The popular ephemeral messaging app Snapchat today introduced Geofilters, basically custom filters that only work on photos taken in specific geographic locations.
Geofilters are available by swiping to the right from the Preview screen after taking a photo. This will produce custom-designed text or graphic stickers that can be overlaid on your image to make it more attractive.
As the name suggests, Snapchat Geofilters are location dependent and available for locations in Los Angeles and New York City…
Snapchat explains that Geofilters change depending on which neighborhoods you’re in.
We’ve had a lot of fun drawing up new filters for special locations in Los Angeles and New York.
Swipe right on the preview screen to check them out – they’ll change depending on which neighborhoods you’re in!
Check out the promotional video below which depicts Geofilters for Disneyland.
As TechCrunch noted, Geofilters could represent a new revenue source for Snapchat though a company spokesperson underscored that existing Geofilters are free.
The company added it “can’t comment on future plans around monetization, but [Snapchat] think[s] that the Geofilters are really fun and are excited for people to discover them.”
Because Geofilters are location-based, you’ll need to allow Snapchat to use your location. Don’t worry, Snapchat notes that it won’t store your location on its servers.
You can later change this in your iOS device Settings > Privacy > Location Services.