Snapchat

Snapchat gears up for the FIFA World Cup with new AR experiences, filters and more • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on November 16, 2022Posted in Apps, Snap, Snapchat, Social, world cupNo Comments

Snapchat is introducing a slew of new features and experiences ahead of the FIFA World Cup to let users show support for their teams and keep up with the tournament. The new features let you virtually try on jerseys, dress up your Bitmoji, watch match highlights and more. The app has partnered with Adidas to let users virtually dress their Bitmoji in the official home football kits of their team. Users will also get access to official team stickers and filters to decorate their snaps and support their team. The app is launching official team kit try-on experiences that allow users to express their fandom by wearing official team jerseys. The try-on Lenses leverage AR technology that originated as a Snap Research project and was in development for years, and is now available for developers to begin testing in Lens Studio. Image Credits: Snap Snapchat Discover, the app’s curated content platform, will publish highlights, goals, player interviews, match analysis and behind the scenes content during the tournament in over 30 countries. On Spotlight, Snapchat’s in-app entertainment platform for user generated content, users in the U.S. will have the chance to submit Snaps to for a chance to win cash prizes for creating top-performing snaps using specific Lenses, Sounds or Topics. In addition, Snap Map will feature curated stories of fans watching and celebrating their team during the games. Users will be able to tap specific places to see Snaps shared publicly. The stories will include Snaps from watch parties, fan experiences, reactions in the stands, game highlights and more.

Snapchat now lets you share your Strava activities in snaps and stories • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on November 3, 2022Posted in Apps, Snapchat, Social, StravaNo Comments

Snapchat is partnering with activity and fitness tracking platform Strava to launch a new Lens that lets users share their fitness journey on Snapchat. The new Strava Activity Lens works by connecting directly to your Strava profile, giving you access to stats and activity maps from your recent workouts. Each time you a workout, it will be automatically loaded into Snapchat. To share your activity from Strava to Snapchat, you need to open the Strava app and find your profile. From there, you have to select the “Activities” tab and scroll to the workout you want to share. Shareable activities must be visible to “Everyone” or “Followers only” on Strava and include a visible map. On Snapchat, you can find the Strava Lens in the app’s Lens Explorer or on Strava’s public profile. Your most recent workout will automatically appear, or you can toggle through different activities to pick one to share. Once you’ve chosen a workout to share, you can create a snap or story. The post will include a link back to your Strava workout so your friends and family can learn more through the Strava app. You can also share a slideshow from your camera roll by tapping “Memories” to access photos from your workout. Snapchat notes that you can press and slide the capture button to the left to lock and record hands free. You also have the option to narrate while you go through photos from workout. The new Lens is available globally to all Strava and Snapchat users on iOS and Android. The launch of the new partnership comes a day after Snapchat announced that it’s partnering with Amazon to give Snapchat users the ability to digitally try on eyewear styles from a range of popular brands. The new partnership will see brands including Maui Jim, Persol, Oakley, Ray-Ban, Costa Del Mar and others made available for virtual try-on.

Snapchat reduces total payouts for Spotlight creators • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 27, 2022Posted in Apps, Snapchat, SocialNo Comments

Snapchat has changed the way it pays creators through its Spotlight reward fund. Creators that use Snapchat’s TikTok clone, Spotlight, will now be paid millions per year, a source familiar with the matter told ZebethMedia. This marks the second time Snapchat has reduced the payout. In 2021, the company rewarded creators millions per week, down from $1 million a day in 2020. While Snapchat is lowering the amount, the source noted to ZebethMedia that it’s paying more creators in more markets. It’s also important to note that the minimum payout per Spotlight will remain at $250. Last year, Snapchat paid $250 million to over 12,000 creators. They also pointed to other ways Snapchat creators earn a profit, including the Creator Marketplace, Sound Creator Fund, its accelerator program for black creators, Spotlight Challenges and in-app gifting. In February, the app tested revenue sharing on ads in Snapchat stories for Snap Stars. Snapchat recently announced it’s awarding a total of $100,000 across 12 Spotlight Challenges for Halloween. The move to lower fund spending for Spotlight was likely made as another way to boost profit and spend less of its revenue. Earlier this year, CEO Evan Spiegel announced that Snapchat was testing ads on the Spotlight. In August, Snapchat downsized its workforce by 20%. Last week, Snapchat reported its Q3 results, missing analyst expectations on revenue. The company still did relatively well, earning $1.13 billion, an increase of 6% for the quarter. However, Snapchat’s net loss rose to $360 million. On a more positive note, the company said Spotlight performed well this quarter and helped increase the overall total time spent watching content.

