There's a big change made in the popular social media app known as SnapChat.
The Los Angeles-based company rolled out its new features in a massive update yesterday, called Chat 2.0. On their blog, they introduce the new version, saying:
"When we first launched Chat, our goal was to emulate the best parts of the face-to-face conversation. Chat 1.0 was all about the joys of being here - when most apps told you when your friend was typing, Chat let you know that your friend was listening. Two years later, we've learned a ton about how people talk, but our goal remains unchanged. We want Chat to be the best way to communicate - second only to hanging out face-to-face.
Today, we're excited to introduce Chat 2.0. You can start by sending a few chats, and when your friend shows up, start talking or video chatting instantly with one tap. Your friend can simply listen if you want to sing them a song, or watch if you have a new puppy to show them. If they aren't there, you can quickly send an audio note to say what you mean. And sometimes, a sticker says it best :)"
Snapchat is playing catch-up to other social media apps such as Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp with their new video calling and over 200 new stickers similar to those found on Facebook Messenger.
Snapchat stories now have the capability to auto advance, which means after watching one friend's "Story," or after swiping left, the other stories in your list will automatically start playing.
The new stickers are found in chat, and related ones to words you type will appear after tapping on the Stickers' button. On a side note, Snapchat bought the emoji maker Bitstrips for $100 million, so we should be seeing more personalized items in the future, right? No sign of Bitmoji, yet, but users will be allowed to design and buy personalized Geofilters on-demand.
GottaBeMobile made a YouTube video tutorial that shows how to use the new update- how to chat with video, audio, stickers and more.
My daughter and her friend tried out the new version of SnapChat shortly. Their observations were that the experience was fun. They liked the stickers, and that one can chat with text while on a video call. "It's cool-looking when there is chat(text) on the side of the video chat." Their phones heated up a lot while on the video chat, and they noticed when they got too close to each other with their phones, the video turned black, and there was just text. Not that most users would use the chat feature right next to each other.
Snapchat warns its users still that "Snapchatters can always capture or save your messages, such as by taking a screenshot or using a camera. Be mindful of what you Snap!" Snap responsibly, folks!
Have you used the new Snapchat? What has been your experience? Let us know in the comments below!
