buyout before Snap went public with their IPO in March this year.

The news of <a href="http://www.wionews.com/science-tech/google-redesigns-mobile-search-app-with-personalised-feed-18114">Google&#39;</a>s offer to Snapchat has benefited the latter as it increased its share price to 2.3% but lately Snap had been experiencing a downfall in its share price due to the strong growth of Instagram&#39;s stories and Whatsapp clones of Snapchat.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/science-tech/snapchat-upgrades-its-messaging-app-with-multi-snap-recording-feature-18080">Snapchat, a multimedia mobile application</a>, was launched in 2011 by former Stanford University students - Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy. &nbsp;&nbsp;

The multimedia app is the upgraded version of Picaboo, that was launched only for iOS App Store. The founders Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy later reintroduced the app as <a href="http://www.wionews.com/science-tech/snachat-makes-copying-difficult-for-its-rivals-18227">Snapchat</a> with enhanced features. Since then the app has undergone several technological innovations.

Snapchat for Android was launched in October 2012.&nbsp;Snapchat has evolved from being a simple start-up with not many users to millions of daily active users worldwide.&nbsp;Inspired by&nbsp;the multimedia app, Facebook and Instagram have also added Snapchat&#39;s clones in their app.&nbsp;

Snap has often been criticised by tech experts for the disappearance of photos, videos and text messages after they are viewed once which is Snap&#39;s main feature.

&nbsp;Besides the messaging features, Snapchat offers the popular &#39;Snapchat stories&#39;, &#39;Memories&#39; and stickers. Snapchat stories can be replayed for 24 hours while Memories are saved pictures that can be shared later.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The offer was declined by Snap's CEO Evan Spiegel even after Snap's market cap slipped to around $15 billion from $30 billion

Several reports reveal Google's planned to buy Snapchat for $30 billion in May, 2016 before Snap's last funding round, according to Business Insider Alex Health. However, Snap's CEO Evan Spiegel declined the Google's offer even after Snap's market cap slipped to around $15 billion from $30 billion. According to a report in TechCrunch, Snapchat invalidated the information about the offer calling it "false rumours ". Several media reports had speculated talks of a buyout before Snap went public with their IPO in March this year. The news of Google's offer to Snapchat has benefited the latter as it increased its share price to 2.3% but lately Snap had been experiencing a downfall in its share price due to the strong growth of Instagram's stories and Whatsapp clones of Snapchat. Snapchat, a multimedia mobile application, was launched in 2011 by former Stanford University students - Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy. The multimedia app is the upgraded version of Picaboo, that was launched only for iOS App Store. The founders Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy later reintroduced the app as Snapchat with enhanced features. Since then the app has undergone several technological innovations. Snapchat for Android was launched in October 2012. Snapchat has evolved from being a simple start-up with not many users to millions of daily active users worldwide. Inspired by the multimedia app, Facebook and Instagram have also added Snapchat's clones in their app. Snap has often been criticised by tech experts for the disappearance of photos, videos and text messages after they are viewed once which is Snap's main feature. Besides the messaging features, Snapchat offers the popular 'Snapchat stories', 'Memories' and stickers. Snapchat stories can be replayed for 24 hours while Memories are saved pictures that can be shared later.

Snapchat declined Google's $30 billion offer

Snapchat has&nbsp;hired engineers to prevent copying of its features. The team,&nbsp;Strong.Codes,&nbsp;specialises in protection against reverse engineering.&nbsp;

The team develops tools to hide software code.&nbsp;

Snapchat has previously experienced other social media sites mimicking its features. Instagram and Facebook introduced their &quot;story&quot; feature after they were inspired by the popular snap chat story.&nbsp;

In his first earnings conference call in May, Snapchat co-founder Evan Spiegel said, &quot;If you want to be a creative company, you have got to be comfortable with and enjoy the fact that people copy your products if you make great stuff.&quot;

&nbsp;

Snapchat has?hired engineers to prevent copying of its features. The team,?Strong.Codes,?specialises in protection against reverse engineering

Snapchat has hired engineers to prevent copying of its features. The team, Strong.Codes, specialises in protection against reverse engineering. The team develops tools to hide software code. Snapchat has previously experienced other social media sites mimicking its features. Instagram and Facebook introduced their "story" feature after they were inspired by the popular snap chat story. In his first earnings conference call in May, Snapchat co-founder Evan Spiegel said, "If you want to be a creative company, you have got to be comfortable with and enjoy the fact that people copy your products if you make great stuff."

Snachat makes copying difficult for rivals

&nbsp;A day after the Mumbai Police filed a First Information Report (FIR) against comedy collective All India Bakchod (AIB) co-founder Tanmay Bhat for posting a meme showing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi using the Snapchat dog-face-filter, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor and Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Derek O&#39; Brien posted pictures using the same filter.

Tharoor was apparently prodded by the Twitterati to defend the AIB&#39;s freedom of expression, after which the Thiruvananthapuram MP took the controversy to another level.

The Congress leader took to his Twitter to post a picture of his &#39;dog-filter&#39;ed face with the caption: &quot;Attn all trolls: I took the #DogFilter challenge! @AllIndiaBakchod.&quot;

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Attn all trolls: I took the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DogFilter?src=hash">#DogFilter</a> challenge! <a href="https://twitter.com/AllIndiaBakchod">@AllIndiaBakchod</a> <a href="https://t.co/0lmClCS7CF">pic.twitter.com/0lmClCS7CF</a>
&mdash; Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShashiTharoor/status/886236850607669248">July 15, 2017</a></blockquote>
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What a good idea . Giving it a thought. Should I ? Should I not ! Hmmm On it
&mdash; Derek O&#39;Brien (@quizderek) <a href="https://twitter.com/quizderek/status/886080309611057153">July 15, 2017</a></blockquote>
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The Mumbai Police Cyber Cell on Friday filed an FIR against Bhat for &quot;making fun of&quot;&nbsp;nation&#39;s Prime Minister Modi. Tanmay&#39;s tweet had a &#39;dog-filter&#39;ed photo of the Prime Minister with the caption #Wanderlust, adding &quot;Dog filter is lyf.&quot; [sic]

The plethora of fans of the Prime Minister took offence, and in return, the AIB&nbsp;faced their wrath.

One of the Twitterati, Reetesh Maheshwari, tagged the Mumbai Police and said that strict action should be taken against the organisation for such a &quot;disrespectful&quot;&nbsp;joke against the Prime Minister.&nbsp;

The Mumbai Police Cyber Cell on Friday filed an FIR against comedian Tanmay Bhat for 'making fun of' Indian Prime Minister Modi

A day after the Mumbai Police filed a First Information Report (FIR) against comedy collective All India Bakchod (AIB) co-founder Tanmay Bhat for posting a meme showing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi using the Snapchat dog-face-filter, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor and Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Derek O' Brien posted pictures using the same filter. Tharoor was apparently prodded by the Twitterati to defend the AIB's freedom of expression, after which the Thiruvananthapuram MP took the controversy to another level. The Congress leader took to his Twitter to post a picture of his 'dog-filter'ed face with the caption: "Attn all trolls: I took the #DogFilter challenge! @AllIndiaBakchod." Attn all trolls: I took the #DogFilter challenge! @AllIndiaBakchod pic.twitter.com/0lmClCS7CF — Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) July 15, 2017 × What a good idea . Giving it a thought. Should I ? Should I not ! Hmmm On it — Derek O'Brien (@quizderek) July 15, 2017 × The Mumbai Police Cyber Cell on Friday filed an FIR against Bhat for "making fun of" nation's Prime Minister Modi. Tanmay's tweet had a 'dog-filter'ed photo of the Prime Minister with the caption #Wanderlust, adding "Dog filter is lyf." [sic] The plethora of fans of the Prime Minister took offence, and in return, the AIB faced their wrath. One of the Twitterati, Reetesh Maheshwari, tagged the Mumbai Police and said that strict action should be taken against the organisation for such a "disrespectful" joke against the Prime Minister.

Derek O'Brien, Shashi Tharoor troll trolls with Snapchat filter after AIB controversy

&nbsp;Snapchat&#39;s new gift to its users&#39; comes in the form of a feature called &#39;Paperclips&#39;. This feature will allow you to link websites, blogs or YouTube channels to your snaps. Snapchat is finally breaking it&#39;s long-standing no links rule with this update &nbsp;This is essentially beneficial for bloggers, so they can tease their latest work through a Snapchat story.&nbsp;

Similar to insta, viewers can simply swipe up to open the linked page in Snapchat&rsquo;s internal browser. Previously only ad campaigns and Discover content could include links. Now, you just tap the Paperclip button in the Vertical Toolkit and enter your link. This will let you share an event link or funny meme on Snap.

To ensure the security of its users&#39; Snapchat added that all shared links must abide by its terms of service, community guidelines, and privacy policy. Snap will use its own automated trust and safety tools, as well as information from Google&rsquo;s Safe Browsing service, to warn users about potential phishing scams, malware or other dangerous sites. To help users avoid opening objectionable links, a preview will be shown next to the swipe-up arrow, and Snap encourages users to report inappropriate content.

The other big feature that comes with the update is the ability to add a backdrop.Essentially, Backdrop lets you cut out an object from your Snap, and put a colorful or artsy pattern behind it to make it stick out. To be fair, the cutout tool existed on Snap for a while now, but the background is what is a little borrowed. To add a backdrop, just tap the Scissors in the Vertical Toolkit, and then the Backdrop icon. Trace around the object, select one of the Backdrop designs, and you&rsquo;ll be able to give a certain part of your snap the spotlight. Similar to filters, these backdrops will rotate daily.

Snapchat has added a voice filter which is similar to the voice filter that existed with the bunny and deer filters till now. The new feature, however, is without the bunny ears augmented on your head.&nbsp;

All the features are rolling out globally on iOS and Android.