Snap stock down 25% as the social network struggles • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 20, 2022Posted in Apps, earnings, Snap, Snapchat, SocialNo Comments

Snap reported its third quarter earnings Thursday, the first social media company to offer a financial update amidst ongoing economic tumult this quarter. The company, which has seen its stock price plunge to a fraction of what it was worth during 2021’s highs, missed analyst expectations on revenue, bringing in $1.13 billion compared to the $1.14 billion anticipated. Snap’s stock dipped from around $11 per share to $8 in late trading following the report. Snap’s revenue is up 6 percent this quarter, a number that doesn’t compare favorably to previous periods of double digit growth. The company’s net loss accelerated to $360 million, which includes $155 million in “restructuring charges.” The company’s daily active users were up 57 million to 363 million in Q3, a 19 percent increase from the same period last year. “This quarter we took action to further focus our business on our three strategic priorities: growing our community and deepening their engagement with our products, reaccelerating and diversifying our revenue growth, and investing in augmented reality,” CEO Evan Spiegel said of the quarter. While other social networks are similarly struggling due to a combination of broader economic factors, ascendant competitors and the still-reverberating changes from Apple’s ad tracking changes, Snap in particular has taken a beating. In August, the Verge reported that Snap planned to lay off a fifth of its workforce, or around 1,200 employees. The company didn’t offer a forecast for the third quarter results and similarly declined to make predictions about its upcoming quarter.

Snapchat brings parental controls to India through in-app tool ‘Family Center’ • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 10, 2022Posted in Apps, india, Snap, SnapchatNo Comments

Snapchat is bringing an initial set of parental controls to users in India — a couple of months after its debut in the U.S. and some other markets — to deliver parents and guardians in the key oversea market insights on how their teens are using the social networking app. The in-app tool, called Family Center, lets parents and guardians review who their teens are friends with on the social app and who they have messaged in the last seven days. (They are not able to see the exact content of those messages.) It also brings the ability to report safety concerns and potential abuse to Snap’s Trust and Safety team to review. Parents and guardians need to install the Snapchat app on their devices and link their accounts to those of their teens using an opt-in invite process to use the new feature. Once the accounts are linked, the tool can be accessed with all its controls either from the Snapchat app’s Profile Settings or by searching for “family” or “family center” from the app’s Search functionality. Snapchat’s Family Center The parental controls are notably available to parents and guardians whose teens are between 13–18 since Snapchat is not meant to be used by younger people. Snap first announced the arrival of its parental controls in October last year and introduced them in the U.S. in August. That was followed by the launch of similar features launched by competitive social networking platforms including Meta’s Instagram and TikTok. Snap’s offering, however, isn’t as expansive. It does not allow parents and guardians to restrict their teens from using the app after a particular time frame, for instance, a feature that Instagram and TikTok both offer. The Santa Monica, California-headquartered company is also not addressing concerns about inappropriate behavior, such as sexting, on its platform with the new tool. The app’s ephemeral messages opens the app to misuse and abuse. Snapchat has introduced some additional measures over the years, such as requiring teens to have mutual friends before they can start chatting. The app also does not allow teenagers to have public profiles. Snap said it is working with local nonprofits FXB India Suraksha and CyberPeace Foundation to launch its Family Center feature in India. It will also closely work with both organizations to add new parental controls, the company said. Snapchat shares insights with parents and guardians through its Family Center Over the coming months, Snap said it plans to bring new features to Family Center, including new content controls for parents. Teens will also be able to notify their parents when they report an account or a piece of content to the platform. “Snapchat is a central communications tool for so many young Indians, and as our community continues to grow, we know parents and caregivers want additional ways to help keep their teens safe. Our new in-app Family Center tool will help parents get more insight into who their teens are friends with on Snapchat, to help foster positive conversations about online safety while respecting the privacy and autonomy of teens,” said Uthara Ganesh, Public Policy Head, India, Snap, in a prepared statement. Snap is also launching bully prevention and mental health campaigns globally to celebrate World Mental Health Day and Bullying Prevention Month. The company in India said it is partnering with nonprofit Sangath for these campaigns. India is an important market for Snap where it has amassed over 109 million monthly active users, according to market intelligence firm Sensor Tower. In August, Snap introduced its premium offering, Snapchat+, in the South Asian market.