The latest Android update for Facebook-owned WhatsApp lets users draw and stick emojis over images and videos shared with contacts and groups is now available in the UAE. This isn’t an innovative feature, but it does clone a core part of the Snapchat (Sorry, Snap) experience.
With this summer’s addition of Stories to Instagram and the introduction of self-destructing messages and another version of Stories to Messenger, we’ve seen a trend of Facebook-owned apps emulating Snapchat features.
This could have something to do with reports that the younger Snapchat, which turned down a big-money Facebook bid a few years ago, is simply cooler with kids right now.
At this rate, expect a new set of Facebook goggles soon. Perhaps they’ll integrate Oculus Rift functionality?