Hey Spark Bites heroes, welcome to another edition of Spark Bites! This week we’ve got an urgent mission for you. All the information you need can be found below.
Snapchat is saying Shazam, in more ways than one; the company released its first voice-activated lens in promotion of the new superhero movie Shazam!, allowing users to Shazam songs playing in the background of snaps and stories. Instagram is extending the use of poll stickers to advertisers, WhatsApp is providing users with forwarding information, and Facebook is adding a dedicated gaming tab and the option to reply directly to specific messages.
Your mission? To read up on all the social media updates we’ve provided here, and to spread the word to anyone that needs some Spark Bites in their life! We’ve a lot to conquer today, so let’s get going. Shazam!
Snapchat
The biggest contender today is Snapchat! The platform released its first voice-activated lens to promote the upcoming movie Shazam! Users can say “Ok, Shazam!” and they will be transformed into Shazam, so they can fight evil in all its forms! (Disclaimer: this is a novelty filter and does not bestowe real superpowers… they left that to the professionals)
On the topic of Shazam, Snapchat is also allowing users to “Shazam” songs playing in other users’ snaps and stories, using the listening feature to identify music so you never have to wonder what that catchy tune was! Users will also be able to look back at the history of songs they searched so you don’t have to worry about remembering them, either. Knowing every song your friends are listening to? Never forgetting that title? Sounds like a super power, doesn’t it?
Facebook is making it easier for you to find the games you love by adding a separate gaming tab to the home screen. From the tab, you can quickly navigate to the game of your choice so you never miss a turn again! Game on.
Facebook is also adding a little telepathic power of its own, following in the footsteps of the powerful WhatsApp! Now, Facebook Messenger users will be able to reply to specific messages in a conversation. So no more convoluted group chats for you. You will be all powerful!
WhatsApp is expanding its powers to include information-forwarding. Users who send a message can now see how many times that message is forwarded. Anything over four times will be considered “frequently forwarded.” So send that super message, and then see how far it goes!
Instagram is improving advertisers’ stories by allowing them to add poll stickers to their ads. In its blog, Instagram said that in nine out of ten beta tests, poll stickers resulted in more users viewing an ad for a longer period of time. I guess we can’t resist choosing a side, whether it’s good or evil, hero or villain, DC or Marvel!
That’s all we have this week, heroes! Good luck with this mission, we’re counting on you. We’ll call on you next week for another Spark Bites mission, but until then, stay super.