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Snap is overhauling its app to make it simpler, bringing the most-used features to the forefront, spotlighting content from well-known brands and investing in AI.
Why It Tracks: Every social media app wants a piece of TikTok’s success, and Snap is hoping that a focus on a unified, short-form video experience will increase user engagement and boost ad revenue.
Between the Code: Snap VP of product Ceci Mourkogiannis said the new app is centered around three things: “Chatting, Snapping, and watching entertaining videos.”
- Users will be able to watch stories (and programmed ads) within the chat function so they can be entertained while waiting for their friend to type a response.
- The new app combines the main video feed with the Spotlight feed so creators’ videos are intermixed with professionally-produced content from brands — all ranked by a single algorithm (similar to TikTok’s For You page).
- And of course, AI will play a big part in the refresh. There’s an OpenAI partnership that gives developers access to tools, the ability for users to generate videos from prompts, and a super-powered “My AI” chatbot.
The Future: Over the past several years, Snapchat has expanded into a home of endless innovative features siloed across the platform. Making the app simpler and more integrated may mean Snapchat is preparing to take TikTok’s spot if it gets banned.
Go Deeper: Snap also gave its Spectacles a facelift in a continued push to mainstream AR.
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