Snapchat allows you to share snippets of your life with all of your friends and family members, but when it comes to communicating with others via the app, your options are limited. At least, they were, until the company introduced and rolled out a new feature called Groups on Tuesday morning.
“Groups can be created while sending a Snap, or when you’re making a new Chat,” the company explains. “When your friends are present in a Group Chat, we show their name at the bottom of the Chat. Simply tap their name to start a 1:1 Chat, and then easily return to the Group in one swipe! We call this Quick Chat, and it’s the fastest way to keep the conversation going with one friend without spamming the entire Group.”
Up to 16 Snapchat users can be added to a Group, and chats sent to a Group thread are deleted by default after 24 hours. A Snap sent to a group can only be opened once by each user, but will vanish after 24 hours no matter what.
Along with Groups, Snapchat has also added two new Creative Tools to its repertoire: Scissors and Paintbrush. With Scissors, you can cut out part of a Snap on the preview screen and turn it into a sticker. With the Paintbrush, you can paint over Snaps in Memories to give them an added artistic touch.
The new update for Snapchat is available now on the App Store and Google Play. If you already own the app, just make sure you’re on the latest version before you try to add someone to a Group Chat.
