Instagram looks to be testing yet another Stories addition, with Twitter user Václav Blahout sharing these images of a new, animated selfie sticker tool that overlays graphics and effects related to different emoji characters on top of your image.

The option is available (to those who can access it) via a new 'Selfie' sticker option, and the rounded, selfie stickers can be applied as many times as you like within a Stories frame.

If it does get a wider release, it would be another creative consideration for your Stories. And it looks impressive - you can imagine that it will prove popular, if, again, it does, in fact, end up getting the green light. 

Blahout is based in the Czech Republic, so the new function may only be available in certain regions, or to selected users, at this stage (we've asked Instagram if they can provide any info on this).  

The new sticker adds to the growing list of Instagram Stories features being pumped out by the app - in the first three months of 2020 alone, Instagram has:

• Launched an option to reply to Stories with a GIF
• Begun testing of a new video trimming feature for Instagram Stories
• Begun testing a new map sticker for Stories which would display your location on a world map
• Added a new option which enables you to easily locate and re-share Stories which mention your profile
• Added new 'SloMo', 'Echo' and 'Duo' alternate Boomerang modes
• Begun testing a new 'Mirror' mode option for the Stories Camera

Given the rising use of all social platforms amid the current lockdowns, it makes sense for each app to be pushing out new tools and tests now, in order to gauge and maximize interest. It'll be interesting to see, then, which of them takes hold, and becomes a more popular, useful element - and which tests fade out, never to be heard from again.

Either way, there are now a lot more creative options for your Stories updates.

We'll update this post if/when we receive more info.