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-if 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. Add to the confusion, both apps happen to use the open source Twemoji, so even the emojis you add are going to look identical.
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 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.