January 26, 2018
Instagram is at it again! The latest update includes an integration with GIPHY, meaning only one thing – Stories are going to be a lot more animated! GIF stickers can now be added to all of your Story photos and videos, and the fact that they’re from GIPHY’s database means that there’s hundreds of thousands of GIFs to choose from. Crazy, right? The options are endless, you can browse what’s currently trending on GIPHY or look for something specific by typing anything your heart desires in the search bar. From googly eyes and spinning burgers to dancing cats and party hats, these animated stickers will spice up any photo or video.
As of now, it seems like there’s no limit to the number of GIFs you can include in a single story.
What makes this exciting for me is the fact that GIPHY is a platform anyone can upload GIFs to. So technically if I create an animated GIF and upload it to GIPHY, does that mean (if I spend a ridiculous amount of time looking for it or if I name it cleverly) I’ll be able to add my own GIFs to my Stories? I guess the only way to find out is to try it myself!
Many Instagram users have taken to Twitter to complain about the new feature, deeming it pointless, and labelling it as another bid to try to copy Snapchat. A lot of users also said how they’re still very unhappy with the new feed algorithm, suggesting they should bring back the chronological timeline (which, to be fair, I agree with).
Another new Stories feature that is said to be rolling out within the coming weeks is (as many non-teenagers would probably argue), slightly more useful. Instagram will allow you to upload photos and videos of any size to your story, so you’ll never be in a pickle about which friend you decide to cut out of that group photo… phew! Once you’ve uploaded a photo or video, pinch to share it in its original format, whether it’s portrait, landscape or square. Any extra room will be filled with a custom colour gradient that matches the chosen photo/video colour palette. Clever, right?
The GIF stickers are available now as part of Instagram version 29 on iOS and Android. The Stories feature that allows you to resize images and videos is expected to roll out in the next few weeks.