Instagram tweeted out that they’re now rolling out the ability to use GIPHY GIFs as reactions to users Stories. While you could put GIF stickers in Instagram Stories for a while now, apparently you couldn’t react to stories with GIFs. Well, now you can I guess? BUT the caveat here is so far, it seems like the feature is only available to iOS and iPhone users, which sucks.
Instagram, why do you keep shafting Android users?
PSA: You can now reply to your friends’ stories using @GIPHY GIFs! Update your app to try it.
— Instagram (@instagram) February 4, 2020
But anyway, you’ll firstly have to update the iOS Instagram app to version 127.0, and then just go to a friends story, start typing in the ‘Send Message’ field and then the camera icon to the left, will turn to a GIF icon instead. Tap on it, and you’ll get a list of GIFs related to what you typed.
Pretty standard stuff and it’s hard to believe they’re just implementing this feature. GIFs have been a form of communication through the internet for the longest time, especially on Twitter. And honestly, I don’t know how to feel about this update. Honestly I hate using a GIF to reply to stuff because it’s just so impersonal and honestly, boring.
Sure it’s fun sometimes but with mass adoption of the feature, now I have to worry about my dumb friends replying to my Instagram story with just a GIF. So impersonal.
But hey, looks like it’s a feature people have wanted for a while so, good for them.
