The website linking feature was already available to brand pages and is being released for users now on iOS and Android. Now users can attach a link to a website to their snaps by tapping on the Paperclip icon from the toolkit and their friends can swipe up to view it. Attaching a link to a website feature is available in Instagram’s if you have a publisher or verified account. With the new update, users will also get an option to create customised Geofilters suiting a personal event like a wedding, birthday or graduation. This feature isn’t free as the pricing starts at $5.99. Snapchatters can create their custom filters right inside the Snapchat app using the same Creative Tools that are available for regular snaps. To access the feature, tap ‘On-Demand Geofilters’ in the app settings, pick a theme from the list, customise it with text, bitmojis and stickers and then submit it. Snapchat will notify users when their customised filter has been approved and will send details for payment. The backdrop feature, which can be accessed via the Scissors icon, allows users to cut an area from their Snap and insert a colourful pattern instead. The backdrops will be rotated daily, just like the Snapchat filters. Another feature included in the update is the Voice filter which was previously available in Snapchat’s AR live filter lenses. Using Voice filters, users can remix their voices after recording a snap from among the selection of voice filters available on the app. These features have just surfaced on Snapchat and it will come as no surprise if Instagram introduces the same features in the near future, since both of them are well-known to copy features from the other platform.
Snap Map Privacy Concerns on the Rise
Snapchat’s last update to its app introduced the Snap Map feature, which has come under public scrutiny due to concern about privacy and security, especially of teenage kids who are active on the social media platform. According to a report in the BBC, the National Crime Agency’s Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command (Ceop) has published a document titled ‘Thinkuknow Parents and Carers guide to Snapchat’ which enlists all the app’s features and how to use them keeping in mind their child’s security and privacy.
