Snapchat: News

Snapchat is an image-centric social media platform of American origin developed by Snap Inc. (formerly known as Snapchat Inc.). The platform was co-founded in 2015 by Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy, and Reggie Brown when they were studying together at Stanford University. Initially, the platform focused on chatting with snaps, i.e. person-to-person image sharing once users sign up with their phone number. Today, the platform has broadened its horizons with several elements using new technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning to apply filters to faces in real-time, help users interact with augmented reality objects, and has garnered a fanbase for these unique offerings. As of July 2021, Snapchat is available in 37 languages and caters to 293 million daily active users. According to a letter to investors in 2020, over four billion Snaps are sent each day. Meanwhile, Snapchat’s parent company Snap Inc. calls itself “a camera company”. It believes that reinventing the camera is a simple way to improve the way people communicate. The company is also known for Snapchat Glasses that can be purchased from vending machines. The glasses have cameras built-in and can directly post point-of-view Snap Stories for you.

Snapchat's new AI-powered feature makes Bitmoji versions of your pet

Snapchat has unveiled a novel feature for its users - an AI-driven pet Bitmoji.

27 Mar 2024

Meta

Facebook's secretive 'Project Ghostbusters' exposed: Here's everything we know

In 2016, Facebook embarked on a secretive mission dubbed "Project Ghostbusters."

25 Mar 2024

India

Snapchat aims to attract Indian Gen Z with tailored experiences

Snapchat is honing in on the creation of tailored experiences in India to draw in more Generation Z users, Pulkit Trivedi, India's Managing Director for Snap Inc. told Moneycontrol.

15 Mar 2024

Android

Snapchat will soon let users save DMs: Here's how

Snapchat is dabbling with a new feature known as "Infinite Retention Mode," allowing users to preserve direct messages (DMs) exchanged with friends, according to Axios.

27 Feb 2024

Instagram

Instagram will soon show where your besties are hanging out

Instagram is developing a 'Friend Map' feature that will allow users to view their friends' real-time locations, according to a Meta spokesperson.

06 Feb 2024

Layoff News

Snap to lay off 10% of staff amid revenue struggles

Snap Inc is letting go of nearly 10% of its workforce or around 500 employees.

18 Jan 2024

Samsung

Samsung Galaxy S24 first to upload HDR photos on Instagram

Samsung's Galaxy S24 series is making waves as the first smartphones to allow HDR photo uploads on Instagram.

13 Dec 2023

Technology

Snapchat+ subscribers can now share AI-generated snaps: Here's how

Snapchat is stepping up its AI game by rolling out new features for its subscribers, enabling them to create and send AI-generated images based on text prompts.

14 Nov 2023

Amazon

You can now purchase products from Amazon within Snapchat

Amazon has recently forged a partnership with Snap, enabling users to buy items directly from advertisements within the Snapchat app, as reported by The Information.

17 Oct 2023

Instagram

Snapchat launches content embedding for websites akin to Instagram, TikTok

Snapchat is stepping up its game by allowing websites to embed public content on the platform like Spotlight videos, Lenses, Public Stories, and Public Profiles.

06 Oct 2023

United Kingdom

Snapchat's AI chatbot faces scrutiny in UK over privacy concerns

Snap, the creator of Snapchat, is facing scrutiny from the UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) over concerns that its artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot, My AI, could pose a risk to children's privacy.

07 Sep 2023

Clubhouse

Clubhouse is transitioning from live audio to group messaging

Clubhouse, the once-popular audio app, is shifting its focus from large-scale audio conversations to friend-centric voice chats.

23 Aug 2023

India

Ex-Google executive Pulkit Trivedi takes charge as Snap's India head

Snap has restructured its operations in India.

16 Aug 2023

Snapchat Stories

Here's why My AI on Snapchat was behaving unexpectedly

Snapchat users were alarmed when My AI unexpectedly posted a Story to its profile. It featured a seemingly innocuous video of a wall or ceiling.

21 Mar 2023

Amazon

After Meta, Amazon, these tech companies may cut more jobs

Amazon has announced the termination of 9,000 roles, making it the latest giant to announce a second round of layoffs. The company previously axed around 18,000 employees.

When Snapchat meets ChatGPT, you get 'My AI'

The AI chatbot fever is at its peak now. Snapchat has decided to take advantage of this frenzy by launching its own ChatGPT-powered chatbot.

01 Feb 2023

Latest Tech News

Snapchat now has 375mn users; grew by 12mn in Q4

The year 2022 was a challenging one for Snap Inc. The company has now released its latest earnings report, and it seems that things did not change much during the last three months of the year.

13 Jan 2023

Social Media

Here are 5 ways you can overcome social media addiction

This one's for those glued to their screens all the time.

