Has a software team ever said, “Hey! Why don’t we have a new update that not only makes our app harder to use, but is also incredibly impractical?” Apparently, that must be what the developers at Snapchat had in mind when they released their latest update for the app. Recently, Snapchat underwent update 10.26, which completely changed not only its layout, but several functions as well. Now sending snaps and watching stories appear on the same new “Friends” page, ordering them by frequent interaction rather than recent snaps sent. Not only is everything rearranged, but celebrities’ stories are now on a different “Discover” page featuring news articles instead of being grouped with other personal stories. This latest Snapchat update is unorganized, chaotic, and challenging to maneuver around.
Executives should never change the format of an app when its layout is already well-designed and easy to use. As the saying goes, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”—so what were these supervisors thinking when they designed this update? Incorporating messages and stories onto one page does not make it easier; it only makes it more complicated. With the exception of responding to stories, sending snaps and watching stories are two completely different functions. Just because an individual wants to send someone a snap does not mean they want to watch their story. Additionally, since the “Friends” page orders people by common interaction, finding a specific user to message would require endless scrolling until the user’s name is found. The only way to avoid this is by using the main camera to make a snap first before choosing a recipient. Implementing this is simply unneeded when having the two functions separated worked so much better.
Coupled with the awful new layout, Snapchat is now stealing features from Instagram stories in attempts to improve the app. This is somewhat ironic, considering Instagram originally copied the idea of stories from Snapchat. Lately, Instagram incorporated GIF stickers and different fonts into stories to add choice variety. Not a week later, the new Snapchat update included the same properties that Instagram added. Now while these were an effective addition, it does not help to improve snaps if they are difficult to send. No one can have an enjoyable experience on an app if it is troublesome to use, even when programmers add good aspects to it.
It is safe to say that the majority of Snapchat users disapprove of the new update. Not only did Kylie Jenner herself give it a negative review on Twitter, but over 1.2 million people signed a petition on Change.org to remove the latest update. The Kylie Jenner incident alone caused the Snapchat stock to drop 6%—a whopping $1.3 billion—and the petition continues to gain signatures every day. Adding insult to injury, the app has also dropped to a 1.8 star rating on the App Store. Even with the constant backlash, Snapchat executives continue to stand by on the side of the update. Rather than revoking the update and returning to the way things were, administrators instead chose to make certain features customizable, such as separating friends’ stories from group stories. However, users all agree that bringing back the old version, and not customization, is the way to go.
Ultimately, the new up update is just a cash grab for Snapchat. Now with an entire page solely for news, more advertisers have the opportunity to flood the page with ads. Snapchat also gets paid by news companies to promote their stories, so having an entire page just for news gets executives even more revenue. This update is not an improvement, it is a scam.
It can be seen, clear as day, that this Snapchat update has had a heavy negative impact. The new features are nothing but impractical, making everything harder to navigate and function. Consumers are not going to enjoy an app if there is nothing to like about it, that is just fact. The only thing Snapchat can do is fix the problem before people leave the service altogether.