Snapchat ditches tap-and-hold for tap-and-view

The feature of Snapchat that made it so original, the tap-and-hold, has been replaced in an update.

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The feature of Snapchat that made it so original, the tap-and-hold, has been replaced in an update.

On July 1, Snapchat rolled out a significant update for both iOS and Android. No longer do users have to tap then hold their finger down on the screen to view received content, instead they simply tap to play, then swipe a finger across the screen to close.

This update is an important one for Snapchat as it encourages users to send longer content -- holding a finger down on a ten-minute video was impractical. However, it also moves away from the original, intimate quality of Snapchat that appealed to users, and the active engagement that attracted advertisers.