Messaging coming to Instagram before 2014

The famous photo editing and sharing app could soon include an instant messaging feature, according to tech news website GigaOM.

The famous photo editing and sharing app could soon include an instant messaging feature, according to tech news website GigaOM.

The new messaging function will reportedly be included in the next update of the app. Without going into detail, GigaOM explains that the instant messaging service could be used simply to chat with contacts, or to send photos or albums to groups of contacts.

Notwithstanding its success, Instagram is now faced with the need to innovate and evolve to keep up with competitors such as Snapchat, which allows users to limit the amount of time a photo is visible to contacts.

Instagram -- an app for taking, editing and sharing photos -- was first launched in 2010. In 2013, the app began offering the same services for video. Today, the app has nearly 200 million users worldwide.