Snapchat has posted a new version of its iOS client today, bringing the app to version 6.0. The update only includes one new feature—but it’s a major new feature, which the company is calling ‘Snapchat Stories.’
The best way to describe the feature is that it’s sort of similar to Facebook’s News Feed. Story entries are essentially status updates that show your friends what you’ve been up to in the last 24 hours, using pictures…
Here are the release notes:
“Introducing Snapchat Stories.
Share Snaps with all of your friends in one tap.
Snapchat Stories add Snaps together to create a narrative. When you add a Snap to your Story it lives for 24 hours before it disappears, making room for the new. Your Story always plays forward, because it makes sense to share moments in the order you experience them.
Your Story never ends and it’s always changing. The end of your Story today is the beginning of your Story tomorrow. And each Snap in your Story includes a list of everyone who views it.
Happy Snapping!”
And the accompanying video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88Cu3yN-LlM
According to The Verge, the new feature can be accessed by holding your finger on a contact’s name. This starts a stream of every snap they’ve shared to their Story within the last 24 hours, played in chronological order.
I think the whole Stories idea is compelling, and it’ll be interesting to see how users take to it. Snapchat is beginning to look more and more like Facebook in its early days—before all of the ads and Candy Crush invites.
You can find the latest version of Snapchat here.
What do you think about Snapchat Stories? Hit idea, or gimmick?