It is known for representing a mobile-first direction for social media, and places significant emphasis on users interacting with virtual stickers and augmented reality objects.

"[19] He presented Snapchat as the solution to stresses caused by the longevity of personal information on social media, evidenced by "emergency detagging of Facebook photos before job interviews and photoshopping blemishes out of candid shots before they hit the internet.

[21][22] That same month, Spiegel cited problems with user base scalability as the reason that Snapchat was experiencing some difficulties delivering its images, known as "snaps", in real time.

The updated version introduced several speed and design enhancements, including swipe navigation, double-tap to reply, an improved friend finder, and in-app profiles.

"[36] In September 2016, Snapchat Inc. was renamed Snap Inc. to coincide with the introduction of the company's first hardware product, Spectacles—smartglasses with a built-in camera that can record 10 seconds of video at a time.

While originally intended to let viewers know the material was old, TechCrunch wrote that the indicator "ended up annoying users who didn't want their snaps altered, sometimes to the point where they would decide not to share the old content at all.

"[71][72] In May 2017, an update made it possible to send snaps with unlimited viewing time, dropping the previous ten-second maximum duration, with the content disappearing after being deliberately closed by the recipient.

[73] New creative tools, namely the ability to draw with an emoji, videos that play in a loop, and an eraser that lets users remove objects in a photo with the app filling in the space with the background, were also released.

[74][75] In July 2017, Snapchat started allowing users to add links to snaps, enabling them to direct viewers to specific websites; the feature was only available for brands previously.

Voice Filters was previously available as part of the feature enabling augmented reality lenses, with the new update adding a dedicated speaker icon to remix the audio in any snap.

[91] Snapchat also launched integration with Twitch, including an in-stream widget for Snapcodes, the ability to offer lenses to stream viewers and as an incentive to channel subscribers.

These curated snaps provided by the app's contributors and selected for the "Live" section could also be more localized, but Snapchat eventually scaled back the more personal imaging streams in order to emphasize public events.

The implementation of these features are meant to allow users to easily shift between text, audio, and video chat as needed while retaining an equal level of functionality.

[145] Building on this distinction by launching as a mobile-first company, Snapchat, in the midst of the app revolution and the growing presence of cellular communication, did not have to make the transition to mobile in the way other competing social media networks had to do.

[146][147] Spiegel also dismissed past comparisons to other social media networks such as Facebook and Twitter when he was asked if the 2016 presidential race was going to be remembered as the Snapchat election, although major candidates did occasionally use the app to reach voters.

The content would include a behind-the-scenes Discover channel curated by BuzzFeed (a company which NBCUniversal has funded), and stories featuring a combination of footage from NBC, athletes, and attendees.

[163] The feature launched the following month, alongside news of a Snapchat Mobile Dashboard for tracking ad campaigns, which rolled out in June to select countries.

It was promoted as being more privacy-conscious than competing equivalents, as services are only able to receive the user's display name (and, optionally, a Bitmoji avatar) and are subject to a 90-day inactivity timeout, preventing them from being able to collect any further personal information or social graphs through their authorization.

[169][170][171] In June 2020, Snapchat announced the creation of its first-ever "shoppable" original show called The Drop, which focused on "exclusive streetwear collage" from celebrities and designers.

"[188] Following the agreement, Snapchat updated its privacy page to state that the company "can't guarantee that messages will be deleted within a specific timeframe.

The judge dropped Pompliano's claims that Snapchat violated the Dodd-Frank and Consumer Protection Acts in retaliation against him, citing an arbitration clause in his contract.

[207][209] In a statement to The Verge, a Snapchat spokesperson said that "The safety of our community is very important to us and we want to make sure that all Snapchatters, parents, and educators have accurate information about how the Snap Map works".

[212] In May 2019, it was revealed that multiple Snapchat employees used an internal tool called SnapLion, originally designed to gather data in compliance with law enforcement requests, to spy on users.

[213] Citing "vague, broad language" in Snapchat's privacy policy, Mozilla issued a September 2019 petition calling for public disclosures related to the app's use of facial emotion recognition technology.

In particular, the suit alleges that "because of the ways Snapchat is and has been designed, constructed, marketed, and maintained, [the woman's assailants] were able to send these nonconsensual, pornographic photographs and videos of [her] with little to no threat of law enforcement verifying that they did so.

"[220] In December 2022, the National Crime Prevention Council wrote U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland urging the Justice Department to examine Snaps business practices related to the sale of fake pills containing lethal amounts the synthetic opioid fentanyl.

[225] The high-speed crash severely injured the driver of the Mitsubishi, Wentworth Maynard, who required five weeks of intensive care and was left with a permanent brain injury.

[228] In May 2019, the families of two passengers, Hunter Morby and Landen Brown, filed a lawsuit against Snapchat, alleging that the company knew the filter encouraged reckless speeding among young users but failed to restrict its use.

Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act–which typically shields tech companies from liability for content created by users–did not bar the families' claims.

Critics had long argued that the filter incentivized reckless behavior, particularly among young and impressionable drivers, and called for stronger accountability from social media companies to prioritize user safety.