Snapchat has added some new features, which are actually fairly retro-style, harking back to older trends. First off, Snapchat’s trying to reignite interest in Bitstrips, the originating format of Bitmoji, which, at one stage, was huge on Facebook.
As per Snap:
“Our community has long loved Bitmoji Stories as a way to stay connected with fun, comic-strip style stories. Now, we’re bringing brand-new episodes to Snapchatters featuring our 3D Bitmoji avatar for even more personalized content starring you and your friends.”
Bitstrips became a viral trend on Facebook back in 2013, when, at one stage, it was the second most downloaded app in the world. Snapchat has maintained the Bitstrips trend with Bitmoji Stories, but it’s now making a renewed push on the option. Snapchat also recently added lyric stickers to facilitate singalongs with Snaps. It seems that Snap may be taking more of an interest in music features, as Instagram is also, with the pending removal of TikTok from the U.S. market potentially leaving a gap for music-based engagement.
Which is also evident in the new features for Snapchat+ subscribers, who are getting the option to set a custom ringtone for friends:
“Snapchat+ subscribers can now pick out their very own ringtone for each of their friends or group chats. With custom ringtones, you can tell who’s giving you a call without even looking at your phone!”
This is possibly the most retro new feature I’ve seen in some time. Back in the early 2000’s, selling ringtones was a serious business, with many people paying to customize their phone alerts in the style of the latest pop hits. And now, Snap’s bringing it back, which could be a fun option for Snap’s paying subscribers.
Snapchat+ subscribers are also getting the option to rewatch Snap that they’ve sent:
“Soon, Snapchat+ subscribers can replay their own Snap for up to 5 minutes after sending.”
These are some fun updates, which, as noted, aim to reawaken some trends of yesteryear, in new form. And if they catch on, they could help to spark more attention and engagement for the app, and more subscribers for its paid offering.
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