I mean, it was Facebook that started the free-for-all on copying features. Given such, it’s no surprise that Snap has launched another Instagram-like feature, this time in the form of ‘Bounce’, which is essentially Instagram’s ‘Boomerang’ under a different name.

The feature, first reported by Elite Daily, is very easy to use – after you’ve taken a video Snap (as I have above of my dog), you tap and hold the ‘Infinity Loop’ loop icon at the bottom of the right-hand side options menu. When you do, you’ll see a new ‘Bounce’ slider show up on screen which covers the duration of the clip. You can then move the slider across to where you what the Bounce to replay from, and it’ll loop over and over from that spot in the playback.

As noted, the functionality’s essentially the same Instagram’s Boomerang, though Snap’s variation gives you more control – rather than having to loop the whole clip, you can choose a specific start point. And whether it’s a copy or not, it’s an interesting addition, another creative option to help customize your Snaps.

According to Elite Daily’s report, Snapchat has also announced another new option – the ability to keep messages in threads for up to 24 hours, as opposed to them erasing after being read.  

“When you send a message on Snapchat, it automatically deletes when opened. Not anymore. The social media app is giving users the option to keep one-on-one chat conversations for up to 24 hours, according to a Snap Inc. spokesperson.”

Users will have the option to turn the feature on for individual chats, though the default will remain Snap’s traditional ‘burn after reading’ approach.

Both are relatively minor, yet relevant Snap additions, with Bounce, in particular, providing some interesting considerations.

The messaging change moves Snap another, little step further away from its ephemeral content roots, but Snap’s already been moving in that direction for some time, so it’s unlikely to upset regular users too much, if at all.

And speaking of inching away from its roots, check out this video on Snapchat’s data usage.

There are no real surprises there, but it is interesting to see how Snap has slowly moved more into line with other social apps - towards more 'creepy' ad targeting, as Snap CEO Evan Spiegel once called it - as it seeks to maximize ad potential and boost its revenue generation options.