Snapchat introduced on Tuesday a new feature called Memories, meant to save photographs and videos within the app which can be accessed and re-posted later. It will be available for selected Android and iOS users in the coming month.
Users on Snapchat are allowed to save the content they create on their phone’s camera roll. Now they will have a “personal collection” of snaps within the app, located below the Camera screen.
Thew new Memories screen includes a search bar, where users can type keywords such as “cat” or “Bahamas” to find their snaps. Content featured in Memories can be posted again, said Snapchat in a blog post issued Wednesday.
Snapchat has hired an augmented reality team to help the app recognize pictures according to their content. Users can also type emojis, dates, stickers and words like “soccer” or “sunset”, while the app’s algorithms will make all the job.
The app will also make suggestions and will include flashbacks. Users can also search for content using the Taken Nearby feature, which is capable of identifying even remote places or restaurants among suburbs, said Techcrunch.
“You can use Memories to create new Stories from Snaps you’ve taken, or even combine different Stories into a longer narrative! It’s fun to celebrate an anniversary or birthday by finding a few old Snaps and stringing them together into a new Story :),” said Snapchat on Wednesday.
There’s a private way to send pictures and videos saved in Stories to friends. All reposted content will feature a frame, so followers can identify if a post is from the past. Memories would change the way people use the social network, which only allowed users to post new content.
Users no longer need to create fresh content to make a Snapchat post. Tech analysts suggested that Memories would attract users to spend more time using the app. The social network would also be searching a way to monetize content.
Snapchat is ruined https://t.co/hq3C7T9P0G pic.twitter.com/IPZg30Z1pF
— Gizmodo (@Gizmodo) July 6, 2016
Users can hide content within Memories by clicking on “My Eyes Only”
The social network led by the young entrepreneur, Evan Spiegel, realized that Snapchat users like to show their posts to friends around. Memories come with a button called “My Eyes Only,” which allows users to hide saved content.
Snapchat said that content would be stored on Snapchat’s servers. The social network “won’t back up photos or videos from your Camera Roll,” said the company in a statement. People can also upload content directly from their phones, to make a new Story.
As content will be stored on Snapchat’s servers, it can be accessed from any device using the app. Memories are only coming for selected Android and iOS users on the West Coast. The company said the new feature would present a challenge for its servers.
People who can already enjoy at Memories will receive a private message from the Snapchat’s team. Snapchat is expecting to introduce the new feature worldwide during the next 30 days.
Source: Snapchat Blog