Instagram is getting Giphy integration - its biggest upgrade in years

Instagram is getting Giphy integration - its biggest upgrade in years

If you're a little bored with Instagram's usual filters, this photo-sharing service is about to get a major upgrade in the video department. Facebook has acquired animated picture platform Giphy for $400 million.

What does this acquisition mean? According to Axios, which first reported the acquisition, Giphy "will retain its own brand and major integration is expected to take place through Facebook's Instagram platform."

According to Facebook's post, the company plans to integrate Giphy's librable into Instagram and other apps. As Facebook points out, 50% of Giphy's traffic already comes from its apps, with half of that coming from Instagram. Therefore, integrating Giphy into the Instagram app seems like a logical next step.

We know what you're thinking. Will Giphy as we know it cease to exist? Facebook claims that "people can upload GIFs" and that developers and API partners will continue to have the same access to Giphy's API.

As CNBC points out in its own report on Facebook's acquisition of Giphy, Apple uses Giphy images in iMessage, and Slack and Twitter have also integrated Giphy into their apps. It is therefore up to Facebook to allay the concerns of Giphy's other partners.

The biggest obstacle to Giphy's integration into Instagram may be the federal government. The deal is likely to come under FTC scrutiny due to its sheer size.

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