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Just a heads up, the above video is slightly NSFW
It may not sound like such a big deal, but new changes rolling out today on Snapchat will forever change the social network — hopefully for the better. The new feature is called “Memories” and it’s basically a new section within the app (accessible by swiping up from the camera screen) that stores all your favorite Snaps and Stories in one handy place — all completely backed up to the cloud.
Photos, videos, and Stories saved to Memories will be easily searchable via keywords, allowing users to re-post old Snaps and create new Stories, or even — and here’s the real kicker — post old photos already saved on you device. This is kind of a huge deal given Snapchat’s reputation of being more candid and “real” than other social networks.
This was because up until today, you were only able to post photos/videos taken with the app, capturing life’s special moments as they happened — not after the fact. If you wanted to share photos of your niece’s baby shower with your friends on Snapchat, you’d have to open the app to take the photo. This often times resulted in re-taking photos you already took with your regular camera app.
You can now re-post Snaps you’ve backed up to Memories, or grab media from your camera roll/gallery app
Of course, Snapchat’s more candid nature also contributed to its steep learning curve, something that kept older folks — those more accustomed to traditional social networks — from getting the hang of Snapchat. Before Memories, there was no real way for Snapchat users to “live in the moment” and share it after the fact. Only the truly dedicated are able to Snap, stop what they were doing, add text/emoji, share, and repeat. For older folks, it’s downright exhausting.
With the new Memories feature (rolling out to a select few starting today on Android and iOS), Snapchat could finally find itself entering the mainstream. For millennials and teens who flocked to Snapchat as a way to separate their social lives from their family on Facebook, we just hope it’s not to Snapchat’s detriment.
[Snapchat]
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