Flip or Flop for Snapchat Update

By: Alexis Cohen, graduate student

Recently, Snapchat came out with an update that redesigned the platform. In this announcement on November 29, it seems like Snapchat would be a more user friendly platform.

The update moved your friends' stories to your main feed and had the Discover page be the only thing you see when you swipe left. Many users have found that this update ruined the platform for them. Snapchat users even signed a petition on Change.org in order to try and get the platform back to what it used to be.

Although many millennials are not a fan of the new update, Snapchat found that it helped to increase activity with an older generation. Snapchat reported that growth among those over 35 years old and an improved viewing of stories on Discover. Initially, Snapchat stuck to its guns about the update and that people just had to get used to it. With numbers showing growth in a new demographic, how could they not want to wait and see what happens with it?

In order to keep its current users engaged, Snapchat has rolled out some other updates. These updates mostly have to do with the text in a person's snaps. It can now have different effects such as a glow or be in cursive. These small updates are helping to keep user loyalty while they figure out what to do with the update.

With over 1 million signatures on Change.org for the petition on the Snapchat update, Snapchat felt no choice but to follow the request and work on yet another redesign. In a public statement on February 20, Snapchat announced that they will be working on yet another update. First it will reach iOS users and then Android users.