WhatsApp on Monday rolled out a host of new camera features for customizing photos and video, including adding the ability to draw on images and support for taking "the perfect selfie."
One new feature, which should be familiar to anyone who has used Snapchat, adds the ability to add your favorite emoji "to express yourself," the app's makers said in a blog post Monday. The editing tools also let users add text, choosing their own colors and fonts.
Those intent on sharing more of themselves on Facebook's popular messaging app will be drawn to its new support of your phone's front-facing flash, promising a better selfie, be it captured in low light or at night. Video buffs will welcome a new feature that will zoom in and out on your subject while recording video with the swipe up or down of your finger.
The new features began rolling out to Android users on Monday with support for iPhones promised soon.
It seems everyone wants to be like Snapchat, especially Facebook. First, it was Instagram Stories, and then it launched a separate app called Lifestage, and just a few days ago, we heard that it was testing Messenger Day in Poland. Well, it seems like Facebook’s efforts to Snapchat-ify itself isn’t quite over yet. We saw it in the beta version earlier this month, and now it’s official: Facebook-owned WhatsApp is getting new camera features that borrow heavily from Snapchat. In fact, the interface looks so similar to the one on Snapchat that you might not even be able to distinguish one from the other.
As you can see above, the editing tools look very familiar indeed. Once you snap a photo or a video, you can add emojis, draw on it, or add a text – exactly like Snapchat. When you click on the crayon icon on top to draw, you even get a vertical line of colors that bears a stark resemblance to the one found on Snapchat. To add to the confusion, both apps happen to use the open source Twemoji, so even the emojis you add are going to look identical.
WhatsApp points out that you will also be able to enable a front-facing “flash,” which basically whitens the screen temporarily to brighten up a low-light selfie. Again, this is nothing novel: Snapchat’s had it for a long time, iPhones and some of the latest Galaxy phones also have it. Other than that, the update will let you slide your finger up and down to zoom in and out while recording a video, and guess what you have to do if you want to switch between front and rear facing cameras – that’s right, double tap on the screen!
According to the official blog, the new camera features should be rolling out on Android phones starting today, so check and see if there’s an update available if you want to try these new features. I don’t know about you, but I will just stick to Snapchat for snaps and use WhatsApp for, well, messaging.
What are your thoughts on Facebook’s “borrowing” features from Snapchat? Will you be using WhatsApp’s new camera features? Let us know by leaving a comment below!
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