Instagram Takes on Snapchat With Live Video & Disappearing Posts

After Snapchat introduced a couple of Instagram-inspired updates, Instagram is returning the favor with an update of its own. Users can now livestream video with Instagram Stories, but the social media platform’s new Instagram Direct update is the one that hits a little too close to home for Snapchat. Lifting a page right out of the Spectacles maker’s playbook, Instagram now offers disappearing photos and videos alike.

Could this put a damper on Snapchat’s big plans for an IPO? Only time will tell, but in the meantime, you can learn more about the new updates over at Instagram’s official blog. While live video is set to roll out over the weeks ahead, the capability for disappearing posts is available now.