Being a pioneer sure feels good. But when others are blatantly copying the same exact thing, the proud feeling can soon disappear.
Snapchat was the one that originally created the Story format, which quickly became its signature feature.
But when others in the competition saw that feature to be extremely beneficial, they began copying and recreated that same feature, but with some added tweaks.
From Instagram, Facebook and Messenger to WhatsApp and even YouTube. Most popular apps seem to be jumping into the same bandwagon, and they have all benefited handsomely with the feature.
When things can't get any worse for Snapchat, this time, WeChat is doing the same.
The Chinese-made social giant app has just introduced 'Time Capsule' feature which highlights disappearing videos.
The Time Capsule feature has the same basic concepts as Snapchat Stories, or any other Stories format for that matter. With it, users can record a short 15-second clip for friends and others in group chat to watch within 24 hours.
After the time period passed, the video will disappear.
To use this feature, users can access it by pulling down the 'Me' page. This will open a function called 'Record Your Day'.
The big difference is that WeChat does not align Stories posted by others at the top of the feed in a horizontal row. Instead, the app only shows a blue ring around the profile picture of a user to alert others that the user has created such video. It will be up to other users whether they want to see the video or not.
In other words, WeChat is not offering a straightforward way of finding such videos.
This particular addition comes starting version 7.0 of the app, which is part of the larger overhaul WeChat is doing, that also includes an easier way for users to see articles posted by others friends have liked.
And here, the Snap-like ephemeral video feature comes as part of the app's biggest overhaul since 2014 (version 6.0).
The Chinese messaging giant WeChat has well over 1 billion monthly active users around the world.
Tencent which owns WeChat, apparently also owns stakes in Snap. After seeing an increasing rivalry from video app like TikTok and news app Jinri Toutiao (all operated by ByteDance that has a staggering $75 billion price tag under its belt), WeChat aims to become a straight-up messaging app by having many utility features.
With more than 1 million lightweight apps up and running, users of WeChat can accomplish a long list of tasks, ranging from shopping to ride-hailing, without ever having to leave the WeChat app.
And here, the Time Capsule feature not just lets users share self-disappearing clips, but also allows them to improve those videos with music, location, and other elements commonly seen on video sharing apps like TikTok.
Simply put, WeChat is leveraging everything it has under its disposal to make its Stories feature more compelling.
This is in line with the goal of WeChat founder Allen Zhang, who is known for his obsession with user experience.
Zhang that is also known to be extremely cautious with tweaks, see the major redesign to the WeChat app as an effective strategy for the app in years to come.
With its own Stories feature, WeChat is securing its path for this popular trend.