Snapchat has updated its iOS and Android app to make it even easier to view Snaps and Stories. Meanwhile, the company is raising awareness about its new two-factor authentication in an effort to protect its users from bad guys and gals.
Pressing and holding to view Snaps and Stories have been condensed down to a quick tap, Snapchat announced in a blog post on Wednesday.
"This means no more tired thumbs while watching a several-hundred-second Story... and a little getting used to for anyone who has been Snapchatting for a while," said Snapchat. "We think you're going to love it!"
The update touches on more than Tap to View for content. It also includes an aptly named feature dubbed Add Nearby.
"It's a quick way to add a group of friends when you're all hanging out together," Snapchat said. "If everyone opens Add Nearby, a list of your friends will appear on the screen. Just tap to add."
Also updated in Snapchat's friending zone was Snapcodes, which have now been improved to support selfies. The selfie support makes it easier for friends to recognize one another and connect on Snapchat.
Closing out its latest address to its users, Snapchat also reminded Snapchatters that the company has lately rolled out two-factor authentication. As its name implies, two-factor authentication requires to factors, a password and a captcha for example, to authenticate users' credentials.
"Once you enable it, bad guys will have a much harder time if they try to hack into your account," Snapchat said.
Rolling out two-factor authentication was an important step for a company whose reputation was rocked by the so-called Snappening, a massive leak of Snapchat pictures last fall.
In the aftermath of the leak, some pundits criticized Snapchat for its perceived poor attitude towards victims of the leak. While some cybersecurity experts assert Snapchat was culpable in the leak to some degree, the company blamed the security breach on its users' use of third-party app.
"We vigilantly monitor the App Store and Google Play for illegal third-party apps and have succeeded in getting dozens of these removed," said Snapchat in response to the security breach.
