Facebook has gone more than enough to copy and imitate Snapchat. Not that it's accepting the deeds of the titan of social media to do whatever it likes, Snapchat just want to fight back.
Rolling out to users on Android and iOS, Snapchat's update introduces an array of tools. What they do, is giving Snapchatters some new toys to fiddle with, helping Snapchat to get even with Facebook (and Instagram) again, even for only a while.
The first that comes on the list, is the Backdrops feature. The feature essentially allows users to green-screen themselves into different scenes. To do this, they can tap on the Scissor button in the Vertical Toolkit to locate the Backdrop icon. Then they can trace objects or people and replace the background with colorful patterns that rotate daily.
The ability to insert a layer of imagery between objects and the real background gives users a creative way to augment the world behind them, not just their faces.
The tool works only with photo snaps as of the moment of introduction.
The next is the voice filters feature. What it does, is changing/remixing the way users' voice sounds on their snaps.
Previously, voice filters were only part of visual augmented reality lenses. But the voice filter feature works without users using visual Lens.
To use the feature, users can tap on the speaker icon at the bottom of the screen once they've recorded a snap. Then they can select from a range of character voices Snapchat provides. This feature can open a new opportunity of story telling.
The third is the Paperclip button. This little feature essentially allows users to link to websites, helping users add some context to their snaps. While it's available to the general users, it can be used by businesses or organizations to promote their own products and services with a direct call-to-action.
To add a link, users can tap on the Paperclip button located in the Vertical Toolkit to enter the link they want.
Viewers can simply swipe up to open the link inside a snap right inside Snapchat's internal browser.
Previously only ad campaigns and Discover content could include links. With Paperclip, Snapchat is simply breaking its long-standing "no links" rule.
Snapchat said that all shared links must abide by its terms of service, community guidelines and privacy policy. The company is using its own automated trust and safety tools, as well as information from Google's Safe Browsing service, to warn users about potential phishing scams, malware or other dangerous sites.
And to help users avoid opening dangerous links, a preview will be shown next to the swipe-up arrow, and Snap encourages users to report inappropriate content.