Snapchat is removing the Auto Advance feature to give users control of their Story viewing experience once again. It was about goddam time, if I might add. Shortly after Auto Advance debuted in March of this year, folks began complaining that Auto Advance made it impossible to individually choose Stories to watch. The updated app has now replaced Auto Advance with an all-new feature they’re calling Story Playlist.
“Sometimes we just want to see what our close friends or family are up to—not all of our friends—and Auto Advance prevented that,” Snapchat admitted in a blog post.
Tapping a Story now views it rather than automatically advance you to the next Story. The app creators underscored that the new Story Playlist feature is a replacement for Auto Advance as it lets you select specific Stories to watch and seamlessly view them full screen in the order you selected them.
Simply tap on the Story thumbnail to the left of your friend’s name to add their Story to your playlist, then hit the play button at the bottom of the screen to watch.
You can watch Stories in Story Playlist mode one at a time, or play them in the sequence you prefer. Before today, the app automatically began the next person’s story after you finished watching another user’s story.
Snapchat also “puts friends first” now, meaning news content has moved to the bottom in order to make room for updates from your friends and family at the top.