The first Snapchat update of 2017 is here and it is huge. The app has a totally new look that makes it far easier to find friends, Discover publishers, and Our Stories.
The noticeable addition is a search bar that shows up on every screen, including your camera. That search bar lets you quickly chat groups and individuals, but also shows you people you may be interested in following. This is somewhat similar to Instagram's Explore tab, but on a much smaller scale. Still, it's something that we've long been waiting for Snapchat to introduce.
It's surprising to see such a major design overhaul so close on the heels of Snapchat's big December update, which launched groups, new creative tools, and a Shazam integration. But hey, if this is a sign of larger things to come this year, we're here for it.
If you don't see the changes right away, be patient: The update is rolling out to select Android users first, beginning today, with iOS coming soon. Click through to check out how all the new features look in-app.
The search bar shows up on every screen, including your camera screen, so you can easily find friends no matter where you are on the app. You can also tap your Bitmoji (or the ghost icon if you don't have a Bitmoji), which appears on the lefthand side of the search bar, to immediately go to your profile.
Photo: Courtesy Snapchat.
Clicking on the search bar lets you easily access your individual friends and groups, and shows you new contacts that you can add. You can also access Discover entries by searching for a publisher's name.
The "Quick Add" tab you see to the right of "New Friends" is full of suggestions of people to follow, based on new contacts on your phone and also mutual friends.
Photo: Courtesy Snapchat.
When you've searched for a friend, tap their name to chat or the story thumbnail on the left to watch their latest posts. You can also press and hold down their name to see their mini profile.
Photo: Courtesy Snapchat.
Our Story just went global! Now, you don't need to be at a specific event to submit a Snap, meaning that Snaps in the Story can come from anywhere at any time.
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