If you're a Snapchat devotee, then you're going to be psyched to learn that Snap Stories are coming to Tinder and other apps like Houseparty and Adventure Aide. Variety reported that the announcement about the new feature dubbed App Stories was made during Snapchat's first Snap Partner Summit in Los Angeles on April 4, 2019. Snap CEO Evan Spiegel reportedly noted that the move is an attempt to make the virtual world more people friendly. "Our camera lets the natural light from our world penetrate the darkness of the internet," Variety quoted Spiegel as saying.
"The internet started as a military research project. It’s just not our natural habitat. But as we use the internet more and more in our daily lives, we need a way to make it a bit more human." The new features are part of Snap Kit, which already allows snapchatters to send Bitmoji in Tinder chat, according to the Snapchat news center. While no official release date has been announced for App Stories, it's likely that you'll be able to start sharing your Snap Stories to Tinder and other third-party apps sometime before the year is over.
On Tinder, you'll be able to post App Stories from Snapchat to appear in a new "My Tinder Story" feature, Engadget reported. This could potentially allow your matches to get to know you better. If you're not in the know about Houseparty, this mobile and desktop app allows you to engage in video group chats, which the company said in a press release helps friends spend time together versus with each other's profiles.
Adventure Aide is another app that promotes IRL experiences. "It’s about people connecting through their passions and experiencing the best of life together," Adventure Aide explained on its website. Snapchat's partnership with these three apps means that you'll soon be able to share content with other users virtually even when you're not together physically. Aside from promoting more togetherness, Engadget reported that Snapchat executives told them that the integration could encourage more people to create Snapchat accounts.
If you're not currently on Snapchat, and you start to get FOMO after seeing your matches share their Snap Stories on Tinder, you'll have to create a Snapchat account in order to join in because you can only post App Stories from Snapchat. While only three apps have been confirmed for App Stories so far, Snapchat said in its news section that app developers can apply to be part of the new feature.
"Snapchat is one of the most used cameras in the world — on average, daily active Snapchatters open our camera over 20 times each day, and over 3 billion Snaps are created each day," the news release noted. "By integrating Story Kit and adding Stories to your app, developers like you can now tap into Snapchat’s camera engagement to enrich the experiences on your platform."
Snapchat also announced Creative Kit for Web, which will allow Snap users to share articles to Snapchat. "With Creative Kit for Web, publishers can add a Share to Snapchat button to their website so Snapchatters can easily share articles and other content. Each shared Snap will have a custom branded Sticker as well as a link to drive traffic back to the original website," Snapchat said in a news release.
While it seems like these new features are designed to help Snapchat generate more users, some of the additions sound like they'll definitely enhance your experience on other apps. Keep your eyes peeled for more news about App Stories in the coming months.
