Posts Tagged: inapp
Snapchat brings ‘Dual Camera’ recording to in-app camera
Snapchat is the latest app to add dual camera functionality. The app is launching the “Dual Camera” recording feature it previewed during its Partner Summit earlier this year. The update enables users to snap photos and video using their phone’s front-facing and rear cameras simultaneously. It’s available now on iOS for iPhone XS and newer (Snap says Dual Camera won’t be available on Android for several more months.)
The company first teased the feature in April, when it said the new video option would be part of a suite of more advanced features for creators called “director mode.” But while director mode hasn’t yet launched — Snap says it’s expected in the coming months — the company opted to roll out Dual camera as a standalone feature in the main Snapchat camera.
Capturing content with both device’s cameras at once isn’t a new concept — the briefly popular app Frontback experimented with it nearly a decade ago — but the concept has become more popular in recent months with the rise of selfie app BeReal. However, Snapchat’s take on the feature is a bit different than those apps, which were more focused on selfies.
With Snapchat’s Dual Camera enabled, users can record video using both cameras at once, and can change up the layout of the two clips. There’s a split-screen version, which places each camera on one half of the screen; a picture-in-picture style; and a cutout mode similar to the effect you might get with TikTok’s green screen. Dual Camera mode also supports Snapchat's signature augmented reality lenses, though for now the effects can only be applied after the fact.
Snap isn’t the only company experimenting with dual-camera-recording. Instagram is also testing a dual camera setup called Candid Challenges, which the company confirmed last week is currently an “internal prototype.” For now, that feature sounds more like a straight copy of BeReal, but it’s not difficult to imagine the feature could one day make an appearance in Reels as well
Instagram is testing in-app notifications for service outages
One week after a massive Facebook outage that took all of the social network’s apps offline for more than six hours, Instagram says it’s testing notifications that will alert users to “temporary issues” like outages or other technical issues.
The new alerts would appear in users’ Activity Feed, alongside other in-app notifications. The messages could be used to let users know about specific issues, like Story uploads not working, or a more widespread problem, like the two outages last week. Importantly, Instagram says it doesn’t plan to alert users to every issue, but ones that may be a source of widespread confusion.
“We won’t send a notification every single time there is an outage, but when we see that people are confused and looking for answers, we’ll determine if something like this could help make things clearer,” Instagram wrote in a blog post. The company added that it’s testing the feature in the US “for the next few months.”
Separately, Instagram also showed off a new “account status” section of its app, which is meant to alert users to “what's going on with your account” more generally. Instagram says it’s starting with notifications about posts that are removed and when an account “is at risk of being disabled” due to rule violations.
According to Instagram, the feature is meant to make it easier for users to understand why a post may have been removed, and whether or not they may be in danger of losing an account altogether. While the app has notified users in the past when a post is labeled or removed, the company hasn’t always done a good job letting people know which policy they violated. The Oversight Board has repeatedly told Facebook it needs to do a better job at explaining rules to users, and account status could help them do just that.
Account status could also help the app address a more Instagram-specific issue: concerns over “shadowbanning.” Instagram says that “in the coming months” it plans to update account status to let people know “how their content is being distributed and recommended across different parts of Instagram.”
Apple opens in-app subscription discounts to existing users
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Victory for parents! Amazon to refund $70M of in-app purchases made by kids
Following several years of legal wrangling, Amazon has finally agreed to reimburse customers for unauthorized in-app purchases made mostly by children. The payout could total a whopping $ 70 million.
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Samsung Pay adds in-app coupon search for its anniversary
Samsung Pay is celebrating its first year in America by launching a feature couponers would love. The Korean company has teamed up with the owner of Coupons.com to make redeeming discounts much easier. Now, when you link your loyalty card or account…
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Starbucks convenient in-app, order-ahead service goes live across the U.K.
Next time you’re craving a Starbucks coffee, skip the line and order ahead. Following the launch in the U.S, Starbucks customers across the U.K. can now take advantage of the convenient new feature.
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