Snapchat has added two new features to its Snap Map in order to create a ‘living breathing world’ for a user’s Bitmoji.
A year after the tech company launched Snap Maps, the geolocation feature is about to get a lot snazzier.
World Effects adds new animations and color schemes to the map. It will blast confetti on birthdays, and themed maps for holidays or ‘cultural events’.
Snapchat added two new features, Weather and World Effects, to its Snap Map. Weather (left), adds animations to an individual’s Bitmoji when someone zooms in. World Effects (right) adds new animations and color schemes to the map
The second effect, Weather, adds animations to an individual’s Bitmoji when someone zooms in.
Users will see animated rain, snow or sunshine depending on where they are.
The map feel more like ‘this living breathing world that your Bitmoji would want to live in,’ Snap product designer Jack Brody said to Mashable.
Snap Maps has made headlines in the past for giving users a chance to experience breaking news and events in real-time, like natural disasters and protests, as well as more entertainment-focused moments like concerts and popular sporting events.
However, the company maintains that a lighthearted atmosphere is important for its users.
‘That’s something we aim to pull into everything that we do,’ Brody said.
‘We’re always thinking how do we keep this playful, how do we keep this personal and allow it to feel like it’s alive.’
Snapchat launched Snap Map last June and counts 100 million monthly users. The firm has continued to add more features to Snap Map, including a Map Explore tool earlier this year, which sends users updates on what their friends are up to
WHAT HAS SNAPCHAT INTRODUCED IN THE LAST SIX MONTHS?
Snapchat has introduced several major new features in the last six months to increase its popularity, including:
- App redesign: Separates ‘Friends’ and ‘Discover’ pages to create a more personalised experience.
- Deluxe bitmoji app: Features new hairstyles and skin tones and more inclusive avatars.
- Snap Store: Users can buy a t-shirt with a dog filter plastered on the front or a plushie of the firm’s ‘augmented reality superstar,’ also known as the dancing hot dog, among other items.
- Custom geofilters: Geofilters are a location-based tool that allows Snapchat users to share where they are, or what they’re up to, by adding overlay text and images to a Snap. They can be placed to cover an area the size of a house up to a 100 football pitches and made visible for a couple of hours up to a few days.
- Share Snapchat Stories with anyone: Users can now share Snapchat stories with anyone, regardless of whether they have the app. The features allows users to create a hyperlink for clips and pictures. The feature appears when you press and hold down on certain ‘tiles’ in the Discover part of the app.
- Add links, voice filters and backdrops to snaps: The ‘paperclip’ feature allows users to add a link to their snap, which users can open by swiping up. The ‘backdrops’ feature allows users to add a motif backdrop to their snap by drawing they want to stand outside of the filter. The ‘voice filters’ allows users to remix the sound of their voice in various different styles, including that of a cat or an alien.
- Group video chat: Users can add up to 16 friends at once to a group video chat, which can be accessed in the app’s messaging section Simply tap the video icon in a group chat in the app. Friends in the group will receive a notification inviting them to join.
- Tagging: To tag a friend, users insert the ‘@’ sign, type out their friend’s username and then tap on the name of the user they want to tag. When a user sees a tagged Snap, they can swipe up and add the person as a friend or view any public Stories.
- Snappables: Snappables lets you play with your friends in a variety of point scoring challenges and multiplayer scenarios, including fighting aliens or playing basketball.
- Friendmojis in iOS: Snapchat began allowing users to send ‘Friendmojis’, or Bitmojis with friends, via the Bitmoji keyboard in iMessages on an iPhone or iPad.
- ‘Clear Chats’ feature: The ‘Clear Chats’ tool lets you ‘unsend’ messages after they’ve been sent to a friend, either in an individual or a group chat. Just press and hold on a message, click ‘Delete’ and an alert will appear in a chat saying that a message has been removed.
Last month, Snapchat added a feature to its Map to further protect user’s privacy.
The firm launched a ‘Send and Request’ feature that made it so users can pick and choose who can see their location.
It should give users greater peace of mind when they use Snap Map, which previously allowed all your contacts to know your whereabouts.
Snapchat launched Snap Map last June and counts 100 million monthly users.
The firm has continued to add more features to Snap Map, including a Map Explore tool earlier this year, which sends users updates on what their friends are up to.
The app shows location updates that can be viewed by clicking ‘New Updates’.
Map Explore also gives users updates for other ‘moments’ like breaking news, events and trends.