Snapchat is finally breaking it's long-standing no links rule with this update which is essentially beneficial for bloggers, so they can tease their latest work through a Snapchat story

Snapchat's new gift to its users' comes in the form of a feature called 'Paperclips'. This feature will allow you to link websites, blogs or YouTube channels to your snaps. Snapchat is finally breaking it's long-standing no links rule with this update This is essentially beneficial for bloggers, so they can tease their latest work through a Snapchat story. Similar to insta, viewers can simply swipe up to open the linked page in Snapchat’s internal browser. Previously only ad campaigns and Discover content could include links. Now, you just tap the Paperclip button in the Vertical Toolkit and enter your link. This will let you share an event link or funny meme on Snap. To ensure the security of its users' Snapchat added that all shared links must abide by its terms of service, community guidelines, and privacy policy. Snap will use its own automated trust and safety tools, as well as information from Google’s Safe Browsing service, to warn users about potential phishing scams, malware or other dangerous sites. To help users avoid opening objectionable links, a preview will be shown next to the swipe-up arrow, and Snap encourages users to report inappropriate content. The other big feature that comes with the update is the ability to add a backdrop.Essentially, Backdrop lets you cut out an object from your Snap, and put a colorful or artsy pattern behind it to make it stick out. To be fair, the cutout tool existed on Snap for a while now, but the background is what is a little borrowed. To add a backdrop, just tap the Scissors in the Vertical Toolkit, and then the Backdrop icon. Trace around the object, select one of the Backdrop designs, and you’ll be able to give a certain part of your snap the spotlight. Similar to filters, these backdrops will rotate daily. Snapchat has added a voice filter which is similar to the voice filter that existed with the bunny and deer filters till now. The new feature, however, is without the bunny ears augmented on your head. All the features are rolling out globally on iOS and Android.

Now link websites, Youtube, blogs to your Snaps

Facebook, Twitter, and Snap are seeking online rights to video highlights from Twenty-first Century Fox for next year&#39;s soccer World Cup, Bloomberg reported on Thursday.

The companies have offered tens of millions of dollars for rights to video highlights for the Russia-hosted tournament that air in the United States. Fox will retain rights to use highlights of the World Cup across its shows.

Social media companies have beefed up their focus on signing live-streaming sports deals as young audience increasingly rely on the internet to watch sports, ditching the traditional cable services.

Fox Sports said last month it partnered with Facebook to live-stream UEFA Champions League matches during the 2017-18 season.

Social media&#39;s growing interest in video, including sports, gives Fox a potential new source of revenue for the games as well as a tool to promote its coverage.

Twenty-first Century Fox, Facebook, Twitter, and Snap were not immediately available to comment outside regular US business hours.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The companies have offered tens of millions of dollars for rights to video highlights for the Russia-hosted tournament that air in the United States

Facebook, Twitter, and Snap are seeking online rights to video highlights from Twenty-first Century Fox for next year's soccer World Cup, Bloomberg reported on Thursday. The companies have offered tens of millions of dollars for rights to video highlights for the Russia-hosted tournament that air in the United States. Fox will retain rights to use highlights of the World Cup across its shows. Social media companies have beefed up their focus on signing live-streaming sports deals as young audience increasingly rely on the internet to watch sports, ditching the traditional cable services. Fox Sports said last month it partnered with Facebook to live-stream UEFA Champions League matches during the 2017-18 season. Social media's growing interest in video, including sports, gives Fox a potential new source of revenue for the games as well as a tool to promote its coverage. Twenty-first Century Fox, Facebook, Twitter, and Snap were not immediately available to comment outside regular US business hours.

Facebook, Twitter, Snap to seek soccer World Cup clips from Fox: Report

Snapchat&#39;s new gift to its users&#39; comes in the form of a feature called &#39;Paperclips&#39;. This feature will allow you to link websites, blogs or YouTube channels to your snaps. &nbsp;Snapchat is finally breaking it&#39;s long-standing no links rule with this update. This is essentially beneficial for bloggers, so they can tease their latest work through a Snapchat story.&nbsp;

Similar to instagram, viewers can simply swipe up to open the linked page in Snapchat&rsquo;s internal browser. Previously only ad campaigns and Discover content could include links. Now, you just tap the Paperclip button in the Vertical Toolkit and enter your link. This could let you share an event link or funny meme on Snap.

However, with great features come greater responsibility, and so to make sure the feature isn&rsquo;t being used for any nuisance, Snapchat added that all shared links must abide by its terms of service, community guidelines, and privacy policy. Snap will use its own automated trust and safety tools, as well as information from Google&rsquo;s Safe Browsing service, to warn users about potential phishing scams, malware or other dangerous sites. To help users avoid opening objectionable links, a preview will be shown next to the swipe-up arrow, and Snap encourages users to report inappropriate content.

Backdrop 
The other big feature that comes with the update is the ability to add a backdrop.Essentially, Backdrop lets you cut out an object from your Snap, and put a colorful or artsy pattern behind it to make it stick out. To be fair, the cutout tool existed on Snap for a while now, but the background is what is a little borrowed. To add a backdrop, just tap the Scissors in the Vertical Toolkit, and then the Backdrop icon. Trace around the object, select one of the Backdrop designs, and you&rsquo;ll be able to give a certain part of your snap the spotlight. Similar to filters, these backdrops will rotate daily.

Voice Filter 
&nbsp;Snapchat has added a voice filter which is similar to the voice filter that existed with the bunny and deer filters till now. The new feature, however, is without the bunny ears augmented on your head.&nbsp;

After you update your app, you&rsquo;ll notice that tapping the sound icon pops open four kinds of voice filters that you could add to your Snapchat videos. &nbsp; &nbsp;

&nbsp;

Snapchat is finally breaking it's long-standing no links rule with this update

Snapchat's new gift to its users' comes in the form of a feature called 'Paperclips'. This feature will allow you to link websites, blogs or YouTube channels to your snaps. Snapchat is finally breaking it's long-standing no links rule with this update. This is essentially beneficial for bloggers, so they can tease their latest work through a Snapchat story. Similar to instagram, viewers can simply swipe up to open the linked page in Snapchat’s internal browser. Previously only ad campaigns and Discover content could include links. Now, you just tap the Paperclip button in the Vertical Toolkit and enter your link. This could let you share an event link or funny meme on Snap. However, with great features come greater responsibility, and so to make sure the feature isn’t being used for any nuisance, Snapchat added that all shared links must abide by its terms of service, community guidelines, and privacy policy. Snap will use its own automated trust and safety tools, as well as information from Google’s Safe Browsing service, to warn users about potential phishing scams, malware or other dangerous sites. To help users avoid opening objectionable links, a preview will be shown next to the swipe-up arrow, and Snap encourages users to report inappropriate content. Backdrop The other big feature that comes with the update is the ability to add a backdrop.Essentially, Backdrop lets you cut out an object from your Snap, and put a colorful or artsy pattern behind it to make it stick out. To be fair, the cutout tool existed on Snap for a while now, but the background is what is a little borrowed. To add a backdrop, just tap the Scissors in the Vertical Toolkit, and then the Backdrop icon. Trace around the object, select one of the Backdrop designs, and you’ll be able to give a certain part of your snap the spotlight. Similar to filters, these backdrops will rotate daily. Voice Filter Snapchat has added a voice filter which is similar to the voice filter that existed with the bunny and deer filters till now. The new feature, however, is without the bunny ears augmented on your head. After you update your app, you’ll notice that tapping the sound icon pops open four kinds of voice filters that you could add to your Snapchat videos.

Now add add voice filter, links and backdrops to your snaps

Snapchat has come up with a new feature called Snap Map, which allows you to share you location with friends. You can simply view the map by&nbsp;pinching with two fingers to zoom out.

You can also decide if you want to share your location with friends or simple keep it to yourself - which the company refers to as the Ghost Mode.

As your friends share their location with you, an Actionmoji will appear on the Map notifying you of their whereabouts. Actionmojis only update when you open Snapchat.

According to The Verge, Snap will soon roll out the Snap Map feature to Android and iOS users of Snapchat.
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The new feature will be rolled out shortly

Snapchat has come up with a new feature called Snap Map, which allows you to share you location with friends. You can simply view the map by pinching with two fingers to zoom out. You can also decide if you want to share your location with friends or simple keep it to yourself - which the company refers to as the Ghost Mode. As your friends share their location with you, an Actionmoji will appear on the Map notifying you of their whereabouts. Actionmojis only update when you open Snapchat. According to The Verge, Snap will soon roll out the Snap Map feature to Android and iOS users of Snapchat.

Snap Map: Snapchat introduces new feature to let you share your location with friends

Time Warner&nbsp;and Snap&nbsp;entered into an agreement to develop original shows for messaging service Snapchat over the next two years.

Though the companies did not disclose any financial terms, a source said the deal was valued at $100 million.

The media company&#39;s HBO, Turner, and Warner Bros units will advertise on Snapchat as they try to grab the attention of millennials, who are increasingly moving to mobile and online from traditional TV.&nbsp;

Time Warner said it expects to air three shows per day by the end of this year. Snapchat currently airs one show per day for its users, which lasts for three to five minutes.

Snap has been working with media companies and studios such as NBC, ESPN, BBC, and Discovery Networks.

&quot;We&#39;re confident this partnership will help drive larger audiences to our shows,&quot; said Gary Ginsberg, Time Warner&#39;s marketing and communications head.

Time Warner says it expects to air three shows per day by the end of this year

Time Warner and Snap entered into an agreement to develop original shows for messaging service Snapchat over the next two years. Though the companies did not disclose any financial terms, a source said the deal was valued at $100 million. The media company's HBO, Turner, and Warner Bros units will advertise on Snapchat as they try to grab the attention of millennials, who are increasingly moving to mobile and online from traditional TV. Time Warner said it expects to air three shows per day by the end of this year. Snapchat currently airs one show per day for its users, which lasts for three to five minutes. Snap has been working with media companies and studios such as NBC, ESPN, BBC, and Discovery Networks. "We're confident this partnership will help drive larger audiences to our shows," said Gary Ginsberg, Time Warner's marketing and communications head.

Time Warner to create shows for Snapchat

Snap&nbsp;shares plunged on Wednesday after the owner of Snapchat reported slowing user growth and revenue in its first earnings report as a public company. It missed&nbsp;some Wall Street estimates as it competes with copycat messaging apps.

Shares tumbled 23 per cent in after-hours trading to wipe some $6 billion from Snap&#39;s market value, a reversal for the company after a red-hot March initial public offering that was the biggest for a US&nbsp;tech company since Facebook&#39;s 2012 debut.

