| Cult of Mac

Instagram now lets users apply to be verified

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Instagram lawsuit
Instagram is letting everyone apply for verified badges.
Photo: Pixabay

Getting verified on Instagram just got a little bit easier. The social photo sharing app revealed today that it will now let users apply to get a little blue check by their profile so followers know if you are really a public figure, celebrity or global brand.

Instagram gets more conversational with Question Stickers

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Instagram lawsuit
Instagram is beefing up Stories with loads of new features.
Photo: Pixabay

Striking up a conversation on Instagram just became as easy as slapping a sticker on your Story.

Instagram revealed today that it has added a new feature called Question Stickers that gives users a new way to ask and receive questions from followers so you can get more acquainted with each other.

Explore your interests through pictures with Instagram [50 Essential iOS Apps #20]

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Cult of Mac Instagram profile
Instagram could soon offer original shows of its own.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

50 Essential iOS Apps: Workflow appThere are tons of social networks to choose from. Some help you stay up-to-date with news, while others are focused on friends or family. Instagram is the social network for seeing the world and keeping up with your interests through images. Unlike Twitter or Facebook, Instagram lets photos do the majority of the talking.

Twitter is working to steal one of Snapchat’s best features

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Twitter is pivoting to video.
Photo: Twitter

A major redesign of Twitter’s mobile app is rumored to be underway and it could spell bad news for Snapchat.

Rumors of Twitter’s camera-focused redesign have been swirling for months, but according to a new report, the redesign will also steal one of Snapchat’s best location-based features.

Get Apple’s new video app Clips and go crazy

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clips
Spice up your videos with Clips.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s new app Clips finally arrived on the App Store today, bringing iPhone and iPad owners an all-new way to make fun and silly videos that are perfect for social networks.

Clips lets users combine video clips, photos and music into short videos that can be up to an hour long. You can also add flair to your videos by adding filters, emoji, stickers, captions and more. But according to some early reviews, navigating the simple app can be a bit complex.

(Update: We’ve got a tip sheet for making the most of Apple’s new video app: How to make your videos more amazing with Clips.)

Apple buys iCloud domain from Chinese social network

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iCloud site
Breaking news: iCloud's closing. (Not that one!)
Photo: iCloud.net

In an attempt to crack down on confusion and protect its intellectual property rights, Apple has acquired the website iCloud.net, previously the home of a small Chinese social network.

The web address now displays a message revealing that the site as it currently exists will be closing at the end of the month, and that all existing user data will be destroyed.

Is Apple wasting its time trying to fight Snapchat? [Friday Night Fights]

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Apple has tried to fight the social networks before.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s next big venture could be to go head-to-head with Snapchat and similar content-sharing services. The company is expected to integrate new video features into iOS that would be developed by the engineers behind Final Cut and iMovie.

Friday Night Fights bug But is this a good idea? Apple failed miserably when it tried to take on social networks before, and some would argue that many of its products already suffer as a result of its expansion into new areas.

Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight as we battle it out over whether Apple is wasting its time trying to fight Snapchat.