I, like many others, was surprised and confused when my Snapchat app automatically updated about a week ago. Generally, I don’t really mind when apps update. I might not like the change initially, but I know I’ll get used to it eventually and forget what the old version even looked like. Although that is usually the case, I hate the new Snapchat update, and I don’t see myself ever liking it in the future.
Snapchat and I have always had issues. I’m just personally not a big fan of showing people what I’m doing every day, and I’m not super interested in what other people are doing either. For the past few years, I’ve randomly deleted the app for weeks or months at a time. I always end up re-downloading it because I can’t stay away from silly filters or footage of my best friend’s dog for long, but this new update has me debating whether or not I should delete it permanently.
The new update separates the “Discover” section completely from the “Stories” section, and now includes a lot of sponsored content in addition to various magazines and news outlets. This new content includes stories from celebrities that I’m not interested in and, in some cases, have never heard of. The stories from my friends are now on the same page as incoming messages. Whereas the old version showed stories in chronological order, stories now seem random with little to no order. Re-watching someone’s story is also more difficult because they don’t simply go to the bottom of the page.
There have been so many dissatisfied Snapchat users that a petition to revert to the old version has almost reached one million signatures. The app also had a drop in ratings in the app store, with complaints about the new update bringing the app to just under two stars.
In general, the new update is harder to use, more cluttered, and overall just disliked by many Snapchat users. If it doesn’t go back to the old version, I may just have to live a rainbow filter-less life.
Cover image source: Pexels, Tim Savage