New action bar, Snap Minis to Snap Originals: Everything new coming to Snapchat

Snapchat is getting a bunch of new features which were announced today at the Snap Partner Summit 2020. There's a new action bar on Snapchat, more original content, a new section for breaking news, Snap Games and more.

The new action bar on Snapchat for navigating on the app will change and update based on what the user is doing or watching. Snap Map is getting ‘Places’ that lets users easily find the popular spots where people are hanging out at. Snapchat is also rolling out Story Replies that users can send to Snap Stars.

Content

Snap has roped in Disney, ESPN, NBCUniversal, ViacomCBS, the NBA and the NFL for exclusive shows that will air on Snapchat’s Discover platform. Snap also launched a news product called Happening Now that will host breaking news from organisations like The Washington Post, Reuters, Bloomberg and BuzzFeed.

Snap Minis

Snap Minis are integrated in the app’s chat section. There are six Snap Minis introduced like Coachella for users to plan their festival lineup within the app. Headspace Mini lets users have quick meditations with their friends. Let’s Do It should help users and their friends make decisions as a group.

AR

Local Lenses on Snapchat lets users build an AR world by decorating buildings with colourful paint. Snapchat users along with their friends can use Local Lenses to create their own virtual world. Snap Scan is also getting more features to identify almost 400 dog breeds, and rate the quality of ingredients in packaged foods. Snapchat is also getting Voice Scan for voice commands to display which Lens the user wants.

Games

Snap Games which launched last year is getting a ton of new first and third-party games. Bitmoji Paint lets users from around the world paint one collage simultaneously. Zynga’s Bumped Out has players competing against each other in customisable vehicles. Then there’s Quiz Party, Sling Racers and Snow Time.

Bitmoji for Games is also getting new additions like Perfect Master 3D, Scrabble GO, SingHeads and Super Brawl Universe. Here, users can play as their Bitmoji characters against their friends.