UPDATED 21:31 EDT / JUNE 26 2018

APPS

Instagram adds group video messaging as user engagement continues to rise

Facebook Inc.-owned photo-sharing app Instagram is continuing on its merry expansion path, launching a new group video chat feature as new data finds that its users are more obsessed with the service than ever.

Users can now hold a video chat for up to four people in Instagram Direct, Instagram’s messaging service. “Video chat gives you the experience of real-time video in a private space and helps you feel close and connected to friends when you can’t be together,” Instagram said in a blog post. “Your friends are already on Instagram, and with video chat, you can seamlessly connect across iOS and Android and without a phone number.”

Instagram also released a number of other new feature,s including Topic Channels in its Explore Tab, a feature that allows users to graze popular content on Instagram, as well as a range of new camera effects enabling users to apply new augmented reality effects to pictures.

The move into video conferencing, if initially limited to four people, takes Instagram into the realms of Google Groups Hangouts, Skype and most recently Apple Inc., which launched Group Facetime, a new group calls feature in the beta release of iOS 12 Monday.

Although Instagram will not be competing for business users, it’s another standout feature for the rapidly growing service. It comes a week after the launch of IGTV, a video service in direct competition to YouTube that allows content creators to upload up to one hour of content. That service, along with Instagram’s recently passing a billion users, prompted one analyst to value Instagram at $100 billion.

One billion users is an impressive number, but how often users use a particular service is a highly important metric. And it appears that Instagram is quickly becoming the online equivalent of a new brand of Super Glue.

Recent data published by SimilarWeb found that Instagram users on Android are spending on average 53 minutes a day using the app, just five minutes less than Facebook users spent with their app. Snapchat users, by comparison, spent 49.5 minutes on the app.

“Time spent matters because more time in the app means people probably see more advertisements, which is how all these apps make money,” Rani Molla at Recode explained. “The big war on mobile devices right now is for user attention. These apps, plus more traditional media companies like Disney and Netflix, are all looking to capture attention in an increasingly competitive landscape.”

Image: Instagram

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