Snapchat adds video call service and IMs
Snapchat has today announced an update to its product, allowing users to video chat to each other as well as send IMs.
Making the announcement in a blog post, the company said: “Until today, we felt that Snapchat was missing an important part of conversation: presence. There’s nothing like knowing you have the full attention of your friend while you’re chatting.
“We let you know when a friend is Here in your Chat so that you can give each other your full attention. And if you’re both Here, simply press and hold to share live video – and Chat face-to-face!”
Describing the new tool as ‘putting the chat into Snapchat’, the concept is unveiled in a video that shows a boy unveiling his new puppy…and a long-distance couple sharing a tooth-brushing ritual.
The company added: “Building Snapchat has taught us a lot about what makes conversation special. When we first started working on an application for sharing disappearing pictures, we had no idea how much we would learn. Our classmates were quick to point out that you could always take a screenshot. That led us to the notion of deletion by default – you keep what you want, and we’ll get rid of everything else.”
Like with images, the IMs will now disappear when the app is closed.
Steve Cater, head of digital at whynot!, said today's announcement "is set to completely redefine how their 40 million users engage with the app."
He added: "Messaging is an natural progression but certainly doesn’t feel like a focus (more a nice to have). The focus remains sharing in interesting ways and with this evolution users can continue to share in a fun way.
"Snapchat are being inventive. They’re understanding what their users want and they’re giving it to us in exciting new ways."