Facebook acquires Giphy, reportedly for US$400 million

Facebook has acquired GIF-sharing service Giphy and plans to make it part of the Instagram team. Facebook didn't reveal how much it paid for to buy Giphy, but Axios reports that it's priced at around US$400 million. Giphy is expected to keep its branding, but it'll be primarily integrated into Instagram. GIFs are prevalent and used heavily in Instagram Stories, so having more access to a GIF-sharing service could work in Facebook's favour. We might expect to see it more integrated into other Facebook services as well.

Source: Engadget

You can now send Instagram direct messages on the desktop

It's easier to slide into Instagram DMs on the desktop now. The Facebook-owned social media app announced on Twitter that you can now send direct messages from the desktop. Instagram is rolling out the feature to all users around the world. Sending DMs works the same way it does on mobile. You'll now see a direct message icon on the top right corner of your screen. You can access existing conversations and send new ones as well.

Facebook's latest test lets Stories users cross-post to Instagram

Cross-posting with Instagram used to be a one-way street. Instagram users were able to share their Stories to Facebook, but not the other way around. Now, the company is working on a new tool for Facebook Stories users to cross-post to Instagram Stories. App researcher Jane Manchun Wong first discovered the "Share Story to Instagram" toggle within the Story Privacy settings. If you switch this feature on, a "Share to Story" button will appear on your post.

Facebook confirmed that it is testing the feature now. It isn't clear when it will be widely released or if it will allow both apps to sync a Story's view so you can avoid watching the same cross-posted Story twice. But we will let you know for any updates.

Source: Engadget

Instagram now lets Canadian users add music to Stories

After waiting years for the feature to come to Canada, Instagram and Facebook users can now add music clips to their Stories. According to Facebook, if the song you want to put has lyrics, these will automatically show up and can be used as reference points of what part of the song you want to include in your Story. The lyrics might have different animation or text styles, which you can access by tapping on them. It can be manipulated in the same way you would other stickers. The Instagram Stories question feature will now also have music, allowing your friends to reply to your query using a song from the music library.

It's now also possible for Canadians to add videos with music in the new music section on your Facebook profile. Aside from that, you can pin songs to the top of your profile, too. Facebook said it collaborated with local artists and labels to make sure Canadian artists are prominent on its platform. The new features should already be available on both platforms.

Source: MobileSyrup