Instagram introduced Stories, which lets users share photos and videos with a 24 hour life span in a slideshow format, bearing a strong resemblance to rival Snapchat’s signature feature.

Facebook owned-Instagram said in a blog post that this means users no longer have to worry about over posting, allowing for sharing as much “as you want throughout the day – with as much creativity as you want, with added features such as text and drawing tools”.

The photos and video will also disappear after 24 hours and won’t appear on the user’s profile or feed.

Several market watchers have described the feature as a copy of Snapchat Stories, which offers photo and video sharing where stories also disappear after the same time frame.

In an interview with TechCrunch, Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom acknowledged that Snapchat “deserves all the credit” for making ephemeral messaging popular, while adding that it was Instagram that brought picture filters to the forefront, which was adopted by Snapchat.

In July, Snapchat also launched a Memories feature allowing users to share and save content.

To view a story on Instagram, users have to tap on their profile photo, but unlike regular posts on the platform, there are no likes or public comments, and users can also see who has viewed content.

“Instagram has always been a place to share the moments you want to remember. Now you can share your highlights and everything in between, too,” added the blog post.