Snapchat

New Snapchat update allows you to follow live events via Stories

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 18, 2016

Snapchat pushed out an interesting update for its mobile apps today, bringing the iOS client to version 7.0.6. Though the change log in the App Store only mentions 'improvements and bug fixes,' what went on behind the scenes is actually fairly significant.

Users will notice a new 'Live' section in the app, courtesy of Our Stories, a product Snapchat introduced during the summer that lets anyone contribute snaps to a single story. With Live, users will be able to follow events as they unfold, from various angles.

GhostPrefs adds tons of new features to Snapchat

Alihassan Mahdi ∙ Updated February 11, 2016

The popular messaging app Snapchat allows users to share self-destructible photos, videos or message which disappear from the recipient's device after a period of time. The whole point of the app is to ensure that the 'snaps' are not permanent, unless the receiver takes a screenshot. However, when a screenshot of a snap is taken, the other person will be notified and will also be informed how many screenshots were taken. To get rid of this restriction and enjoy new features, you might be interested in checking out a new jailbreak tweak known as GhostPrefs...

Check out Bolt, Instagram’s Snapchat competitor

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 4, 2018

In case you missed it last week, Facebook-owned Instagram is hatching out a new mobile app to take on the likes of Snapchat, Taptalk and a growing list of other ephemeral messaging apps out there.

Several people have spotted a banner advertising the app in Instagram’s Android app. Billed as a “one-tap photo messaging” solution, they're calling it Bolt.

I have good news and bad news. The good news is, the app's just stealthily launched on the App Store. But, alas, Bolt is only available in New Zealand, Singapore and South Africa for the time being.

And this is how Bolt looks like...

Instagram prematurely leaks its Snapchat rival

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated December 2, 2016

Facebook-owned Instagram may have unintentionally (or intentionally, perhaps?) leaked an image advertising its rumored Snapchat competitor, indicating the official launch could as well be around the corner. A banner for an app called Bolt was spotted by several online users in Instagram's Android app.

Tapping the banner would yield a dead end in the Google Play Store. Although the banner went away a few minutes later, people have already screenshoted it and the image is now making rounds on Twitter and other social media channels online...

Snapchat launches Geofilters for photos taken at specific locations

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 18, 2016

The popular ephemeral messaging app Snapchat today introduced Geofilters, basically custom filters that only work on photos taken in specific geographic locations.

Geofilters are available by swiping to the right from the Preview screen after taking a photo. This will produce custom-designed text or graphic stickers that can be overlaid on your image to make it more attractive.

As the name suggests, Snapchat Geofilters are location dependent and available for locations in Los Angeles and New York City...

Facebook’s Snapchat lookalike Slingshot now available worldwide

Joe Rossignol ∙ Updated March 20, 2018

After launching in the United States last week, Facebook's new Snapchat competitor Slingshot is now available for international users. I can confirm that the app is available in the Canadian version of the App Store, and it appears to be available in most other countries as well. If you haven't downloaded Slingshot yet, the app is free on the App Store for iPhone…

Snapchat rolls out new Our Story feature

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 18, 2016

Facebook has just rolled out its would-be Snapchat killer, but Snapchat is unfazed. In fact, after introducing a photo sharing feature called My Story earlier in the year, today the startup rolled out a similarly conceived Our Story feature for groups of people.

In a nutshell, Our Story uses your location to allow fellow Snapchatters who are at the same event location to contribute snaps to the same Story.

Whereas Our Story is for communal snap at events, My Story is still available when you and only you want to add multiple images to a single album, without other people contributing to it...

Facebook’s Snapchat competitor ‘Slingshot’ briefly appears in the App Store

Cody Lee ∙ June 9, 2014

Last month, word got out that Facebook was working on a Snapchat competitor called Slingshot. Despite the company's recent $19 billion acquisition of WhatsApp, it's still very interested in the video and ephemeral messaging space that's popular among teens.

Today, we got a sneak peek at the app when it prematurely surfaced in the App Store this afternoon. From what we've seen so far, it is beautifully designed and offers both familiar features, such as annotation, and non-familiar features like unlock-able content...

Facebook reportedly working on Snapchat competitor codenamed ‘Slingshot’

Cody Lee ∙ May 18, 2014

Facebook is working on a new mobile application for video and ephemeral messaging, according to a report from the Financial Times. The outlet says the app is being referred to as 'Slingshot' internally, and is intended to go head-to-head with Snapchat.

Snapchat rejected an acquisition offer from Facebook last year worth some $3 billion, explaining that it wanted to hold out for more money. The social network has since bought messaging giant WhatsApp, but it obviously still feels that something's missing...

Snapchat picks up live video chatting and text messaging

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 18, 2016

The controversial ephemeral photo sharing service Snapchat has received a major update today bringing out a text messaging feature conveniently named Chat, plus another one called Here which allows you to engage in live video chats with other users.

To start chatting, just swipe right on a friend’s name in your Snapchat inbox. Yes, the service will immediately clear all message exchange upon leaving the chat screen, leaving no traces of your communication session.

How to get snapchat update? Well, the update should land on the App Store later today so keep your eyes peeled..

Snapchat vulnerability opens up iPhone users to DoS attacks

Cody Lee ∙ February 7, 2014

According to a new report from cyber security researcher Jamie Sanchez, the Snapchat app contains a vulnerability that makes it possible for hackers to launch a denial-of-service (DoS) attack that can temporarily freezes a user's iPhone.

Sanchez and a fellow research discovered a flaw in the app's system that allows a hacker to send thousands of messages to a Snapchat user in seconds, which can cause crashes. And often times, these crashes can only be fixed with a reset...

Snapchat apologizes (yes, apologizes!) for spam increase following data breach

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 18, 2016

Perhaps realizing that apologizing isn’t a sign of weakness, Snapchat, the popular photo messaging application, took to the official blog to apologize for the spam increase observed during the weekend.

"We’ve heard some complaints over the weekend about an increase in Snap Spam on our service," a Monday post reads. The company has tried to make peace with disgruntled users by offering a formal apology. "We want to apologize for any unwanted Snaps," the team wrote.

The spam increase, the post claims, has nothing to do with a recent breach that saw a group of hackers breach its database and post 4.6 million user names and phone numbers on the web...