07 Jan 2023

Zoom

Snap to shut down app that made Zoom calls fun

Snap Camera, the desktop app from Snap that lets users apply silly filters on video calls, will be shut down on January 25.

03 Nov 2022

Ajit Mohan

Ajit Mohan quits as Meta India head; may join Snap

Ajit Mohan, who was heading Meta's business in India, has quit the company with immediate effect. His exit came as a surprise to many.

10 Oct 2022

iOS

How to use Snapchat's new 'Family Center' feature?

Snapchat has rolled out a new, in-app 'Family Center' feature in India.

30 Sep 2022

Technology

Snapchat outage affects thousands; users unable to send messages

Instant messaging and picture-sharing app Snapchat appears to have seen a brief outage today, i.e. Friday (September 30), affecting thousands worldwide.

31 Aug 2022

Pinterest

Crisis-hit Snap plans to axe over 1,000 employees

Things are not going well at the Snap Inc. headquarters in Santa Monica, California. The company is planning to lay off approximately 20% of its employees, people close to the matter told The Verge.

11 Aug 2022

WhatsApp

WhatsApp brings screenshot blocking, hiding online status, and more features

WhatsApp has lately been focusing on improving its privacy-related features. The company has now announced that it will soon roll out a new feature that will stop users from taking screenshots of 'View Once' messages.

17 Jul 2022

India

World Emoji Day: How emojis are changing world of expression

Emojis have become a popular tool for expressing emotions at a time when face-to-face contact has declined and most interactions take place via texting.

30 Jun 2022

Technology

Snapchat+ announced with exclusive features and $4 monthly subscription charge

Snap Inc. has introduced its much-anticipated paid subscription service Snapchat+ in several countries. It will offer exclusive and early access features at a price of $3.99 per month.

19 Jun 2022

X

Snapchat+ explained: Subscription prices, features, services, and more

Instant messaging app Snapchat is testing a paid subscription service known as Snapchat+.

16 Nov 2021

Instagram

Snap inks deal with Sony Music, launches AR Music Lenses

Social media app Snapchat's parent, Snap Inc. (formerly Snapchat), has inked a licensing deal with Sony Music Entertainment so the latter's artists' music can be added to Snap's Sounds Library.

22 May 2021

X

NewsBytes Briefing: Clubhouse officially comes to Android, and more

Clubhouse sure has played its exclusivity card to the ragged end. But like all things new and intriguing, the novelty of the audio-only social media platform has worn off, which has manifested in a 10-fold drop in downloads of the iOS app.

21 May 2021

Social Media

Snap challenges Instagram with host of updates for Creators, Businesses

Snap Inc. has announced a host of updates that allow Snapchat to consolidate its reach among creators, developers, and businesses alike.

19 May 2021

Microsoft

NewsBytes Briefing: Germans are making a flying Tesla, and more

What's better than an electric car? An electric aircraft, of course. German aviation start-up Volocopter is about to give a whole new dimension to range anxiety with its electric-powered rotorcraft capable of vertical takeoff and landing.

18 May 2021

Climate Change

Snap Inc. claims to have achieved carbon neutrality

Snap Inc. on Monday announced a strategy to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. Addressing the environmental impact of its operations and steps it has taken to address them, the company declared that it has become carbon neutral.

24 Apr 2021

Instagram

NewsBytes Briefing: App makers are terrified for Apple, and more

If you thought the term Big Tech mafia was a hyperbole, think again. App makers told US senators that they are scared of Apple and Google during the ongoing anti-trust dog and pony show.

01 Apr 2021

Instagram

Instagram Reels' latest feature called Remix mimics Duets from TikTok

It's no secret that Instagram Reels is Facebook's version of TikTok. And, now Instagram's new Remix feature announced yesterday mimics TikTok's Duet feature.

08 Mar 2021

India

Reddit hires former Snap executive Drew Vollero as first CFO

Reddit, the internet discussion platform riding high on unprecedented growth, has roped in former Snap Inc. executive Drew Vollero as its first Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

21 Jul 2020

Huawei

NewsBytes Briefing: Zuckerberg says no deal with Trump and more

Since last evening, the world of technology has seen some notable developments.

09 Jul 2020

Facebook

Facebook to PUBG, Army directs troops to delete 89 apps

Amid growing security concerns, the Indian Army has directed its troops to delete 89 smartphone applications.

20 Mar 2020

X

Now, Instagram is testing Snapchat-like 'self-disappearing' messages

After Stories, Instagram is copying another highly-celebrated feature from Snapchat- ephemeral or self-disappearing text messages.

05 Mar 2020

X

Twitter wants to become an Instagram-clone, disgruntled users say #RIPTwitter

Stories are everywhere, and you won't be able to dodge them anytime soon!

