Snapchat Launches New 'After Dark' Stories And Call Lenses

Snapchat is jazzing up the app's look and feel with some fun feature additions. The social media app, which pioneered the use of Stories, is now trying to reimagine the ephemeral post format with something called "After Dark Stories." These new kinds of stories can be poised after the clock strikes 8 p.m., and will have a distinct moon badge at the bottom, telling viewers that the content was posted late in the night. Now, whether it's late-night study sessions or fun parties, After Dark Stories will stand out when viewed the next day. "Come morning, see the Story unfold to debrief on the night," the company explains.

Snapchat is also bringing the Memories feature to the chat section. The shared Memories will soon appear right at the top of group chats, allowing users to go through the fun Snaps they exchanged. This is somewhat like the custom collections feature on Instagram, which lets you create a collection of saved posts with a friend (or circle) that can be viewed in the DMs section, saving you the trouble of hitting the Send button for every post that you deem worth sharing. Snapchat is also adding a new Communities feature, which is somewhat like a group Stories format comprising solely of your schoolmates.

The platform will soon roll out Snap filters that put all call participants in the same frame using fun creative visuals like putting their faces together enjoying a car ride, or superimposed on two fish swimming in water, or in a puzzle setup. Aside from peppy visual filters, users will also be able to play games during video calls like solving puzzles or catching hoops on a pole. The Snap Map system is also getting a new location-sharing system, which the company says will make it easier to find friends while on the move without any time limit (via TechCrunch).

So far, Snapchat has only allowed users to share their live locations for a definite period of time, but they'll soon be able to keep it on for as long as they deem fit. Creators, on the other hand, will be able to put their videos alongside an establishment's profile on the Snap Map, if they want their followers to know about it. Another creator-focused addition is Public Stories, which lets users share content to everyone, and now also comes with a scheduling system, as well. Creators will also be able to save one of their favorite Stories to their user profile, and there's now even a Linktree integration system in place so that followers can find their favorite social media stars on all platforms.