Instagram have introduced two new types of Instagram stories that could come in very handy

The timing of the introduction might not have been a coincidence.

Instagram may have borrowed heavily from Snapchat when launching their own ‘stories’ feature, but it has arguably already become more popular than the one made famous by their social media rival. By adopting a number of features originally made popular by Snapchat, Instagram haven't exactly been subtle in their attempts to dwarf Snapchat’s influence and they’ve continued to do so with the addition of two new types of stories on Tuesday. Thanks to the introduction of location stories and hashtag stories, Instagram users can now see what’s happening around them and find stories related to their interests. As far as the former is concerned, Instagram users will see a new story ring at the top of Explore filled with stories happening near them, stories that come from people who have used location stickers on their own stories. Instagram users can also search for any location around the world and will see a story ring for that place at the top of the location page. Snapchat users will already be familiar with something similar, but it’s not the first time that’s been true of a new Instagram feature after all. Where Instagram comes into its own is through its use of hashtags and through hashtag stories on Explore, Instagrammers will be able to find stories related to their own interests. When users search for a hashtag, they may see a story ring at the top of the page filled with stories using that hashtag, which could be very useful, as Instagram themselves point out, when seeking to tap into the #fromwhereirun community all around the world. All pictures via Instagram Hashtag stories aren’t available just yet – they’ll be rolled out over the coming weeks – but location stories on Explore are available on iOS and Android as part of Instagram version 10.22 in the Apple App Store and Google Play. Incidentally, Instagram chose to introduce the new types of stories on the same day that Snapchat announced custom stories, which you can find out more about here. Purely a coincidence, we’re sure.