Social media is forever changing which makes it easy to miss an update from time to time. Twice a month, we look into three of the latest key updates from the past few weeks from the various social media giants. Here’s what’s been happening recently…

Instagram Expands Access to Reels Templates & Adds New Music Recommendations for Reels Clips

Looking to get into Instagram Reels, but not sure what to post?

This could help – over the last week, Instagram has been giving more users access to its Reels ‘Templates’ option, which enables you to create Reels based on popular content formats in the app.

As you can see in the above example, shared by user Ahmed Ghanem, some people are now seeing the new ‘Templates’ option within the Reels camera, which enables you to select a format for your Reel based on popular trends.

Instagram initially launched its Templates option back in April, which takes users through a frame-by-frame process to create a similar-looking Reels clip. So if you lack creativity, now Instagram will do the creative framing for you, which could be handy, as a means to create more engaging clips. But the downside is that it could also make a lot more of your Reels feed look familiar, due to replication of the same types of clips over and over again.

That’s not the only way that IG is looking to lend a guiding hand in the Reels creation process. According to another discovery by Ghanem, Instagram will also now recommend songs for your content, based on your upload.

How, exactly, Instagram recommends different songs for different clips is not clear, but based on these tools, you could essentially remove yourself of almost all your creative content decisions – you just come up with what you want to film and Instagram’s recommendation tools and templates will do the rest. While we would always encourage originality and creativity, this could be handy for those occasions where you’re a little stuck for ideas!

Twitter Tests New Bitmoji Integration to Display Your Digital Character as Your Twitter Profile Image

Twitter is experimenting with a new integration that would enable users to display their Bitmoji character as their Twitter profile image, providing another way to use your digital avatar as a representation of yourself.

As you can see above, posted by app researcher Alessandro Paluzzi, Twitter’s testing out a new Bitmoji integration within the profile image upload flow, with an ‘Add Bitmoji’ button to connect your Bitmoji account.

Which, of course, would also link your Twitter profile to Snapchat, which owns Bitmoji. Essentially, this integration would provide a direct link between your Snapchat profile, where you create your Bitmoji character, and Twitter, which may be the first time that the two platforms have partnered on a direct integration of this type.

That’s interesting in terms of competition, given the two platforms operate in a competitive space. But at the same time, Twitter doesn’t have its own native avatar creation tools, as yet, and the integration with Bitmoji likely suggests that it’s not looking to add such, instead leaning on Snap’s character creation tools to enable another means of expression with your Twitter presence.

Snapchat Officially Launches its New ‘Snapchat+’ Subscription Program

Snapchat has officially launched its new Snapchat+ subscription service, which will enable users to pay a monthly fee in order to gain access to exclusive in-app features, including custom app icons, new profile badges, data insights, display tools and more.

As explained by Snap: “We’re now launching Snapchat+, a collection of exclusive, experimental, and pre-release features available in Snapchat for $3.99/month.  This subscription will allow us to deliver new Snapchat features to some of the most passionate members of our community and allow us to provide prioritised support.”

And also, make more money, which is a key concern for Snap, which has been hit hard by recent economic shifts, particularly in Europe, leading to reduced ad spend in the app.

Based on initial leaks of the Snapchat+ offering, the new subscription program will include:

• Access to exclusive Snapchat icons
• A new profile badge to show that you’re a Snapchat+ user
• New data insights, including the capacity to see your friends’ location history (over the last 24 hours) and info on who’s rewatched your Story
• The capacity to pin a user in the app as ‘your #1 best friend’

Will you subscribe to Snapchat +?…

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