New reports show that the popular mobile app Instagram is working on new messaging feature for the app, one that would allow private-messaging between app users. While there have been rumors of this development since social media kingpin Facebook acquired Instagram last year, these are the first reports that prove the service is actually in the works.
GigaOm reported last month through an anonymous source that Instagram was beginning to work on a new private-messaging feature, which would come with the updated version of Instagram before this year’s end. That would put the launch of the new Instagram, along with this long-awaited messaging feature, right around this holiday season — pretty much the perfect time for an image-based media to launch a new product. While sources have not reported how this messaging feature will work and if other similar features are also coming, it’s certainly a new step that’s sure to make the immensely popular photo-sharing site and app even more so.
Use Instagram to share photos and now, chat with friends
While there is no word yet on how this new messaging service will correspond to its mother site Facebook, Techcrunch has reported that Instagram users have been given personal e-mail addresses for Instagram.com, very similar to the personal e-mail addresses Facebook has recently offered its users as a part of service. Techcrunch’s anonymous source, claiming to be an e-commerce marketing professional, evidently discovered these individual addresses during a data-gathering request for a social-networking information company.
Given Facebook’s proclivity for tightening and tightening the reins on its users as it comes up with more and more features to keep us perpetually linked to Facebook, it’s a fair assumption that these e-mail addresses and Instagram’s new messaging feature will tie back to Facebook eventually, if not immediately.
There is no direct comment from Instagram on their new feature, but we’ll just have to judge for ourselves when it hits the shelves this holiday season.
Source: Mashable
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