Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Mobile

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Snapchat introduces four new social engagement features

By

Snapchat is continuing its feature rollout to boost social engagement on both its Android and iOS apps. This rollout is part of the app’s ongoing attempt to catch up to Instagram and TikTok, as Snapchat lags significantly behind both titans when it comes to regular users. 

The first new feature is the addition of Bitmoji reactions, similar to Apple’s iMessages reactions, which will also be introduced soon to WhatsApp. With this feature, users will be able to respond to messages with any one of the seven Bitmojis available. Users can simply long-press a received message and respond to it with their choice of emoji. The second change is extremely valuable, as it allows users to preview everyone on the voice call before joining the call. It could help users be prepared and ensure their safety. Lenses can now also be added easily to video calls.

Snapchat feature rollout for engagement.
Snapchat’s new features could give the social media platform a major engagement boost. Image used with permission by copyright holder

The third feature addition permits users to add threaded replies to individual chat messages. This helps users find answers in the same thread instead of endlessly scrolling through thousands of replies. Users can simply long-press a message of their interest, reply to it, and begin threading replies.

The fourth and final feature is the inclusion of poll stickers, which can be used to create emoji-focused polls. These polls can also be shared in snaps and stories. They are available in the app’s sticker folder. The polls will have an element of transparency, letting users see how their friends voted at the polls. The potential for misuse also exists, so users should preferably create these polls only with their close groups or be careful about sharing personal information. 

Snapchat has faced tough competition from Instagram, thanks to its “Instagram Reels” feature, as well as TikTok. As of January 2021, Instagram and TikTok boast 1 billion and 800 million monthly users respectively, as opposed to Snapchat’s comparatively moderate 382 million. With these minor changes, Snapchat hopes to begin holding its own in the social media space.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Sahas Mehra
Sahas Mehra
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Sahas is a freelance writer who specializes in writing on Tech, Health & Wellness, and Gaming. He covers the Mobile…
Spotify’s secret Social Listening feature could create global listening parties
spotify social listening shared playlists song queues small

Though it's still only available to company employees, Spotify appears to be working on a new feature called Social Listening, which lets friends collaborate on music queues and possibly listen to them together in real time. Spotted by app researcher Jane Manchung Wong, who detailed some of the feature's inner workings on Twitter, Social Listening looks like Spotify's existing Collaborative Playlists on steroids.

As the name implies, there's a real social aspect to the feature. Those who choose to join in on your Social Listening invite will see your Spotify profile info, and you'll be able to see theirs. Sending invites to join in can be done by sharing a dedicated URL via all of the usual means (texting, Facebook, etc.) but Spotify appears to have made in-person collaboration the main thrust of Social Listening, through the use of scannable QR-like codes.

Read more
Apple apologizes for its controversial iPad Pro ad
Apple's ad for its refreshed iPad Pro tablet.

It may have seemed like a good idea at the time, but an ad by Apple for its thinnest-ever iPad has turned into a massive headache for the company.

The 68-second “Crush!” ad for the iPad Pro debuted with the unveiling of the new tablet on Tuesday. It shows a large number of objects such as musical instruments, books, and cans of paint being crushed by a hydraulic press in an apparent effort to demonstrate how it's packed a huge amount of creative potential into an ultra-slim digital device.

Read more
Apple finally fixed my biggest issue with the iPad Pro
iPad Pro.

The iPad Pro 2022 Joe Maring / Digital Trends

After a year of no new iPad models, Apple finally gave us what we were hoping for (and then some) during its Let Loose event on May 7. Apple revealed a new 13-inch size for the iPad Air (in addition to the standard 11-inch model), plus brand new iPad Pros.

Read more