The latest reports state that the popular photo messaging application Snapchat will be introducing a chat feature to its messaging service. Until now, the widely-used service has never provided real-time conversation. In the past, users of the app were able to send each other photos, as well as videos which self-destruct a couple of seconds after they have been seen.
The American start-up announced on May 1, 2014 that users of the popular app will be allowed to chat with friends by swiping right on their name. The moment users leave the chat screen, their messages will be deleted automatically. Moreover, users have the option to take screenshots of their chats, in case they want to save them. They will also be enabled to video chat, as they would with Facetime or Skype.
Snapchat has decided to expand its offering at a time when mobile messaging apps are becoming increasingly popular among users. There are many apps which accommodate more than just texts and photos, which makes them even more appealing. For instance, Tango enables music sharing via Spotify’s streaming service.
One of the most popular messaging apps includes Facebook’s own messenger. WhatsApp has about half a billion users, which is up from 465 million in February 2014. When compared to Twitter, the micro-blogging site has 255 million users.
