Snapchat is introducing new ways for users to personalize their accounts, the company said was announced on Tuesday. The new updates, which are primarily available for Snapchat+ subscribers, allow users to do things like draw a personalized house on the Snap Map, share super-fast Snaps, and edit their Bitmoji, among other things.
At a time when social media companies continue to chip away at each other’s capabilities, Snapchat is introducing new ways for users to personalize their experience on its app in an effort to separate itself from other platforms while also engaging people to subscribe to its subscription service. now used by 9 million people.
Snapchat+ subscribers can design a personalized home on the Snap Map that will be visible to friends they share their location with. Snapchat allows users to get creative with how they create their homes, as they can choose the style, colors and more. For example, you can go for a realistic look or a whimsical castle, the company suggests.
The new feature is a fun way for Snapchat to differentiate Snap Map from other location-based services like Find My and Apple’s Life360.
Subscribers can now display their pet next to their Bitmoji in chats. While your pet is already visible on the Snap Map, you can now have your pet by your side at all times in the app.
In addition, Snapchat introduces the ability for users to send lightning Snaps, allowing subscribers to send or post content that lasts only 0.10, 0.20 and 0.50 seconds. Snapchat pioneered the idea of quick content and now it’s taking that idea to new levels.
As for standard users, Snapchat is introducing a new “live mirror” in its Bitmoji Builder interface that will make it easier to choose features that are more like you. The idea behind the new addition is to make personalization easier than previously possible by automatically creating Bitmoji based on what it sees in the camera viewfinder.
The company is also touting its AI-powered lenses, like the one that lets you look back at your 5-year-old self.
