The new Whatsapp update has landed and it looks suspiciously familiar.
Whatsapp’s camera function has had a revamp and eager tech followers have noticed that a lot of the features crossover with Snapchat.
The update – one of the biggest in Whatsapp’s short history – means you can now draw on images taken through the messaging app, as well as overlay emojis.
The new update also includes a front-facing flash, a lens zoom, as well as editing and drawing tools that have a functionality similar to Snapchat.
Even the emojis that you can now overlay on Whatsapp are taken from the same from Twemoji programme that Snapchat uses – meaning they’re the same across Andorid and iOS.
I’m guessing the guys over at Snapchat are really, really *angry face emoji* and ready to haunt the guys at Facebook – who control Whatsapp – with their *ghost emoji*.
The update drops just a month after Instagram released their Stories feature, which brazenly nabbed the entire concept of the Snapchat app.
Meanwhile, Whatsapp are yet to acknowledge the source of their inspiration. They are likely to be credited for these messaging concepts in places where Snapchat is not yet available.
I’m all for progression and change, but I’m a little sick of being told we must keep up with the latest update or the newest iPhone model, particularly if the ideas from each app are just regurgitated from elsewhere.
What happened to the innovation, Whatsapp?
The designers are also missing a trick, according to one Tweeter:
Genius. @Prachiekins for President, she knows what the people want.
The Whatsapp update – sans ‘Who zooms your DP?’ Update – is available to download now on the Apple Store, if you must.
A former emo kid who talks too much about 8Chan meme culture, the Kardashian Klan, and how her smartphone is probably killing her. Francesca is a Cardiff University Journalism Masters grad who has done words for BBC, ELLE, The Debrief, DAZED, an art magazine you’ve never heard of and a feminist zine which never went to print.