Latest Snapchat update prompts negative response and petition

With record-breaking growth and over 173 million daily active users, Snapchat is unquestionably one of the world’s leading app businesses. The media sharing platform is particularly popular with younger mobile users. In fact, 60% of the user base consists of under 25s. Despite such rapid growth and success in the current market, the latest update from Snapchat has shown that even the biggest developers can come under fire from consumers if they make mistakes.

Since its inception, Snapchat has been known to regularly update its service by making changes to the interface and adding new features. Some of these include the addition of filters and the ability to use AR to enhance photos and videos. While there have usually been a few teething problems, these updates have generally been well accepted by the Snapchat community. The recent update, however, has caused an outcry.

The update, which was rolled out across all devices and platforms throughout February, came in the form of a complete redesign. Up until now, Snapchat has never made such drastic changes to the overall interface of its app. Perhaps the most notable and negatively received is the alterations to Snapchat Stories. Where before users were able to scroll through all of the stories which their friends had recently uploaded, now the main stories section is laid out in order of popularity.

What's more, the stories are now interlaced with promotional content and stories from accounts that aren't on a user's friends list. Before the update, the layout clearly separated promotional content from user-generated stories but now, Snapchat users have to actively search for the friend's story they wish to see.

These changes came under heavy fire almost immediately from the Snapchat community, with thousands of users posting comments on social media criticising the new update and warning users to disable automatic updates on their devices to avoid it. The backlash has continued recently, surpassing negative feedback on social media. A petition was set up by Snapchat users on Change.org with the aim of encouraging Snapchat to repeal the new update and return the app to its former design.

The petition has rapidly gained a lot of traction and already has 1.2 million signatures. A number of global news outlets have covered the story and it has spread across social media. Such huge support for the petition has forced Snapchat to respond with a statement that tried to reassure users that their concerns are being taken on board. The team at Snapchat has tried to console users with promises that the app will be updated and redesigned over time to improve usability. However, no specific alterations have been stated.

The community backlash in response to the recent update goes to show that even established developers like Snapchat still have to do their research and ensure their users' needs are catered to. That being said, it seems that the company is standing strong with their update and judging by the official response, users can expect to see no drastic changes in the immediate future.