27 Jan 2020

Reliance Jio

Jio, Snapchat launch creative video challenge: How to participate

Reliance Jio and Snapchat have partnered to launch a new creative challenge called Jio's Got Talent where Snapchatters can showcase their talent and win exciting prizes.

04 Jan 2020

TechCrunch

Apparently, TikTok's owner built a tool to make deepfakes

TikTok's owner ByteDance appears to have developed an AI-powered feature to create deepfakes or morphed videos with someone else's face inserted.

15 Dec 2019

Microsoft

#NewsBytesWeeklyRecap: Next-gen Xbox, OPPO AR glasses, iOS issues, and more

This week in tech we saw some tempting hardware announcements, including that of the next-generation Xbox Series X console and OPPO's AR glasses.

09 Dec 2019

TechCrunch

#FunUsingTech: Snapchat will let you create your cameos using Deepfake

After a bunch of Chinese apps, Snapchat is gearing up to use the controversial Deepfake technology - which has been used to mar the image of actors/politicians - for a fun effect.

28 Aug 2019

Facebook

Instagram building new 'Threads' app to take on Snapchat

Once again, Facebook is mimicking Snapchat to improve its own product.

25 Aug 2019

India

People are using Snapchat/Instagram to sell illegal guns: Here's how

Weapons' trafficking has been going on for a long time, both in India and abroad.

19 Aug 2019

Augmented Reality

#TechBytes: How to use Snapchat filters and lenses

With a humongous set of features, Snapchat dominates as one of the most entertaining photo-sharing apps on the internet.

01 Jul 2019

India

Soon, Android Messages could offer Snapchat-like AR effects

Android Messages, Google's main app for texting on smartphones, could soon get a major upgrade.

13 Jun 2019

San Francisco

How Snapchat's 'gender swap' filter helped arrest this pedophile cop

Although Snapchat has increasingly become less popular since Instagram introduced Stories, its recent 'gender swap' filter made it popular once again.

24 May 2019

Facebook

Snapchat employees spied on users without their consent: Here's how

After Facebook, the concerns of personal data security have shifted towards Snap, the owner of ephemeral photo-sharing service Snapchat.

05 Apr 2019

Tinder

Soon, your Snapchat stories will come on Tinder: Here's how

Snapchat's iconic 'Stories' feature is heading over to Tinder.

07 Mar 2019

Facebook

New to TikTok? Here are some tips to get started

If you're a regular on the internet, you would have heard about TikTok, a content-creation app that is taking the world by storm.

27 Feb 2019

San Francisco

Soon, Android users will get a new, completely redesigned Snapchat

In a matter of months, Android users will get a completely redesigned version of popular photo-messaging app Snapchat.

29 Jan 2019

Technology

Snapchat might soon bring 'permanent snaps'. Why the U-turn?

Snapchat's most iconic feature, the 'disappearing' snaps, could soon see a major change.

29 Jan 2019

Apple

Apple's FaceTime bug lets people spy on you: Here's how

A weird bug has been detected in Apple's FaceTime service, one that can be used by bad actors for the purpose of spying.

28 Jan 2019

Android

Android Q might let you reverse app updates: Details here

The benefits of keeping an updated app are endless; you get fancy new features, enhanced performance, and even design changes.

26 Dec 2018

Instagram

Now, WeChat mimics Snapchat Stories, launches self-disappearing 'Time Capsule'

Snap's famous 'Stories' feature has been mimicked, once again.

19 Nov 2018

Instagram

Now, you can shop from Instagram videos: See how

In a fresh move directed at social commerce, Instagram is rolling out three features, including an option to buy products directly from videos, The Verge reported.

25 Sep 2018

Amazon

Soon, Snapchat users can scan and buy real-world products

Snapchat and Amazon are teaming up to introduce a unique shopping feature called 'Visual Search'.

11 Aug 2018

Facebook

5 times Facebook shamelessly copied from Snapchat

If imitation is a form of flattery, then Facebook must be Snapchat's biggest fan. Over the years, it has unapologetically ripped off features from Snapchat.

10 Aug 2018

India

Snapchat dysmorphia: Aiming to mirror perfect-selfies, people want plastic surgeries

A phenomenon called 'Snapchat dysmorphia' has troubled doctors all over, as now patients don't want to look like celebrities but their unreal versions.

10 Jul 2018

Android

Snapchat working on a camera-assisted shopping feature on Android

An app researcher named Ishan Agarwal has spotted a code in Snapchat for Android that hints at the photo-sharing app working on turning its camera into a visual search engine.

04 Jul 2018

Facebook

5 times Facebook shamelessly copied from Snapchat

If imitation is a form of flattery, then Facebook must be Snapchat's biggest fan. Over the years, it has unapologetically ripped off features from Snapchat.

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