SnapChat Introduces Texts and a Version of FaceTime

The app that brought self-destructing dick pics to the masses has now enabled more traditional sexting.

The app that brought self-destructing dick pics to the masses has now enabled more traditional sexting. Snapchat announced an update to their iOS and Android apps overnight (using a Snapchat Story, of course) that hit all users feeds around 2 a.m. EST, that add a couple familiar features — text and video chatting — to their photo sharing program.

The 'Chat' feature works by swiping to the right; photo and video sharing requires a left swipe. When both users are in the Chat, a 'Here' message will appear. By selecting 'Here', users can then start a video chat, which is essentially the SnapChat version of FaceTime. As long as you leave the Chat screen open, the messages remain visible. Unlike the time sensitive picture and video snaps, Chat relies on a user's active presence. As always, SnapChat reminds its users in the blog that nothing is really invisible: "You can always tap or screenshot to save anything you'd like to keep."

While the feature allows for text-only messaging, it isn't like pure texting. SnapChat is attributing their most recent change to the idea of "presence": "Until today, we felt that Snapchat was missing an important part of conversation: presence. There’s nothing like knowing you have the full attention of your friend while you’re chatting." Yes, there's nothing like paying full attention to unsolicited images, advertising, and now texts. 

 

See their SnapChat Story here. Updated apps should be rolling out to users today.