The stock fell to $17.66, just above its IPO price of $17.

&quot;Some investors were hoping Snap would surprise them with big numbers in its first quarterly report&quot;, BTIG analyst Richard Greenfield said.

He added, &quot;The fact that they failed to live up to expectations, let alone exceed them, disappointed people.&quot;

The performance echoed slides in Facebook and Twitter after they posted debut scorecards following their IPOs. Twitter shares cratered 24 per cent the next day, while Facebook&#39;s tumbled 11 per cent, still the biggest-ever one-day losses for both.

Snap Chief Executive Evan Spiegel sought to reassure investors during an earnings call, fielding a dozen questions that ranged from strategy to how it would deal with competitors.

He also did not shy away from one query that allowed him to take a feisty jab at Facebook.

&quot;If you want to be a creative company, you&#39;ve got to get comfortable with and enjoy the fact that people are going to copy your product if you make great stuff,&quot; Spiegel&nbsp;said.

Making a comparison to the search industry, Spiegel added: &quot;Just because Yahoo has a search box doesn&#39;t mean they&#39;re Google.&quot;

Snap said its daily active users (DAUs) rose 36.1 per cent to 166 million in the first quarter from a year earlier, marking a slowdown from the 47.7 per cent rise for the fourth quarter and 62.8 percent jump for the third quarter that the company reported in its IPO filing.

The slowing rate of growth was in line with an estimate from JPMorgan, which accurately expected 166 million DAUs for the first quarter. Monness, Crespi, Hardt &amp; Co Inc had pegged them even higher at 173 million.

Snap&#39;s March IPO priced above the company&#39;s target range as investors put aside concerns about&nbsp;lack of profits and voting rights to get a piece of the action. The IPO raised $3.4 billion and gave the company a market valuation of roughly $24 billion, and shares surged 44 per cent in their first day of trading.

Facebook, which made a $3 billion bid for Snapchat in 2013, has upped the ante by offering camera-related features similar to Snap on its platforms, including Instagram and WhatsApp. The company said in April that Instagram Stories alone had reached 200 million daily active users.

Snapchat&#39;s growth was faster than Facebook, however, which said its overall daily user base grew 18 per cent year-over-year in the first quarter, as well as Twitter, which reported growth of 14 per cent in DAUs from a year earlier.

Revenue disappointment

Like many other Silicon Valley businesses, Snap is closely tied to its young founders.

Spiegel, who received a stock-based bonus worth nearly $600 million for taking the company public, is 26, and co-founder and Chief Technology Officer Bobby Murphy is 28. The company, though, has brought on others with more experience, including Chairman Michael Lynton, former chief executive of Sony Corp&#39;s movie and music businesses. A lot is riding on Spiegel to build products that delight people, said analyst Greenfield. &quot;The future of Snapchat is on Evan Spiegel and his team to out-innovate everyone else. Time will tell whether that&#39;s possible,&quot; he added.

Snap&#39;s revenue jumped nearly four-fold year over year to $149.6 million but fell short of the average analyst forecast of $158 million, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. Revenue was also down from the fourth quarter of 2016, a seasonally stronger period for ad sales, when it was $166 million.

Revenue was &quot;a relatively disappointing number,&quot; Pivotal Research analyst Brian Wieser said. &quot;To their credit,&quot; he added, &quot;they did guide towards a number that would be lower, which it was.&quot; Average revenue per user was 90 cents in the first quarter, Snap said, up from 33 cents the same quarter a year earlier but below the $1.05 per user in the fourth quarter of 2016.

Snap&#39;s net loss widened to $2.21 billion, or $2.31 per share, in the first quarter, from $104.6 million, or 14 cents per share, due to stock-based compensation related to the IPO.

Although the figure of $2 billion in total stock-based compensation was known ahead of time, investors were surprised to see all of it show up in a single quarter rather than spread out over time, said Eric Kim, managing partner at Goodwater Capital. &quot;It is an eye-popping number for sure,&quot; he said.

Snapchat launched in 2012 as a mobile app that allows users to send photos, known as snaps, that vanishes within seconds. The company rebranded as Snap Inc last year, and moved into the hardware space with Spectacles, its colorful sunglasses that record short videos to post on Snapchat.

Users created more than 3 billion snaps daily on average during the first quarter, up from more than 2.5 billion during the third quarter of 2016, the company said. Snap receives some revenue from branded or sponsored filters and lenses, but depends on advertising dollars for the bulk of its overall revenue.

Digital marketing firm eMarketer in March had trimmed its 2017 US&nbsp;advertising revenue forecast for Snap by $30 million to $770 million, citing higher-than-expected revenue sharing with the company&#39;s partners.

The total US&nbsp;digital advertising market is meanwhile expected to reach $83 billion, according to eMarketer, up nearly 16 per cent from last year.

(Reuters)

A reversal for the company after a red-hot March initial public offering that was one of the biggest for a US?tech company

Snap shares plunged on Wednesday after the owner of Snapchat reported slowing user growth and revenue in its first earnings report as a public company. It missed some Wall Street estimates as it competes with copycat messaging apps. Shares tumbled 23 per cent in after-hours trading to wipe some $6 billion from Snap's market value, a reversal for the company after a red-hot March initial public offering that was the biggest for a US tech company since Facebook's 2012 debut. The stock fell to $17.66, just above its IPO price of $17. "Some investors were hoping Snap would surprise them with big numbers in its first quarterly report", BTIG analyst Richard Greenfield said. He added, "The fact that they failed to live up to expectations, let alone exceed them, disappointed people." The performance echoed slides in Facebook and Twitter after they posted debut scorecards following their IPOs. Twitter shares cratered 24 per cent the next day, while Facebook's tumbled 11 per cent, still the biggest-ever one-day losses for both. Snap Chief Executive Evan Spiegel sought to reassure investors during an earnings call, fielding a dozen questions that ranged from strategy to how it would deal with competitors. He also did not shy away from one query that allowed him to take a feisty jab at Facebook. "If you want to be a creative company, you've got to get comfortable with and enjoy the fact that people are going to copy your product if you make great stuff," Spiegel said. Making a comparison to the search industry, Spiegel added: "Just because Yahoo has a search box doesn't mean they're Google." Snap said its daily active users (DAUs) rose 36.1 per cent to 166 million in the first quarter from a year earlier, marking a slowdown from the 47.7 per cent rise for the fourth quarter and 62.8 percent jump for the third quarter that the company reported in its IPO filing. The slowing rate of growth was in line with an estimate from JPMorgan, which accurately expected 166 million DAUs for the first quarter. Monness, Crespi, Hardt & Co Inc had pegged them even higher at 173 million. Snap's March IPO priced above the company's target range as investors put aside concerns about lack of profits and voting rights to get a piece of the action. The IPO raised $3.4 billion and gave the company a market valuation of roughly $24 billion, and shares surged 44 per cent in their first day of trading. Facebook, which made a $3 billion bid for Snapchat in 2013, has upped the ante by offering camera-related features similar to Snap on its platforms, including Instagram and WhatsApp. The company said in April that Instagram Stories alone had reached 200 million daily active users. Snapchat's growth was faster than Facebook, however, which said its overall daily user base grew 18 per cent year-over-year in the first quarter, as well as Twitter, which reported growth of 14 per cent in DAUs from a year earlier. Revenue disappointment Like many other Silicon Valley businesses, Snap is closely tied to its young founders. Spiegel, who received a stock-based bonus worth nearly $600 million for taking the company public, is 26, and co-founder and Chief Technology Officer Bobby Murphy is 28. The company, though, has brought on others with more experience, including Chairman Michael Lynton, former chief executive of Sony Corp's movie and music businesses. A lot is riding on Spiegel to build products that delight people, said analyst Greenfield. "The future of Snapchat is on Evan Spiegel and his team to out-innovate everyone else. Time will tell whether that's possible," he added. Snap's revenue jumped nearly four-fold year over year to $149.6 million but fell short of the average analyst forecast of $158 million, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. Revenue was also down from the fourth quarter of 2016, a seasonally stronger period for ad sales, when it was $166 million. Revenue was "a relatively disappointing number," Pivotal Research analyst Brian Wieser said. "To their credit," he added, "they did guide towards a number that would be lower, which it was." Average revenue per user was 90 cents in the first quarter, Snap said, up from 33 cents the same quarter a year earlier but below the $1.05 per user in the fourth quarter of 2016. Snap's net loss widened to $2.21 billion, or $2.31 per share, in the first quarter, from $104.6 million, or 14 cents per share, due to stock-based compensation related to the IPO. Although the figure of $2 billion in total stock-based compensation was known ahead of time, investors were surprised to see all of it show up in a single quarter rather than spread out over time, said Eric Kim, managing partner at Goodwater Capital. "It is an eye-popping number for sure," he said. Snapchat launched in 2012 as a mobile app that allows users to send photos, known as snaps, that vanishes within seconds. The company rebranded as Snap Inc last year, and moved into the hardware space with Spectacles, its colorful sunglasses that record short videos to post on Snapchat. Users created more than 3 billion snaps daily on average during the first quarter, up from more than 2.5 billion during the third quarter of 2016, the company said. Snap receives some revenue from branded or sponsored filters and lenses, but depends on advertising dollars for the bulk of its overall revenue. Digital marketing firm eMarketer in March had trimmed its 2017 US advertising revenue forecast for Snap by $30 million to $770 million, citing higher-than-expected revenue sharing with the company's partners. The total US digital advertising market is meanwhile expected to reach $83 billion, according to eMarketer, up nearly 16 per cent from last year. (Reuters)

Snap shares plummet as investors mark down first earnings report

Snap Inc shares plunged on Wednesday after the Snapchat parent reported slowing user growth and revenue that missed analyst estimates amid stiff competition from copycat messaging apps.

Shares tumbled nearly 24 per cent in after-hours trading to $17.58, wiping some $5 billion from Snap&#39;s market capitalisation in the latest reversal after a red-hot March initial public offering, which was the biggest for a US tech company since Facebook Inc&nbsp;in 2012.

