Pictures have been Instagram’s forte for years, but not everyone wants their photos on show for the world to see whenever they want. That’s when SnapChat happened. Now Instagram is chasing their tales with Bolt.
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The idea behind Bolt is “one-tap” messaging. Available on iOS and Android; Bolt lets you swiftly send a photo or video to a friend, disappearing once read. To send a photo you simply press on a friends face, or to send a video just long-press their face. Sent a fugly selfie to your crush by accident? just shake your phone to undo it.
News of the launch came after several Instagram users noticed a link to the Bolt app on Android. The link was pulled shortly after the news broke.
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Currently Bolt is only available in New Zealand, Singapore and South Africa on both iOS and Android, but this is all strategic, as a spokesperson for Instagram explains why those countries were chosen: “for their geographical diversity, but also for their tight-knit communities“. Later they added “We’re going to other regions soon, but are starting with handful of countries to make sure we can scale the experience,” “Instagram has 65% of its users overseas, so an international launch, while different, is actually not all that out of order with what we do.”
Source: The Verge