Instagram's two month old feature Stories offers three capabilities in its latest update. These updates enhance storytelling through photos and videos, but the linking capability in See More is still being tested and may only be available to selected accounts.

When Stories debuted in Aug. 2 in Instagram, many users think that the new feature mimics Snapchat's My Story. The concept is very similar, except that in Instagram there are fewer filters and lenses.

Most likely, Instagram will lay out more tools in the near future especially after garnering 100 million daily users in just over two months according to FC. The site has a total of 300 million daily users.

Evidently, Instagram's Stories is well received given its widespread usage, which is why its developers continue to improve the feature through its latest updates. What is new with Instagram after the update?

The Boomerang feature in Stories now allows the user to control how long the video is going to be. Moreover, users can easily toggle between the front and back cameras, adding more fun and versatility to storytelling.

Boomerang is a built-in version that plays a short video continuously, looping forward and backward. Currently, Instagram provides 7 filters for this feature. Users hope that there will be more tools in future updates.

In Mentions, users can tag another user just by typing in the name like @username. Users who read the stories can easily click on the profile of the tagged person, who will also receive message alerts once referenced.

This added feature in Stories allows Instagram users to get engaged in conversations. Product manager, Nate Sharp, affirms this by stating that "Mentions were designed with conversation in mind."

In See More, users can link a story to an article or to a website. Other users can follow the link through a tap or a swipe. However, the live link tags is limited to just ten people according to CNet.

As of present, this new feature is still being tested by Instagram. It is now available to a few verified accounts.

The update was released last Thursday, Nov. 10. It is available for Instagram's versions for iOS, Android and Windows 10.

Tags Instagram