Snapchat seeks growth, adds disappearing text messages, video chat

Snapchat, the mobile app that rose to fame for its ability to let users send one another photos and videos that disappear when they’re viewed, has adscititious text messages and video chats to its lineup of fugacious options.

Now, Snapchat may be accustomed have text conversations with others, however in contrast to most different electronic communication apps, messages sent on Snapchat can vanish when they need been viewed by the recipient.

To activate the new "Chat" feature, because it is formally referred to as, users swipe right a friend's name from the inbox portion of the Snapchat app. After that, the electronic communication will begin. 

"When you allow the chat screen, messages viewed by each you and your friend are going to be cleared," Snapchat aforesaid.  

When users area unit texting, Snapchat can inform them if they're each within the Chat screen at identical time. If they're, users will activate a live video chat session by sound and holding down a blue icon with a white circle on the screen. 

Snapchat is mobile app that rose to fame for its ability to let users send one another photos and videos that disappear when some seconds.

The app is believed to own over thirty million monthly users, and late last year, it reportedly turned down multi-billion acquisition offers from Facebook and Google. 

Text and video chatting area unit the primary major additions to Snapchat since Gregorian calendar month, once the startup adscititious a feature referred to as "Stories." That feature lets users share their snaps with all their friends for a full 24-hour amount. 

Before Thursday's update, users may chat with their friends by adding captions to their photos and videos, however the new Chat feature places Snapchat directly in competition with different electronic communication apps. Most notable of that is WhatsApp, a electronic communication app that has over 450 million users round the world and was purchased by Facebook for $19 billion this year. 

Also within the electronic communication area area unit Facebook and Google, with their courier and Hangouts apps, severally. within the last year, Instagram and vascular plant have conjointly jumped into the area by adding electronic communication options to their mobile apps. 

Meanwhile, Snapchat's new video chatting feature places it in competition with Apple FaceTime, Skype and different apps that allow users create video calls.