Snapchat gears up to fight Facebook
The app Snapchat, known primarily for self-deleting photos, has significantly expanded its functions. After the latest update, users can also make phone calls to each other and send each other a wide variety of additional files.
The idea is to easily switch between different forms of communication - such as text, stickers, photo, audio or video - the Californian company explained in a blog post. This brings Snapchat closer to large providers such as WhatsApp or Facebook. Probably to make itself more competitive, Snapchat has also updated its privacy settings. According to a report by online service Digiday, this should enable more targeted advertising. Snapchat was founded in Los Angeles in 2011 and was initially popular with teenagers. The app, which is available on Android and iOS, can be used to send photos that are only visible for a few seconds and then delete themselves. According to the company, more than 100 million people use Snapchat every day. In parallel, the photo service Instagram also expanded its offering. In the future, one-minute videos can be sent via the app; previously, only clips of 15 seconds were possible. Instagram, like Whatsapp, belongs to the Facebook group. (SDA)
