Instagram is a famous photo and video-sharing social networking service created by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger in 2010 and later acquired by Facebook in 2012.

Since its launch on the iTunes App Store in 2010, the platform’s popularity has skyrocketed. Instagram reported that the app already had over forty million active users in just two years before its debut on the Android operating system.

What’s up with Threads?

In recent events, Instagram unveils a new private messaging app called Threads. Dubbed a direct rival of Snapchat, Threads allow users to send personal messages to contacts on their “close friends” list. Instagram users now have a brand new shiny app to share their favorite media such as photos, videos, and online fact collection sites.

This new feature provides you with detailed notifications and an inbox solely dedicated to those on your “close friends” list. If you don’t have any contacts on this list yet, you can directly set one up from Threads when you download the app. Threads automatically start up your camera and allow you to custom make shortcuts to the app so you can send photos and videos to your close friends quicker.

Keeping up with friends is also made a lot easier when you’re handling your busy schedule thanks to the Status feature. With this feature, you can either input any given status, customize your own, or set it on auto status which automatically shares small bits of information regarding your location without giving away your whole coordinates.

Heating the competition with Snapchat

According to screenshots from beta testers, Threads’ design promotes constant and automatic sharing between users and the people on their “close friends” list on Instagram. Thanks to its similar inbox layout, Instagram users can easily navigate through Threads with no problems. This app is more than just a new competitor against Snapchat. Threads is set to be the next “pivot to privacy” in Facebook’s long domination in the messaging app industry.

It’s more than just the quick messaging features that are getting people hooked on the app. While sharing photos is a lot similar to Snapchat’s view once rule, Threads offer so much more privacy than any other messaging app out on the market today without needing to sacrifice any of the social sharing niches.

Threads is an app specifically made to focus on your inner circle of friends. This fits well with Facebook’s mission to focus more on creating platforms that focus on its users being able to create more “meaningful interactions” with those close to them.

What does this mean for the future of private messaging?

The trend towards private messaging doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon. Facebook’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg stated that the instant messaging feature on any of its acquired platforms consecutively generates the most traffic out of all the other features available. With the launch of the app, it seems that Thread’s focus leans more towards favoring localized and interpersonal communication over global dissemination.

Since its debut release on October 3rd of this year, Threads has been slowly rising in terms of user volume. However, out of Instagram’s billion-plus user count, only an estimated total of two hundred and twenty thousand people had downloaded the app within its first week of release. Unlike Instagram’s other companion apps such as Boomerang and IGTV which estimated a total count of 2.8 million and 1.5 million respectively in its first week of release, Threads still has a long way to go before being able to level up with its predecessors.

While Instagram’s team itself has yet to release any public comments regarding the app’s low download count and feedbacks, some users have reported having downloaded the wrong app of which shares the same name as Instagram’s latest companion app, Threads. Users speculate that this may be the reason why Threads isn’t rising to the level of Instagram’s other companion apps as it should.

While we can’t say for certain what steps Threads will take next, it’s still too early to say anything for sure. But if the app continues to move in the direction Facebook intends, we might be looking at the next big movement that will ultimately change the social-media game at large.

Popular social media network Instagram have released a new video taking application which goes by the name of Boomerang. In a statement on the networks website they said, “Today, we’re announcing Boomerang from Instagram, a new video app that lets you turn everyday moments into something fun and unexpected.”

Press the camera button and the app will then take a burst of photos which it will then combine into a mini video which will play backwards and forwards and is around a second in length. The video’s can be shared on Instagram and are automatically saved to your phones camera role. This may sound very much like a GIF, but Instagram are adamant it is something never done before “It’s not a photo. It’s not a gif. It’s a Boomerang.”

Boomerang is available today for free on the App Store and Google Play.

As a pretty active Instagram user, it’s safe to say I check my Instagram feed a good number of times throughout the day and plenty lots of time on the app. Recently stumbled upon by Cult of Mac, a neat little program by the name of Feeday adds your Instagram feed to the notification center of your iOS device. While this may not seem that significant — it definitely saves on time taking to constantly open and reload your feed right within the Instagram application.

To get started all you need to do is head on over to the App Store and download Feeday, which is free to download with in-app purchases. After that you’ll want to login with your Instagram account in the app, add the widget by opening your notification center, go to the “Today” view, tapping “Edit” and make the Feeday widget viewable.

Quick version:

• Download Feeday from the App Store (free).
• Open the app and connect your Instagram account.
• Add the widget in your notification center.
• Boom! You’re good to go.

As noted by the folks at Cult of Mac, the free version only supports a maximum of three thumbnails, while the in-app purchase ($0.99) allows you to view a total of 9 images. The only caveat is that you can’t like, comment, or share any pictures — the only thing you can do is simply view them. All in all, it’s a decent little widget if you follow a lot of people on Instagram or find yourself checking it often.

ISBIT Games and Deep Silver Fishlabs have announced the worldwide release of Clashtag earlier today. While the diverting social game has already gone live as a free app on the App Store in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland, it will be released globally in Summer 2015.

Clashtag revolves around duels between friends or random opponents, who try to beat each other in a series of addictive mini games like “Puzzle”, “Fill The Gap” or “Most Likes?”. What makes these mini games interesting is the fact that they all center around images derived from Instagram’s live feed.

Therefore in theory, no two game rounds are the same and offer a different challenge each time. To make the player’s experience better, players can also upload their own images and define the hashtags on the basis of which the motifs of the individual game rounds are picked.

In addition, Clashtag allows players to like the images they have played with and to follow the Instagramers they have challenged as well. This way committed Instagram users can use Clashtag to increase their followers.

As of now this is all the information we have available, however, we’ll keep you updated on when it is released globally.

The Salone Del Mobile Design Fair in Italy kicked off earlier today, with Apple showcasing the Apple Watch at the event. Going far and beyond just trying on typical Apple Watches, the company’s design Chief, Jony Ive just unveiled several new Apple Watch Sport bands tonight in Milan.

According to an image posted to Instagram, the design chief unveiled multiple Apple Watch Sports bands including dark blue, red, light pink, and yellow. All of these colors have never been seen before. Apple is letting attendees of the Design Week in Milan try on any Apple Watch combinations of their choosing, including these new Watch bands.

You can find images of the event below (via Umberta Gnutti Beretta).

[Umberta Gnutti Beretta]