That performance echoed slides in Facebook and Twitter after they posted debut scorecards following their IPOs. Twitter shares cratered 24 per cent the next day, while Facebook&#39;s tumbled 11 per cent, still the biggest-ever one-day losses for both.

Snap said its daily active users (DAUs) rose 36.1 per cent to 166 million in the first quarter from a year earlier, marking a slowdown from the 47.7 per cent rise for the fourth quarter and 62.8 per cent jump for the third quarter that the company reported in its IPO filing.

J&nbsp;P&nbsp;Morgan had expected Snap&#39;s DAUs to hit 169 million in the first quarter, while Monness, Crespi, Hardt &amp; Co Inc pegged them even higher at 173 million.

Snap&#39;s March IPO priced above the company&#39;s target range as investors put aside concerns about a lack of profits and voting rights to get a piece of the action. The IPO raised $3.4 billion and gave the company a market valuation of roughly $24 billion, and shares surged 44 per cent in their first day of trading.

Facebook, which made a $3 billion bid for Snapchat in 2013, has upped the ante by offering camera-related features similar to Snap on its platforms, including Instagram and WhatsApp. The company said in April that Instagram Stories alone had reached 200 million daily active users.

Snap Chief executive Evan Spiegel, who received a stock-based bonus worth nearly $600 million for taking the company public, shrugged off imitations when asked about Facebook by an analyst on a conference call to discuss earnings.

&quot;If you want to be a creative company, you&#39;ve got to get comfortable with and enjoy the fact that people are going to copy your product if you make great stuff,&quot; he said.

Making a comparison to the search industry, Spiegel added: &quot;Just because Yahoo has a search box doesn&#39;t mean they&#39;re Google.&quot;

Snapchat&#39;s growth was faster than Facebook, however, which said its overall daily user base grew 18 per cent year-over-year in the first quarter, as well as Twitter, which reported growth of 14 per cent in daily active users from a year earlier.

Revenue disappointment

Snap&#39;s revenue jumped nearly four-fold year-over-year to $149.6 million but fell short of the average analyst forecast of $158 million, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. Revenue was also down from the fourth quarter of 2016, a seasonally stronger period for ad sales, when it was $166 million.

Revenue was &quot;a relatively disappointing number,&quot; Pivotal Research analyst Brian Wieser said. &quot;To their credit,&quot; he said, &quot;they did guide towards a number that would be lower, which it was.&quot;

Average revenue per user was 90 cents in the first quarter, Snap said, up from 33 cents the same quarter a year earlier but below the $1.05 per user in the fourth quarter of 2016.

Snap&#39;s net loss widened to $2.21 billion, or $2.31 per share, in the first quarter, from $104.6 million, or 14 cents per share, due to stock-based compensation related to the IPO.

Snapchat launched in 2012 as a mobile app that allows users to send photos, known as snaps, that vanish within seconds. The company rebranded as Snap Inc last year, and moved into the hardware space with Spectacles, its colourful sunglasses that record short videos to post on Snapchat.

Users created more than 3 billion snaps daily on average during the first quarter, up from more than 2.5 billion during the third quarter of 2016, the company said.

Snap receives some revenue from branded or sponsored filters and lenses, but depends on advertising dollars for the bulk of its overall revenue.

Digital marketing firm eMarketer in March had trimmed its 2017 US advertising revenue forecast for Snap by $30 million to $770 million, citing higher-than-expected revenue sharing with the company&#39;s partners.

The total US digital advertising market is meanwhile expected to reach $83 billion, according to eMarketer, up nearly 16 per cent from last year.

(Reuters)

&nbsp;

Snap's net loss widened to $2.21 billion, or $2.31 per share, in the first quarter, from $104.6 million, or 14 cents per share, due to stock-based compensation related to the IPO.

Snap Inc shares plunged on Wednesday after the Snapchat parent reported slowing user growth and revenue that missed analyst estimates amid stiff competition from copycat messaging apps. Shares tumbled nearly 24 per cent in after-hours trading to $17.58, wiping some $5 billion from Snap's market capitalisation in the latest reversal after a red-hot March initial public offering, which was the biggest for a US tech company since Facebook Inc in 2012. That performance echoed slides in Facebook and Twitter after they posted debut scorecards following their IPOs. Twitter shares cratered 24 per cent the next day, while Facebook's tumbled 11 per cent, still the biggest-ever one-day losses for both. Snap said its daily active users (DAUs) rose 36.1 per cent to 166 million in the first quarter from a year earlier, marking a slowdown from the 47.7 per cent rise for the fourth quarter and 62.8 per cent jump for the third quarter that the company reported in its IPO filing. J P Morgan had expected Snap's DAUs to hit 169 million in the first quarter, while Monness, Crespi, Hardt & Co Inc pegged them even higher at 173 million. Snap's March IPO priced above the company's target range as investors put aside concerns about a lack of profits and voting rights to get a piece of the action. The IPO raised $3.4 billion and gave the company a market valuation of roughly $24 billion, and shares surged 44 per cent in their first day of trading. Facebook, which made a $3 billion bid for Snapchat in 2013, has upped the ante by offering camera-related features similar to Snap on its platforms, including Instagram and WhatsApp. The company said in April that Instagram Stories alone had reached 200 million daily active users. Snap Chief executive Evan Spiegel, who received a stock-based bonus worth nearly $600 million for taking the company public, shrugged off imitations when asked about Facebook by an analyst on a conference call to discuss earnings. "If you want to be a creative company, you've got to get comfortable with and enjoy the fact that people are going to copy your product if you make great stuff," he said. Making a comparison to the search industry, Spiegel added: "Just because Yahoo has a search box doesn't mean they're Google." Snapchat's growth was faster than Facebook, however, which said its overall daily user base grew 18 per cent year-over-year in the first quarter, as well as Twitter, which reported growth of 14 per cent in daily active users from a year earlier. Revenue disappointment Snap's revenue jumped nearly four-fold year-over-year to $149.6 million but fell short of the average analyst forecast of $158 million, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. Revenue was also down from the fourth quarter of 2016, a seasonally stronger period for ad sales, when it was $166 million. Revenue was "a relatively disappointing number," Pivotal Research analyst Brian Wieser said. "To their credit," he said, "they did guide towards a number that would be lower, which it was." Average revenue per user was 90 cents in the first quarter, Snap said, up from 33 cents the same quarter a year earlier but below the $1.05 per user in the fourth quarter of 2016. Snap's net loss widened to $2.21 billion, or $2.31 per share, in the first quarter, from $104.6 million, or 14 cents per share, due to stock-based compensation related to the IPO. Snapchat launched in 2012 as a mobile app that allows users to send photos, known as snaps, that vanish within seconds. The company rebranded as Snap Inc last year, and moved into the hardware space with Spectacles, its colourful sunglasses that record short videos to post on Snapchat. Users created more than 3 billion snaps daily on average during the first quarter, up from more than 2.5 billion during the third quarter of 2016, the company said. Snap receives some revenue from branded or sponsored filters and lenses, but depends on advertising dollars for the bulk of its overall revenue. Digital marketing firm eMarketer in March had trimmed its 2017 US advertising revenue forecast for Snap by $30 million to $770 million, citing higher-than-expected revenue sharing with the company's partners. The total US digital advertising market is meanwhile expected to reach $83 billion, according to eMarketer, up nearly 16 per cent from last year. (Reuters)

Snap shares plummet after growth disappoints investors

Shares of Snapchat-owner Snap fell 1.2 per cent on Thursday after rival Instagram, owned by Facebook, said more than 200 million people a day use its Stories feature, which competes against Snapchat.

Snapchat had 161 million daily active users at the end of last year, ahead of Snap&#39;s March initial public offer, which was the largest by a technology firm in three years despite decelerating user growth.

Instagram Stories&#39; daily active users announced on Thursday amount to an increase of 33 per cent from the 150 million daily active users it had in January.

The Instagram feature, which launched last year, lets users and businesses post a string of photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours, similar to Snapchat.

Facebook last month introduced an update to allow users to tweak photos on their smartphones with visual details like a rainbow or a beard of glitter, also similar to Snapchat.

Snap surged in its public listing but has struggled since then.

The stock on Thursday fell 23 cents to trade at $19.99. It is down 26 per cent from a record high close on March 3, but remains up 17 per cent from its $17 per share IPO price.

The company on May 10 will announce its quarterly results for the first time as a publicly listed company and is expected on average to have lost $193 million, according to Thomson Reuters data. Snap has warned it may never become profitable.

(Reuters)

&nbsp;

Instagram says more than 200 million people a day use its Stories feature, which competes against Snapchat

Shares of Snapchat-owner Snap fell 1.2 per cent on Thursday after rival Instagram, owned by Facebook, said more than 200 million people a day use its Stories feature, which competes against Snapchat. Snapchat had 161 million daily active users at the end of last year, ahead of Snap's March initial public offer, which was the largest by a technology firm in three years despite decelerating user growth. Instagram Stories' daily active users announced on Thursday amount to an increase of 33 per cent from the 150 million daily active users it had in January. The Instagram feature, which launched last year, lets users and businesses post a string of photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours, similar to Snapchat. Facebook last month introduced an update to allow users to tweak photos on their smartphones with visual details like a rainbow or a beard of glitter, also similar to Snapchat. Snap surged in its public listing but has struggled since then. The stock on Thursday fell 23 cents to trade at $19.99. It is down 26 per cent from a record high close on March 3, but remains up 17 per cent from its $17 per share IPO price. The company on May 10 will announce its quarterly results for the first time as a publicly listed company and is expected on average to have lost $193 million, according to Thomson Reuters data. Snap has warned it may never become profitable. (Reuters)

Instagram?s Snapchat clone more popular than Snapchat itself

Facebook is giving the camera a central place on its smartphone app for the first time, encouraging users to take more pictures and edit them with digital stickers that show the influence of rival Snapchat.

The new update will also Facebook users to get to the app&#39;s camera with one swipe of their finger and then add visual details like a rainbow or a beard of glitter.

&ldquo;You can tap on the camera icon on the top left corner of the Facebook app or swipe right from News Feed to try out the new in-app camera. The Facebook camera is packed with dozens of effects like masks, frames and interactive filters that you can apply to your photos and videos,&rdquo; explains Facebook.

