SNAPCHAT’S LATEST UPDATES – DISCOVER AND MEMORIES

Snapchat has recently updated their Discover tab, as well as introducing some new features for users. The old Discover tab displayed a block of logos from news and media companies. Now, headlines and images display are displayed in a tile format, and can even be integrated with the Stories tab.

Adding image and text previews make Discover more advertiser friendly, as well as more dynamic and engaging for users. The previews are dynamic, refreshing as new content is added, and allow users to subscribe to individual channels.

Snapchat hopes the new Discover updates will bolster the daily views of their partners, some of whom were reportedly not even reaching seven figures in daily views. This could also be a way for Snapchat to introduce more sponsored content and direct sales options.

Memories is another new features Snapchat is set to introduce, and is “a new way to save Snaps and Stories on Snapchat”. While this is, to some degree, a departure from Snapchat’s ephemeral nature, Snapchat believes it gives users the ability to create “a personal collection of favourite moments”.

Essentially, users will be able to upload old Snaps that they’ve previously saved, with these ‘Memories’ also being backed up by Snapchat. Additionally, users can upload photos they’ve taken outside of Snapchat, but these images won’t be backed up. Memories can be sent to friends or used to create stories, much like the existing features. Images that are more than 24 hours old will have a frame around them, as well as a time stamp.

‘My Eyes Only’, is an aspect of Memories that’s particularly interesting. Here, users can upload snaps they create from memories that they don’t want to be visible elsewhere, and is protected by either a passphrase or a 4-digit code.

With Memories also comes some new search features, such as object recognition. Type in keywords like “food” or “sunset” to find relevant images. You can also search by location and date. The search features aren’t perfect but Snapchat says they should get better as more people use them.

The update will be rolling out over the next several months, and is opt-in.