Snapchat Rolls out its Web Version
Snapchat, a multimedia instant messaging app, announced the release of Snapchat for Web today, allowing users to send snaps and chat with friends via video calls from their desktops. This Snap for Web will initially be available to Snapchat+ subscribers in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Following the initial launch, the company intends to make it available to Snapchat+ subscribers in France, Germany, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates before making it available to all users worldwide.
You can send messages and snaps and chat via video and regular calls with Snapchat for Web. Its users can also access mobile messaging features such as chat reactions. In addition, snap says it intends to bring Lenses to video calls in the future.
Users can access Snap for Web by going to web.snapchat.com and logging in with their Snapchat username and password. By default, you’ll be prompted to complete a two-step verification on your phone. When you open Snapchat for Web, you can pick up where you left off on your mobile device. When you use Snapchat on a desktop, your Bitmoji will appear in chats with a laptop to let others know you’re using Snapchat for the Web. Furthermore, the web experience includes a privacy screen that hides the Snapchat window when you click away to perform another task.
Messages sent via Snap for Web will be automatically deleted after 24 hours, similar to the app experience on mobile. Snapchat for Web will also prevent users from taking screenshots, according to the company. However, snap is aware that people can still take pictures on their phone’s screen, noting that the product isn’t perfect.
According to a company spokesperson during a press conference, the average Snapchat caller spends more than 30 minutes daily on calls. Despite its continued focus on mobile, Snap says it decided it was time to bring Snapchat’s core features to the Web after listening to user feedback.
“With so many in our community spending more time online – whether for remote learning or working, streaming or simply browsing – we saw a huge opportunity to make it easier for our community to stay connected throughout their day, and we cannot wait to bring our favorite fundamental Snapchat capabilities to the web,” the company says.
Snap is currently focused on bringing the app’s core features to the Web and will expand the experience. In the future, the company intends to bring the app’s other features, such as viewing Stories and Memories, to its desktop experience.
This announcement comes just two weeks after the company officially launched its paid subscription option, Snapchat+, which provides users exclusive features such as changing the app’s icon and seeing who has rewatched your Stories. The subscription costs $3.99 per month and unlocks a special badge, the ability to pin a friend as your No. 1 friend, and the ability to see “the general direction of travel for where friends have moved recently,” according to the company.
These recent launches might not be unconnected with the company’s plan to compete favorably with its rivalries, TikTok and Instagram, which provide access via the Web and offer subscriptions.