Users will be able to share a picture privately with a friend, rather than to all of their friends, and add a picture to a gallery known as &quot;Facebook Stories,&quot; similar to a feature on the Snapchat app. Other people can view photos or videos shared as stories for 24 hours. The stories won&rsquo;t appear on Timeline or in News Feed unless they are posted them there, too. It works similar to Instagram&rsquo;s ephemeral slideshow on top of the app.

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The company is rolling out the new update for both iOS and Android.

Snapchat popularised sharing of digitally decorated photographs on social media, especially among teenagers, and exposed a weakness of Facebook as the companies battle for eyeballs and leisure time.

Snap has recently emphasised its ambitions to build gadgets and has called itself a camera company rather than a social media network. Some analysts have warned that Snap is susceptible to competition from Facebook.

Facebook, which with 1.86 billion users is the industry leader, denies it took its camera ideas from Snapchat and says it got them from its own users. &quot;Our goal here is to give people more to do on Facebook, and that&#39;s really been the main inspiration,&quot; Connor Hayes, a Facebook product manager, said in a briefing with reporters.

In a glimpse of how the features could tie in with other businesses, one of the first camera effects will be the ability to morph someone in a photograph into a yellow, cartoon &quot;Minion.&quot; The latest Minion movie, &quot;Despicable Me 3,&quot; is due out in a few months from Comcast Corp&#39;s NBC Universal.

Facebook has deals to license content from six film studios, as well as from two artists, said design director Kristen Spilman.

Another visual effect allows someone in a picture to &quot;become a laser cat with super powers,&quot; Spilman said. The effects will vary by location. Spilman said that when Facebook tested the ability to add the phrase &quot;LOL,&quot; the acronym for &quot;laugh out loud,&quot; users in Ireland did not know what it meant.

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

Facebook rolls out a new camera with effects and two additional ways to share photos and videos

Facebook is giving the camera a central place on its smartphone app for the first time, encouraging users to take more pictures and edit them with digital stickers that show the influence of rival Snapchat. The new update will also Facebook users to get to the app's camera with one swipe of their finger and then add visual details like a rainbow or a beard of glitter. “You can tap on the camera icon on the top left corner of the Facebook app or swipe right from News Feed to try out the new in-app camera. The Facebook camera is packed with dozens of effects like masks, frames and interactive filters that you can apply to your photos and videos,” explains Facebook. Users will be able to share a picture privately with a friend, rather than to all of their friends, and add a picture to a gallery known as "Facebook Stories," similar to a feature on the Snapchat app. Other people can view photos or videos shared as stories for 24 hours. The stories won’t appear on Timeline or in News Feed unless they are posted them there, too. It works similar to Instagram’s ephemeral slideshow on top of the app. The company is rolling out the new update for both iOS and Android. Snapchat popularised sharing of digitally decorated photographs on social media, especially among teenagers, and exposed a weakness of Facebook as the companies battle for eyeballs and leisure time. Snap has recently emphasised its ambitions to build gadgets and has called itself a camera company rather than a social media network. Some analysts have warned that Snap is susceptible to competition from Facebook. Facebook, which with 1.86 billion users is the industry leader, denies it took its camera ideas from Snapchat and says it got them from its own users. "Our goal here is to give people more to do on Facebook, and that's really been the main inspiration," Connor Hayes, a Facebook product manager, said in a briefing with reporters. In a glimpse of how the features could tie in with other businesses, one of the first camera effects will be the ability to morph someone in a photograph into a yellow, cartoon "Minion." The latest Minion movie, "Despicable Me 3," is due out in a few months from Comcast Corp's NBC Universal. Facebook has deals to license content from six film studios, as well as from two artists, said design director Kristen Spilman. Another visual effect allows someone in a picture to "become a laser cat with super powers," Spilman said. The effects will vary by location. Spilman said that when Facebook tested the ability to add the phrase "LOL," the acronym for "laugh out loud," users in Ireland did not know what it meant. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Facebook takes a page from Snapchat, yet again

Snap shares tumbled below $20 on Thursday for the first time since the company&rsquo;s $3.4 billion public listing after the Snapchat owner received another &quot;sell&quot; rating from an analyst.

The social media company this month pulled off the hottest technology offering in three years, but after two days of explosive gains its stock has steadily retreated from a peak of more than $29 as investors worry about Snap&rsquo;s high valuation and lack of profitability.

Snap was down 4 per cent at $19.92 in afternoon trade. MoffettNathanson analyst Michael Nathanson on Thursday launched coverage of Snap with a &quot;sell&quot; rating, warning in a note that &quot;the market has priced SNAP for perfection.&quot;

Others on Wall Street have flagged Snap&rsquo;s slowing user growth, widening losses and lack of voting rights for outside investors. Snap has warned it may never be profitable.

Including Nathanson, six analysts recommend selling shares of Snap, while three have neutral ratings and none recommend buying, according to Thomson Reuters data.

The stock remains up 17 per cent from its $17 IPO price set on March 1. 
 
(Reuters)

The social media company this month pulled off the hottest technology offering in three years

Snap shares tumbled below $20 on Thursday for the first time since the company’s $3.4 billion public listing after the Snapchat owner received another "sell" rating from an analyst. The social media company this month pulled off the hottest technology offering in three years, but after two days of explosive gains its stock has steadily retreated from a peak of more than $29 as investors worry about Snap’s high valuation and lack of profitability. Snap was down 4 per cent at $19.92 in afternoon trade. MoffettNathanson analyst Michael Nathanson on Thursday launched coverage of Snap with a "sell" rating, warning in a note that "the market has priced SNAP for perfection." Others on Wall Street have flagged Snap’s slowing user growth, widening losses and lack of voting rights for outside investors. Snap has warned it may never be profitable. Including Nathanson, six analysts recommend selling shares of Snap, while three have neutral ratings and none recommend buying, according to Thomson Reuters data. The stock remains up 17 per cent from its $17 IPO price set on March 1. (Reuters)

Snap shares drop 4 per cent, fall below $20 for the first time

Taking a leaf out of Snapchat, Facebook has introduced a new feature in the Messenger app that lets users share ephemeral photos and videos. Called Messenger Day, the new feature in Messenger works in a similar way as Snapchat Stories. Photos and videos that you add to your Messenger Day disappear after 24 hours.

&ldquo;You&rsquo;re always in control of who can see your Day - share it with everyone, or choose specific friends and family members on Messenger. Since everything you add disappears after 24 hours, feel free to add as often as you want,&rdquo; says Facebook in a post.
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Facebook has started to roll out the new feature for both Android and iOS. But before you start to use the Messenger Day feature, here&rsquo;s a step-by-step guide to how it works:

1. Update your Messenger app so you have the latest version on your phone.

2. Open Messenger, and tap on the camera highlighted with a sun. Doing so drops you right into the full-screen camera. Or, tap the &quot;Add to your day&quot; button&nbsp;at the top of your inbox to get started. 
 
3. Now you can snap a quick selfie or take a photo or video of what&rsquo;s around you. 
 
4. To add art and effects, tap the smiley face icon in the top right and then tap to add to your photo or video. You can also add text over your images by tapping the &quot;Aa&quot; icon, and you can overlay a drawing by tapping the squiggly line in the top right corner. 
 
5. Once you have your photo or video the way you want it, tap the arrow in the bottom right corner. You can then add directly to your day, save it to your phone&rsquo;s camera roll, and/or you can choose to send it to a specific person or group of people. The photo or video that you add to your day will be viewable for 24 hours.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/2-fb-messenger-day-20170310073937.jpeg" />
<div class="media-description">
In Messenger Day, you can choose to send your photo or video to a specific person or group of people. (Others)
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

(WION)

&nbsp;

Facebook's new Messenger Day feature is available for both Android and iOS

Taking a leaf out of Snapchat, Facebook has introduced a new feature in the Messenger app that lets users share ephemeral photos and videos. Called Messenger Day, the new feature in Messenger works in a similar way as Snapchat Stories. Photos and videos that you add to your Messenger Day disappear after 24 hours. “You’re always in control of who can see your Day - share it with everyone, or choose specific friends and family members on Messenger. Since everything you add disappears after 24 hours, feel free to add as often as you want,” says Facebook in a post. Facebook has started to roll out the new feature for both Android and iOS. But before you start to use the Messenger Day feature, here’s a step-by-step guide to how it works: 1. Update your Messenger app so you have the latest version on your phone. 2. Open Messenger, and tap on the camera highlighted with a sun. Doing so drops you right into the full-screen camera. Or, tap the "Add to your day" button at the top of your inbox to get started. 3. Now you can snap a quick selfie or take a photo or video of what’s around you. 4. To add art and effects, tap the smiley face icon in the top right and then tap to add to your photo or video. You can also add text over your images by tapping the "Aa" icon, and you can overlay a drawing by tapping the squiggly line in the top right corner. 5. Once you have your photo or video the way you want it, tap the arrow in the bottom right corner. You can then add directly to your day, save it to your phone’s camera roll, and/or you can choose to send it to a specific person or group of people. The photo or video that you add to your day will be viewable for 24 hours. In Messenger Day, you can choose to send your photo or video to a specific person or group of people. (Others) × (WION)

After Instagram and WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger gets Snapchat-like Stories feature

Snapchat owner Snap rode a wave of euphoria in its Wall Street debut as investors sent shares of the popular messaging app soaring.

Snap jumped 44 per cent to close at $24.48 in its inaugural trading day, after raising $3.4 billion in the richest US tech company listing since Facebook in 2012. That makes it the biggest US technology IPO since Alibaba Group Holding in 2014, despite the fact that Snap has never made a profit.

The California startup known for its disappearing photo messages priced its offering Wednesday at $17 to give it a market value of $24 billion. The strong debut lifted its value to $28 billion, or more than double that of social media rival Twitter, which went public in 2013.

Analysts have offered mixed views on the future of Snap, debating whether it can mimic the success of Facebook or end up in the tech junkyard.

Debra Williamson of the research firm eMarketer said Snapchat inspires the same kind excitement as Facebook in its early stages. &quot;This is a company that is fundamentally changing communication,&quot; she said.

