Snapchat got updated yesterday with a number of much-needed features to enhance the user experience.
One of the more archaic features of Snapchat finally got a much needed improvement yesterday when the company rolled out a number of updates to the popular social media application.
Off all the improvements the company revealed, the biggest was the removal of the irritating ‘hold to view’. Keeping your thumb pressed firmly to the screen for the duration of the video is tedious and goes back to Snapchats early days as a service aimed at quick exchanges of photos and videos. The new version brings a simplified ‘tap to view’ function; simply hit the screen once and watch the video without any thumb-ache.
Other new features are not quite as pivotal but still very useful. The geo-location feature allows users to quickly add a bunch of people around them, useful for when you’re at a public event or you just enjoy annoying random strangers. The QR code has also been updated to accommodate your face, which is a nice addition to the blank ghost image of yesteryear. Now people will actually be able to see who they are adding.
The final feature is two factor authentication, which is fantastic news for those concerned about privacy. After the ‘Snappening‘ breach caused over 90,000 personal images (many of them explicit) to be stolen and posted online, concerns were raised over the safety of the application. Two factor authentication effectively eliminates these web-based attacks and breaches, as the user needs to input a unique code each time they log in. The code is usually sent via text message or email, meaning it puts another hurdle in the way for any potential attackers. Mass leaks are far less likely to happen.
The update was released for both iOS and Android yesterday and should be available right now.