Instagram is reportedly testing out AR effects and a 'Watch Party' like feature

Instagram’s next update could see some major improvements in the app’s video calling feature which will enable users to view on-platform video content with the person they are video calling, while simultaneously seeing their reactions on screen via the phone camera. [caption id=“attachment_5681941” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”] Representative Image.[/caption] Jane Manchun Wong, who has earlier accurately provided information for features of Instagram that are still being tested, first reported on this update. This type of interaction wherein you and the participant/participants are viewing the same content and also seeing each other’s reactions side by side is called communal video viewing. This can be better explained in the video tweet embedded below.

Instagram is testing AR Effects and Co-Watching in Video Calls

(hands-on demo) pic.twitter.com/y1OV80zVtg

— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) April 17, 2019

Facebook already has a communal video viewing feature on the Messanger app and Facebook called  **Watch Party** and so it is natural that Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, is also getting this option or something similar to it. Wong also discovered an unreleased feature that would most likely **hide the like count** on public photo posts on Instagram. In a statement to The Verge, Instagram has stated that it is not testing this feature at the moment but  exploring different ways in which the pressure on original posters could be reduced on Instagram. If this feature is indeed being explored, it could mean a big change in the way Instagram is perceived by its audience.