After failing to purchase Snapchat in in 2014, Facebook has decided that the best way to deal with the rejection is to co-opt some of Snapchat's most popular features.
The newest of this is a new photo uploader designed for Facebook for iOS. Facebook has previously tested photo stickers and provided standard filters, but the latest feature now lets users overlay text into photos in the same way that Snapchat users can do so on the teenage-centric platform.
On the lower left side of each photo, users will find a flashing wand tool that gives them the option to add text and other options that were already available in the past, such as add tags, filters and stickers and crop. They can then choose to type the text they want to overlay on their photo, drag it around to the desired position and resize it. There is also a color slider that lets users choose the color of their text.
Facebook has also added a bunch of new filters that users can easily apply simply by swiping to the left or right of the photo. These new filters include Auto for auto correction, Vintage for sepia, Spring for bright, Summer for golden, Fall for orange, Winter for muted and Snow for black and white. A vertical line in the middle of a photo indicates that users can choose their filters. It is also helpful in comparing which of two filters to use, although it is practically useless for filters that are not next to each other.
The text overlays, new filters and the photo stickers are all reminiscent of Snapchat, which famously snubbed Facebook's $3 billion acquisition offer in January 2014. Since then, Facebook has been trying hard to one-up Snapchat in its own game with the goal of attracting the teen demographic that has flocked to Snapchat as their parents begin to take over Facebook.
Facebook's first attempt was Slingshot, a messaging platform that allowed users to send disappearing messages and photos with colorful texts and stickers just like Snapchat. However, the app was quickly branded as a Snapchat clone and crashed faster than it could take off. This was followed by another standalone app called Stickered, which lets users place stickers on their photos and send them via Messenger. Stickered is currently available for iOS and Android but is not as popular as Facebook would want it to be.
In a statement to The Verge, Facebook said the latest photo uploader features are "a new place to house photo-editing tools."
Photo: Bhupinder Nayyar | Flickr
