Snapchat tests status update feature to compete with Facebook, Instagram

Snap Inc. confirmed on Tuesday to TechCrunch that it is testing a few features: a new Snap Map UI, Snapchat Status, and Passport.

Social media reverse engineer Jane Manchun Wong reported on three new features that are being tested on Snapchat.

Later, Snap Inc. confirmed that what Wong had discovered is true: the platform is testing a new Snap Map UI that enables Snapchat Status updates as well as Passport, a private list compiling all your previous Status locations.

Status

Status is a feature that lets users share their Bitmoji illustrating an activity, like reading a book or playing video games, to their Snap Map.

This status update works similarly to Facebook’s check-in feature. However, as TechCrunch notes, “Snapchat Status lets people convey their activity and intention so you can tell the difference between ‘I’m nearby but stuck with my parents’ and ‘I’m nearby and want to hang out!'”

This adds a little extra flair to the platform that hasn’t yet been by Instagram like the Stories feature was.

Passport

Passport, on the other hand, is a private feature for individual users. It serves as a diary that keeps track of all the Places you’ve been — those places that you’ve checked into with your Status — and who you were with at the time. Any and all places can be deleted from Passport if you choose.

According to the company spokesperson who spoke with TechCrunch, the new features are being tested by a “percentage of Snapchatters in Australia”. Whether or not the feature will roll out globally is still unknown.

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