Snapchat Unveils App Updates with Filters and Replay Option

Snapchat rolled out a significant update to its iOS and Android apps on Friday that offers support for new services such as swipeable photo filters. The update supports “smart filters” that can overlay information on pictures including the current time, temperature (using data supplied by the Weather Channel), and how fast a user is moving. Additionally, a new Replay option enables users to view one of their incoming messages one more time.

Replay is “an option that lets you watch one snap per day for a second time,” reports The Verge. “Did you miss part of a friend’s message because you didn’t realize it was a video snap that included audio? You can now watch it one more time. The message is still deleted from Snapchat’s servers after the first play.”

“You only get one a day, so you’ve got to use it where it counts,” explains Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel.

Visual filters include sepia, vintage, and black and white for now. The update also provides another font option for photo captions, a front-facing flash for recording “selfies,” and the ability to specify the number of friends to appear in the “best friends” menu (up to seven).

Spiegel suggests the release is an intermediate step: “We’re basically in between big update cycles,” he says.

“Whether these goodies will remain in the next major Snapchat update remains to be seen, but it’s the Replay feature that’s most interesting — together with the Stories option the app introduced in October, it suggests that parts of the Snapchat experience might be becoming more permanent,” notes Digital Trends.

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