Meta-owned Instagram is reportedly gearing up to take on Twitter with its new text-based app. Thanks to Lia Haberman, we now have an idea of how the upcoming Twitter rival will look.
The upcoming app from Instagram is expected to increase the competition between Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta and Elon Musk’s Twitter. The new Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino, reacting to the news, said “Game on!” This indicates that Twitter is ready to compete with Instagram’s upcoming text-based app.
Game on! https://t.co/62JYrLuuCJ
— Linda Yaccarino (@lindayacc) May 21, 2023
Meanwhile, here’s everything we know about Instagram’s upcoming text-based app.
Instagram’s Text-Based App Could Be Called Barcelona
Lia has published several details about Instagram’s upcoming text-based app in her ICYMI substack newsletter. According to her, the upcoming text-based app from Meta-owned Instagram has the codename P92 or Project 92 or Barcelona. The team calls it Barcelona so that could be a possible name for the app.
It will be completely a text-based app whose tagline will be ‘Instagram for your thoughts’. The details about the platform have been shared already with selected creators and influencers and they are currently testing it. All this leads to a possible launch in late June.
Instagram Text-Based App Features
Based on a (somewhat blurry) example I got, Meta's new app looks a lot like Twitter.
So, could this take over all the Twitter screenshots we've been seeing on the Feed lately? Maybe.
It’s impossible to predict how audiences will respond but this could be an alternative. pic.twitter.com/xgQa1kUjCl
— Lia Haberman (@liahaberman) May 19, 2023
According to a creator who attended the brief, the upcoming text-based app from Instagram would be compatible with other apps including Mastodon. From the leaked image, it seems that the app will use the colour theme of the original Instagram app.
Users will be able to sign in on the new app using their original Instagram username and password. All the existing followers’ lists will be synced; this will include your username, bio, and a verification mark if you have one. Users will have access to search and they will be able to check out other’s profiles on the app.
Like Twitter, Instagram’s new app will also have a character limit of 500. It will support media files including links, photos, and videos of up to 5 minutes long. Users will be able to like, reply or repost any post that they see.
For safety measures, the app will have various privacy-focused features. It will have similar community guidelines to Instagram. This also means that the account you have blocked on your original Instagram account will be carried over to the new app. You will be able to control replies, mention, block, or report spam. You will be also allowed to mute or hide selected words. Last, there will be two-factor authentication for better security.
The newsletter states that Instagram has no plans to monetise the platform which means we might not see any ads on the platform in the beginning. For reference, Twitter heavily relies on ads.