&quot;This makes Snapchat as exciting a property as Facebook when it launched. And it has a lock on the youth market which is critically important for new technologies.&quot;

Snapchat has more than 158 million daily active users creating 2.5 billion &quot;snaps&quot; a day in 20 different languages. It expects $936 million in revenues in 2017,&nbsp;and has partnerships with major brands and publishers.

While most of its users are under 30, it has been gaining traction with older smartphone users as it expands its offerings of content from its media partners.

Some analysts are skeptical about Snap, however, pointing to the example of Twitter, which has seen only modest increases in its user base since its 2013 IPO, and now trades well below its offering price.

It remains unclear if Snap can expand beyond its core base of young users or how it will fare in many international markets in a competitive social media landscape.

Value questions

Brian Wieser at Pivotal Research Group said Snap is massively overvalued, and set a target price of $10 for the shares - 40 per cent below the offering price.

&quot;Snap is a promising early stage company with significant opportunity ahead of itself,&quot; Wieser said in a research note. 
&quot;Unfortunately, it is significantly overvalued given the likely scale of its long-term opportunity and the risks associated with executing against that opportunity.&quot;

Wieser said Snap has &quot;an innovative, large-scale, and distinctively young-skewing platform which is establishing itself as a magnet for business unit talent and content partners alike&quot; but its prospects are still unproven.

And it is not clear if Snapchat&#39;s founders have what it takes to grow into a major force, he cautioned.

&quot;Investors will also be exposed to what appears to be a sub-optimal corporate structure operated by a senior management team lacking experience transforming a successful new product into a successful company.&quot;

One issue raised by analysts is that the IPO will give new investors non-voting stock, allowing co-founders Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy unusual control over the company.

Anil Dash, a tech industry entrepreneur who blogs about the industry, said the share structure is worrisome. &quot;It is absolutely not fine that $SNAP has floated non-voting shares. That will end in pure folly,&quot; Dash tweeted.

Snap also has departed from tech sector tradition by operating without a campus, with its employees scattered in various locations around its Southern California base.

Global Research Equities analyst Trip Chowdhry warned that Snap&#39;s valuation was far too optimistic. 
&quot;Snap is a great company at the valuation of $500 million,&quot; Chowdhry said. &quot;It is a total disaster at anything beyond that.&quot;

But, &quot;in 1.5 years, you will get a better entry point - let all the hot air go out, let the private investors cash out, let&#39;s see how the industry evolves.&quot;

(AFP)

Snap jumped 44 per cent to close at $24.48 in its inaugural trading day

Snapchat owner Snap rode a wave of euphoria in its Wall Street debut as investors sent shares of the popular messaging app soaring. Snap jumped 44 per cent to close at $24.48 in its inaugural trading day, after raising $3.4 billion in the richest US tech company listing since Facebook in 2012. That makes it the biggest US technology IPO since Alibaba Group Holding in 2014, despite the fact that Snap has never made a profit. The California startup known for its disappearing photo messages priced its offering Wednesday at $17 to give it a market value of $24 billion. The strong debut lifted its value to $28 billion, or more than double that of social media rival Twitter, which went public in 2013. Analysts have offered mixed views on the future of Snap, debating whether it can mimic the success of Facebook or end up in the tech junkyard. Debra Williamson of the research firm eMarketer said Snapchat inspires the same kind excitement as Facebook in its early stages. "This is a company that is fundamentally changing communication," she said. "This makes Snapchat as exciting a property as Facebook when it launched. And it has a lock on the youth market which is critically important for new technologies." Snapchat has more than 158 million daily active users creating 2.5 billion "snaps" a day in 20 different languages. It expects $936 million in revenues in 2017, and has partnerships with major brands and publishers. While most of its users are under 30, it has been gaining traction with older smartphone users as it expands its offerings of content from its media partners. Some analysts are skeptical about Snap, however, pointing to the example of Twitter, which has seen only modest increases in its user base since its 2013 IPO, and now trades well below its offering price. It remains unclear if Snap can expand beyond its core base of young users or how it will fare in many international markets in a competitive social media landscape. Value questions Brian Wieser at Pivotal Research Group said Snap is massively overvalued, and set a target price of $10 for the shares - 40 per cent below the offering price. "Snap is a promising early stage company with significant opportunity ahead of itself," Wieser said in a research note. "Unfortunately, it is significantly overvalued given the likely scale of its long-term opportunity and the risks associated with executing against that opportunity." Wieser said Snap has "an innovative, large-scale, and distinctively young-skewing platform which is establishing itself as a magnet for business unit talent and content partners alike" but its prospects are still unproven. And it is not clear if Snapchat's founders have what it takes to grow into a major force, he cautioned. "Investors will also be exposed to what appears to be a sub-optimal corporate structure operated by a senior management team lacking experience transforming a successful new product into a successful company." One issue raised by analysts is that the IPO will give new investors non-voting stock, allowing co-founders Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy unusual control over the company. Anil Dash, a tech industry entrepreneur who blogs about the industry, said the share structure is worrisome. "It is absolutely not fine that $SNAP has floated non-voting shares. That will end in pure folly," Dash tweeted. Snap also has departed from tech sector tradition by operating without a campus, with its employees scattered in various locations around its Southern California base. Global Research Equities analyst Trip Chowdhry warned that Snap's valuation was far too optimistic. "Snap is a great company at the valuation of $500 million," Chowdhry said. "It is a total disaster at anything beyond that." But, "in 1.5 years, you will get a better entry point - let all the hot air go out, let the private investors cash out, let's see how the industry evolves." (AFP)

Snap makes IPO debut: Everything you should know about it

WhatsApp has added a set of new functionalities to its basic text-only Status feature. The new WhatsApp Status feature is similar to Snapchat and Instagram stories, which let people share ephemeral posts.

The new Status feature on WhatsApp allows users to share photos, videos and GIFs with friends and other contacts in a secure way. Quite like stories on Snapchat and Instagram, status updates on WhatsApp also disappear after 24 hours. Users can also control who can see the status updates by tweaking the Privacy settings.

The updated version of the app features a separate Status tab where users can see the updates shared in the last 24 hours. Similar to messages exchanged on the instant messenger, status updates are also end-to-end encrypted.
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&ldquo;Even after we added messaging in the summer of 2009, we kept the basic &quot;text only&quot; status functionality in WhatsApp. Every year, when Brian and I would plan projects to work on, we always talked about improving and evolving this original &quot;text only&quot; status feature. We are excited to announce that, coinciding with WhatsApp&#39;s 8th birthday on February 24, we are reinventing the status feature,&rdquo; says Jan Koum, CEO and co-founder, WhatsApp.

The company has already started rolling out an update to Status for Android, iOS and Windows Phone.

(WION)

With an aim to take on Snapchat, WhatsApp has redesigned its Status feature

WhatsApp has added a set of new functionalities to its basic text-only Status feature. The new WhatsApp Status feature is similar to Snapchat and Instagram stories, which let people share ephemeral posts. The new Status feature on WhatsApp allows users to share photos, videos and GIFs with friends and other contacts in a secure way. Quite like stories on Snapchat and Instagram, status updates on WhatsApp also disappear after 24 hours. Users can also control who can see the status updates by tweaking the Privacy settings. The updated version of the app features a separate Status tab where users can see the updates shared in the last 24 hours. Similar to messages exchanged on the instant messenger, status updates are also end-to-end encrypted. “Even after we added messaging in the summer of 2009, we kept the basic "text only" status functionality in WhatsApp. Every year, when Brian and I would plan projects to work on, we always talked about improving and evolving this original "text only" status feature. We are excited to announce that, coinciding with WhatsApp's 8th birthday on February 24, we are reinventing the status feature,” says Jan Koum, CEO and co-founder, WhatsApp. The company has already started rolling out an update to Status for Android, iOS and Windows Phone. (WION)

WhatsApp Status gets Snapchat-like features: Here?s how it works

Messaging app Snapchat is buying Israeli augmented reality startup Cimagine Media for an estimated $30-$40 million, marking Snapchat&#39;s first acquisition in Israel, reported the Calcalist financial daily.

Cimagine developed True Marketless Augmented Reality - a technology that allows users to virtually place furniture and appliances they wish to purchase in the space of their home, on their mobile devices, at the click of a button.

Cimagine will become Snapchat&#39;s research and development centre in Israel and is expected to rapidly expand its workforce from its current 20 employees, Calcalist said.

The company&#39;s highly-skilled team is probably the main reason for the acquisition, rather than its technology, Calcalist said.

Officials at Cimagine declined to comment on the report.

The company was founded in 2012 and has raised a few million dollars.

Venice, California-based Snapchat is expected to go public as early as March with a valuation of as much as $25 billion.

(Reuters)

Reportedly, the deal costs Snapchat an estimated $30-$40 million

Messaging app Snapchat is buying Israeli augmented reality startup Cimagine Media for an estimated $30-$40 million, marking Snapchat's first acquisition in Israel, reported the Calcalist financial daily. Cimagine developed True Marketless Augmented Reality - a technology that allows users to virtually place furniture and appliances they wish to purchase in the space of their home, on their mobile devices, at the click of a button. Cimagine will become Snapchat's research and development centre in Israel and is expected to rapidly expand its workforce from its current 20 employees, Calcalist said. The company's highly-skilled team is probably the main reason for the acquisition, rather than its technology, Calcalist said. Officials at Cimagine declined to comment on the report. The company was founded in 2012 and has raised a few million dollars. Venice, California-based Snapchat is expected to go public as early as March with a valuation of as much as $25 billion. (Reuters)

Snapchat buys an augmented reality start-up: Report

Social media came to the rescue of a 20-year-old woman who wanted to end her life after discovering she was pregnant. She sent a message to a well-known Snapchat group saying she wanted to end her life by overdosing on drugs.

<img id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_editpreview" src="http://wion.azureedge.net/photos/womansuicide-20161224123434.JPG" />

Inspiring messages by social media users from all over the world, asking her to be strong and consult a gynaecologist, ended up saving her life.

<img id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_editpreview" src="http://wion.azureedge.net/photos/pic3-20161224125054.JPG" />

&nbsp;

<img id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_editpreview" src="http://wion.azureedge.net/photos/indiagirl-20161224123919.JPG" />

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A few hours later, the girl posted an update saying she was grateful for the support she received and that she had visited a gynaecologist with her mother to deal with the problem.

