Facebook is putting out all the stops to make Instagram Stories a better service than Snapchat, and its most recent move is adding a polling option to the photo-sharing service. It comes as yet another proof that Facebook is relentlessly copying Snapchat, since this is a popular feature on that app.
Polling has been on Snapchat for a long time via Polly, letting users add multiple choice questions along with their Snaps. Instagram is now doing the same thing. Users will be able to add two-choice polls in their Stories going forward, and it'll be as easy as adding a location sticker.
This is a big deal. Instagram Stories has already surpassed Snapchat in terms of user base, but with polling, Stories will become more interactive, and that means users might spend a little more time flipping through Stories and casting their votes instead of mindlessly fast-forwarding through the stream.
It's a sly move, but a genius one. It'll definitely convince people to keep using Instagram Stories for a longer period, which could greatly increase the average time a user spends on the service. It's a blow for Snapchat, though, especially considering its growth expectations was just cut significantly after underperforming in the New York Stock Exchange.
How To Use Polls
As mentioned, using polls is exactly like using stickers. Simply drag and drop the poll image into the Story, and customize the question and the choices. For now, choices are limited to two, but it's safe to assume that Instagram will add multiple choices down the road. Other users who stumble upon polls will be able to cast their own votes, after which the overall results will be shown.
The poll's author will be able to see which people voted and what they voted for. To do this, simply open up a Story's viewers list. The overall number of votes can also be viewed.
Again, there's no telling how successful this feature would be, but it already has a huge chance of being a hit because, well, people already gawk at what their friends are up to via Stories — this allows them to get more involved and have a say in their friends' decisions, from pizza flavors to the right wedding dress.
More Tools For Instagram Stories
In addition to polls, Instagram is also adding an eyedropper tool that'll let users extract a certain color and use that for text or brushes, just like in Adobe Photoshop. There's also a new alignment tool that'll ensure text and stickers are centered, but this functionality is limited to iOS at the moment.
The update is now available on Android and iOS. Get polling!
