In the beginning of 2018, Snapchat released a major update that changed the entire look and feel of the app.
Big updates to popular apps are almost never received very well by users in the beginning, but the reaction to this one seemed even more critical than usual. Users took to other social media outlets such as Twitter to complain, and many even shared petitions begging the company to reverse the update. Celebrities even got involved in the negative backlash. In fact, the new Snapchat update is so bad that it’s affecting the value of the entire company.
Recently, the messaging app popular among younger smartphone owners launched a major redesign, aimed at drawing a line between communications with friends and content from publishers such as Vice or Cosmopolitan.
Based on reactions from Snapchat users, many hate it. The app currently carries an average rating of 1.9 out of 5 stars on Apple’s App Store, although it remains the most popular app in the Photo & Video category. There is a petition posted to Change.org, with more than 1 million signatures, urging Snapchat to demolish the new update.
Snapchat faces increased pressure from photo sharing app Instagram, which has incorporated several features from its rival such as the ability to post stories that disappear after a set period of time.
The goal of the update was to clearly separate messages users send to friends from commercially produced content. “One of the complaints we’ve heard about social media is that photos and videos from your friends are mixed in with content from publishers, creators and influencers,” said Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel in a video released when the changes were revealed. This is the main the reason why the update was installed, however they were not expecting the negative feedback from users.