<img id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_editpreview" src="http://wion.azureedge.net/photos/girlnote-20161224124811.JPG" />

(WION)

&nbsp;

The girl wanted to overdose after learning about her pregnancy, but heartfelt messages dissuaded her from doing so

Social media came to the rescue of a 20-year-old woman who wanted to end her life after discovering she was pregnant. She sent a message to a well-known Snapchat group saying she wanted to end her life by overdosing on drugs. Inspiring messages by social media users from all over the world, asking her to be strong and consult a gynaecologist, ended up saving her life. A few hours later, the girl posted an update saying she was grateful for the support she received and that she had visited a gynaecologist with her mother to deal with the problem. (WION)

How Snapchat saved pregnant woman from committing suicide

The Walt Disney Company&rsquo;s US television branch&nbsp;will create shows for Snap Inc&rsquo;s Snapchat, Disney announced on Wednesday.&nbsp;

The agreement with the Disney-ABC Television Group, will produce the popular &ldquo;The Bachelor&rdquo; franchise on&nbsp;January 3, a day after&nbsp;ABC&nbsp;begins the show&#39;s&nbsp;21st season.

Future shows based on other Disney-ABC properties will roll out on Snapchat later.

John Frelinghuysen, Disney-ABC Television executive said &ldquo;Earlier this year, we worked closely with Snap on a very successful The Oscars Live Story and we look forward to building on that relationship and providing Snapchat&rsquo;s mobile-centric users with a unique, immersive experience around our shows and brands.&quot;

The cost of the deal was not disclosed.&nbsp;

Unlike Snapchat&#39;s other deals with media organisations, ad sales responsibilties will be controlled by Disney for all the shows it creates for the social media app.&nbsp;

The two companies have previously worked together for a special Live Stories, a Snapchat feature that oversees photos submitted by users&nbsp;around &nbsp;Academy Awards in February.

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Disney-ABC Television Group, will produce the popular 'The Bachelor' franchise on?January 3

The Walt Disney Company’s US television branch will create shows for Snap Inc’s Snapchat, Disney announced on Wednesday. The agreement with the Disney-ABC Television Group, will produce the popular “The Bachelor” franchise on January 3, a day after ABC begins the show's 21st season. Future shows based on other Disney-ABC properties will roll out on Snapchat later. John Frelinghuysen, Disney-ABC Television executive said “Earlier this year, we worked closely with Snap on a very successful The Oscars Live Story and we look forward to building on that relationship and providing Snapchat’s mobile-centric users with a unique, immersive experience around our shows and brands." The cost of the deal was not disclosed. Unlike Snapchat's other deals with media organisations, ad sales responsibilties will be controlled by Disney for all the shows it creates for the social media app. The two companies have previously worked together for a special Live Stories, a Snapchat feature that oversees photos submitted by users around Academy Awards in February. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Disney to produce shows for Snapchat

Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom, in an interview with the <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/229696d2-a730-11e6-8898-79a99e2a4de6?ftcamp=published_links%2Frss%2Fcompanies_technology%2Ffeed%2F%2Fproduct">Financial Times</a>, has confirmed that the company is planning to add a live video feature to its app.

&ldquo;Live is really exciting for us. I think it can enhance what we&rsquo;re doing. If I&rsquo;m trying to strengthen relationships with someone I love, them streaming video to me live would be an amazing way to be closer to them,&rdquo; the <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/229696d2-a730-11e6-8898-79a99e2a4de6?ftcamp=published_links%2Frss%2Fcompanies_technology%2Ffeed%2F%2Fproduct">Financial Times</a> quoted Systrom as saying.

There is no word on when the feature will be rolled out and how it will work, but we have already got a glimpse of what is purportedly the upcoming live video feature on Instagram.

Russian news site <a href="https://tjournal.ru/36115-polzovatel-nashyol-v-instagrame-priznaki-testirovaniya-vstroennogo-servisa-pryamih-translyacii">T Journal</a>, last month, shared screenshots of the new feature, suggesting that live videos will appear on top in the Stories carousel. If the screenshots are to be believed, live videos will have a &ldquo;Live&rdquo; band on thumbnails to differentiate them from other stories. We are yet to hear more on this from the company.

Facebook-owned Instagram recently put its own spin on a key Snapchat feature and introduced it as &ldquo;Stories&rdquo;.

The US-based social network has been aggressively testing Snapchat-esque features ever since it bought popular face-swapping app MSQRD back in March 2016.

(WION)

There is no word on when the feature will be rolled out

Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom, in an interview with the Financial Times, has confirmed that the company is planning to add a live video feature to its app. “Live is really exciting for us. I think it can enhance what we’re doing. If I’m trying to strengthen relationships with someone I love, them streaming video to me live would be an amazing way to be closer to them,” the Financial Times quoted Systrom as saying. There is no word on when the feature will be rolled out and how it will work, but we have already got a glimpse of what is purportedly the upcoming live video feature on Instagram. Russian news site T Journal, last month, shared screenshots of the new feature, suggesting that live videos will appear on top in the Stories carousel. If the screenshots are to be believed, live videos will have a “Live” band on thumbnails to differentiate them from other stories. We are yet to hear more on this from the company. Facebook-owned Instagram recently put its own spin on a key Snapchat feature and introduced it as “Stories”. The US-based social network has been aggressively testing Snapchat-esque features ever since it bought popular face-swapping app MSQRD back in March 2016. (WION)

Live video is coming to Instagram, confirms CEO

Facebook is all set to make its in-app camera richer with a wide range of new features. In what appears to be another attempt to take on rival Snapchat, Facebook&rsquo;s new features include photo filters and selfie masks similar to what we have been seeing on Snapchat for a long time.

Among other features that are being tested by Facebook, users will soon be able to send photos and videos as a direct message to any number of Facebook friends. And quite like what happens in Snapchat, these photos or videos will only last for 24 hours.

Users will be able to access what Facebook calls the &ldquo;New Camera&rdquo; from the top-left corner of the main app or by just swiping to the right of the News Feed. Once you tap open the &ldquo;New Camera&rdquo;, you will find a plethora of Snapchat-like Geofilters, masks and other special effects created by Facebook.
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According to the US-based technology news website,&nbsp;<a href="https://techcrunch.com/2016/10/28/the-new-facebook-camera/">TechCrunch</a>, the company is currently testing new features in Ireland. The social-networking giant intends to test more variations of these features before rolling them out globally.

&ldquo;We want to make visual sharing on Facebook fast, fun, and flexible,&rdquo; TechCrunch quotes Facebook&rsquo;s product manager Sachin Monga, as saying.

Facebook may not be able to outdo Snapchat, but by aping its significant features, Facebook is likely to prevent its existing users from getting on to Snapchat - or for that matter, could draw away some of the Snapchat users.

Facebook-owned Instagram recently put its own spin on a key Snapchat feature. Called &ldquo;Stories&rdquo; by Instagram, it lets users share ephemeral photos and videos that disappear automatically after 24 hours.

The US-based social network has been aggressively testing Snapchat-esque features ever since it bought popular face-swapping app MSQRD back in March 2016.

&nbsp;

(WION)&nbsp;

Facebook will soon allow users to send ephemeral photos and videos as a direct message to friends.

Facebook is all set to make its in-app camera richer with a wide range of new features. In what appears to be another attempt to take on rival Snapchat, Facebook’s new features include photo filters and selfie masks similar to what we have been seeing on Snapchat for a long time. Among other features that are being tested by Facebook, users will soon be able to send photos and videos as a direct message to any number of Facebook friends. And quite like what happens in Snapchat, these photos or videos will only last for 24 hours. Users will be able to access what Facebook calls the “New Camera” from the top-left corner of the main app or by just swiping to the right of the News Feed. Once you tap open the “New Camera”, you will find a plethora of Snapchat-like Geofilters, masks and other special effects created by Facebook. According to the US-based technology news website, TechCrunch, the company is currently testing new features in Ireland. The social-networking giant intends to test more variations of these features before rolling them out globally. “We want to make visual sharing on Facebook fast, fun, and flexible,” TechCrunch quotes Facebook’s product manager Sachin Monga, as saying. Facebook may not be able to outdo Snapchat, but by aping its significant features, Facebook is likely to prevent its existing users from getting on to Snapchat - or for that matter, could draw away some of the Snapchat users. Facebook-owned Instagram recently put its own spin on a key Snapchat feature. Called “Stories” by Instagram, it lets users share ephemeral photos and videos that disappear automatically after 24 hours. The US-based social network has been aggressively testing Snapchat-esque features ever since it bought popular face-swapping app MSQRD back in March 2016. (WION)

Facebook to soon introduce more Snapchat-like features

Facebook on Friday took direct aim at video-loving adolescents, and Snapchat, with the release of a new iPhone app that allows teens to watch clips about the lives of their classmates. 
 
The app, called Lifestage, was released with no fanfare, and is available for anyone to download on iPhone, although seeing profiles of other users is reserved for those 21 years of age or younger. 
 
The social network allows users to make video clips to describe likes, peeves, dance styles, and other aspects of their character. 
 
Those clips are woven together to serve as public profiles that can be viewed by other Lifestage members, provided they are young enough. 
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A tool in the app lets users block and report &#39;older folks&#39;. 
 
&quot;Lifestage makes it easy and fun to share a visual profile of who you are with your school network,&quot; the app&#39;s iTunes store description says. 
 
Once enough students at any given school are on the app, it becomes &quot;unlocked&quot;. 
 
&quot;Once your school is unlocked, you can access the profiles of others in your school community (and all over!) so you can get to know people better in your school and nearby schools,&quot; the description said. 
 
Lifestage users are invited to share video snippets whenever they wish. 
 
The app comes as a challenge to Snapchat, the vanishing message service that became a hit with teenagers and which lets members share pictures and video clips. 
 
Lifestage was seen by some as an effort by Facebook to stay connected to young internet users disinclined to take part in the leading social network. 
 
Facebook did not return a request for comment. 
 
