Rest of the Day: Instagram Will Add a Live Video
Instagram has confirmed that they will be joining the live video group soon. Virtually all social media platforms, especially their parent company Facebook, insist on live streaming, so it should come as no surprise that they will follow suit. About this and much more in today’s news.
- Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom told the Financial Times that he sees live video as a way to “strengthen relationships.” Same. It is not yet clear when the new feature will appear. [Financial Times]
- Instagram is also adding some new features to Stories. Soon you will be able to @mention other users, and they will integrate Boomerang (their standalone GIF animation app) right into Stories. Verified users will also be able to add links – for the first time, Instagram has allowed external links in addition to profile links. They say it’s a test, so apparently normal people will eventually be able to add links. [Instagram]
- WhatsApp adds two-factor authentication. It’s funny that their recent addition of GIFs was a priority for hiring, but of course all is well. It is only available in the beta version of the app, so it may take some time before the feature becomes widely available. [Android Police]
- Siri can now send money through PayPal. All you need is the PayPal app installed on iOS 10 and you can simply ask Siri to give people money. I wonder if it works when the phone is locked. See Demo below. [TechCrunch]