Earlier this month, Instagram put its own spin on a key Snapchat feature by letting users post &quot;Stories&quot; that eventually vanish from the Facebook-owned photo-and video-sharing app. 
 
Instagram Stories encourages people to share ephemeral collages of everyday moments on the app which has built a reputation for allowing people to post highlights from their lives or artistic works. 
 
(AFP)&nbsp; 
 
 
 
 
 
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'Lifestage', the app, is available for iPhone users although seeing profiles of other users is reserved for those 21 years or younger

Facebook on Friday took direct aim at video-loving adolescents, and Snapchat, with the release of a new iPhone app that allows teens to watch clips about the lives of their classmates. The app, called Lifestage, was released with no fanfare, and is available for anyone to download on iPhone, although seeing profiles of other users is reserved for those 21 years of age or younger. The social network allows users to make video clips to describe likes, peeves, dance styles, and other aspects of their character. Those clips are woven together to serve as public profiles that can be viewed by other Lifestage members, provided they are young enough. The social network allows users to make video clips to describe likes, peeves, dance styles, and other aspects of their character. A tool in the app lets users block and report 'older folks'. "Lifestage makes it easy and fun to share a visual profile of who you are with your school network," the app's iTunes store description says. Once enough students at any given school are on the app, it becomes "unlocked". "Once your school is unlocked, you can access the profiles of others in your school community (and all over!) so you can get to know people better in your school and nearby schools," the description said. Lifestage users are invited to share video snippets whenever they wish. The app comes as a challenge to Snapchat, the vanishing message service that became a hit with teenagers and which lets members share pictures and video clips. Lifestage was seen by some as an effort by Facebook to stay connected to young internet users disinclined to take part in the leading social network. Facebook did not return a request for comment. Earlier this month, Instagram put its own spin on a key Snapchat feature by letting users post "Stories" that eventually vanish from the Facebook-owned photo-and video-sharing app. Instagram Stories encourages people to share ephemeral collages of everyday moments on the app which has built a reputation for allowing people to post highlights from their lives or artistic works. (AFP)

Facebook woos video-loving teens with new 'school community' app

Pakistan men's cricket team captain Babar Azam continues to face flak from former cricketers and fans after his team lost the T20 World Cup match against India. After legendary pacer Wasim Akram went on an explosive rant against the team, former allrounder Shahid Afridi has suggested that Babar needs to be dropped at no. 3 for the balance of the team.

Pakistan have been struggling to get off the blocks in the powerplay overs, primarily due to Babar and Mohammad Rizwan being similar kind of players. Afridi&nbsp;suggested that head coach Gary Kirsten&nbsp;make the necessary changes as Pakistan still had not exited the tournament.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“I think now is the time for Gary Kirsten and Babar Azam to make some changes. I would like to see Salman Ali Agha come into the side in place of Usman Khan and Abrar Ahmed to come in for Shadab Khan,” said Afridi.&nbsp;

“Most of all, I believe Fakhar Zaman should be promoted to open the innings alongside Mohammad Rizwan, with Babar dropping down to number three," he added.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/legendary-pacer-wasim-akram-goes-on-explosive-rant-against-pakistan-players-after-capitulation-vs-india-730513">Also read |&nbsp;Legendary pacer Wasim Akram goes on explosive rant against Pakistan players after capitulation vs India</a>

Pakistan are in the precipice of exiting the World Cup. A poor outing against Canada on Tuesday (Jun 11) could be curtains for the team that has struggled in the shortest format of the game in the last couple of years. &nbsp;

“There are some tough conversations and choices to come but we need to remember that there is still hope,&nbsp;Pakistan are not out of the tournament yet," said Afridi.&nbsp;

While Afridi has argued for change in the batting order for Babar, other former cricketers have targetted the skipper for playing favouritism in the team and fooling the public.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/pcb-made-deals-hafeez-drops-bombshell-makes-big-claim-on-amir-wasims-retirement-u-turn-for-t20-wc-730777">Also read |&nbsp;'PCB made deals...': Hafeez drops BOMBSHELL, makes big claim on Amir, Wasim's retirement U-turn for T20 WC</a>

<h2>Favouritism in the squad?</h2>

There have been gossip coming out from the Pakistan dressing room that Babar opted for certain players that were close to him instead of picking those who had performed consistently on the domestic circuit.&nbsp;

"You are making a team with your friends, keeping your friends in the team," said former opener Ahmed Shehzad on a Pakistani TV channel.

"You guys have performed against B, C, D teams and fooled the people.&nbsp;Your salaries were hiked, PCB paid you to evolve yourself and your cricket," he added.&nbsp;

Mohammed Hafeez, who recently served as director of the senior team, echoed similar sentiments and questioned the selection of Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir who made the squad despite having retired from the format.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Snapchat became a hit with messages that disappear shortly after being viewed.?The new feature lets people only save images they send

Pakistan men's cricket team captain Babar Azam continues to face flak from former cricketers and fans after his team lost the T20 World Cup match against India. After legendary pacer Wasim Akram went on an explosive rant against the team, former allrounder Shahid Afridi has suggested that Babar needs to be dropped at no. 3 for the balance of the team. Pakistan have been struggling to get off the blocks in the powerplay overs, primarily due to Babar and Mohammad Rizwan being similar kind of players. Afridi suggested that head coach Gary Kirsten make the necessary changes as Pakistan still had not exited the tournament. “I think now is the time for Gary Kirsten and Babar Azam to make some changes. I would like to see Salman Ali Agha come into the side in place of Usman Khan and Abrar Ahmed to come in for Shadab Khan,” said Afridi. “Most of all, I believe Fakhar Zaman should be promoted to open the innings alongside Mohammad Rizwan, with Babar dropping down to number three," he added. Also read | Legendary pacer Wasim Akram goes on explosive rant against Pakistan players after capitulation vs India Pakistan are in the precipice of exiting the World Cup. A poor outing against Canada on Tuesday (Jun 11) could be curtains for the team that has struggled in the shortest format of the game in the last couple of years. “There are some tough conversations and choices to come but we need to remember that there is still hope, Pakistan are not out of the tournament yet," said Afridi. While Afridi has argued for change in the batting order for Babar, other former cricketers have targetted the skipper for playing favouritism in the team and fooling the public. Also read | 'PCB made deals...': Hafeez drops BOMBSHELL, makes big claim on Amir, Wasim's retirement U-turn for T20 WC Favouritism in the squad? There have been gossip coming out from the Pakistan dressing room that Babar opted for certain players that were close to him instead of picking those who had performed consistently on the domestic circuit. "You are making a team with your friends, keeping your friends in the team," said former opener Ahmed Shehzad on a Pakistani TV channel. "You guys have performed against B, C, D teams and fooled the people. Your salaries were hiked, PCB paid you to evolve yourself and your cricket," he added. Mohammed Hafeez, who recently served as director of the senior team, echoed similar sentiments and questioned the selection of Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir who made the squad despite having retired from the format. (With inputs from agencies)

Vanishing message app Snapchat lets Memories linger

Messaging app Snapchat by year&#39;s end will have more US users than either Twitter or Pinterest, a market tracker said on Wednesday. 
 
The number of people using Snapchat in the United States will leap more than 27 per cent this year to 58.6 million, meaning that nearly one in five people in the country will be using the service, according to an eMarketer forecast. 
 
Twitter was expected to have 56.8 million US users this year, and online bulletin board Pinterest to have 54.6 million users. 
By the year 2020, the ranks of US Snapchat users was expected to swell to 85.5 million, according to the report. 
 
However, eMarketer forecast that Facebook Messenger smartphone communication application would remain in the lead in this segment with its US user base growing from 105.2 million this year to 139.2 million in the year 2020. 
 
Snapchat estimates it has more than 100 million users globally of the service for sending videos, images and text messages which vanish after being viewed. Some reports say it generates 10 billion video views per day. 
 
Snapchat&#39;s allure includes letting users &quot;cut through the clutter by injecting fun back into social sharing,&quot; according to eMarketer analyst Cathy Boyle. 
 
Snapchat has also tapped into an interest, particularly among young internet users, in communicating intimately with one or a few people instead of broadcasting messages across networks, the analyst said. 
 
The messaging service has been working with media partners and advertisers to reach its youthful audience. 
 
Snapchat this week rolled out a redesign making it a more attractive stage for publishers or brands to attract online audiences. 
 
A recent Bloomberg news report maintained that the number of people using Snapchat daily around the world already outnumber those using Twitter, giving the figures 150 million users versus 140 million. 
 
Those figures have not been confirmed by either company. 
 
Snapchat disclosed last month that it raised more than $1.8 billion in new funding.

Messaging app Snapchat by year's end will have more US users than either Twitter or Pinterest

Messaging app Snapchat by year's end will have more US users than either Twitter or Pinterest, a market tracker said on Wednesday. The number of people using Snapchat in the United States will leap more than 27 per cent this year to 58.6 million, meaning that nearly one in five people in the country will be using the service, according to an eMarketer forecast. Twitter was expected to have 56.8 million US users this year, and online bulletin board Pinterest to have 54.6 million users. By the year 2020, the ranks of US Snapchat users was expected to swell to 85.5 million, according to the report. However, eMarketer forecast that Facebook Messenger smartphone communication application would remain in the lead in this segment with its US user base growing from 105.2 million this year to 139.2 million in the year 2020. Snapchat estimates it has more than 100 million users globally of the service for sending videos, images and text messages which vanish after being viewed. Some reports say it generates 10 billion video views per day. Snapchat's allure includes letting users "cut through the clutter by injecting fun back into social sharing," according to eMarketer analyst Cathy Boyle. Snapchat has also tapped into an interest, particularly among young internet users, in communicating intimately with one or a few people instead of broadcasting messages across networks, the analyst said. The messaging service has been working with media partners and advertisers to reach its youthful audience. Snapchat this week rolled out a redesign making it a more attractive stage for publishers or brands to attract online audiences. A recent Bloomberg news report maintained that the number of people using Snapchat daily around the world already outnumber those using Twitter, giving the figures 150 million users versus 140 million. Those figures have not been confirmed by either company. Snapchat disclosed last month that it raised more than $1.8 billion in new funding.

Snapchat seen surging past Twitter, Pinterest in US

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