Snapchat is one of the most used apps available for both Android and iOS. The app, which sends messages that “self-destruct” after being viewed, includes many fun features that let users customize photos and videos before sending them to friends, as well as ways to discover interesting content from other users. One of the most used features is called “Stories,” and it lets users post publicly visible photos and videos that typically serve as a timeline of brief activity updates throughout the day. Recently, an update to the app added a feature called “Auto Advance”. The way this worked was, when a user watched a particular story and the story ended, it would automatically advance to the next story. Unfortunately, the feature was met with mixed opinions, and some disliked it because it removed some control, such as the ability to pick and choose stories to watch while skipping over others.
Fortunately, Snap Inc., the company behind Snapchat, has listened to user feedback. They understand that some users are unhappy with Auto Advance, and will be removing it in an upcoming update. They will be replacing the feature with a similar, yet presumably, more appealing one called Story Playlist. This gives users two ways to view stories, either individually, by tapping a single story, or as a playlist of stories they have specifically chosen. Rather than having each item playback without control over the items and the order in which they play, users can now easily customize their playlist prior to starting it. To use story playlist, users will need to tap the Story thumbnail to the left of the name of each contact whose stories they wish to view. Each contact’s stories will be added to the playlist, in the order that the user has chosen when selecting them, and once they hit the play button, the list will start to play each selected video and photo.
This solution should offer the best of both worlds, giving users an easy automatic way to watch their stories without interruption, while giving them more control over the choosing which content they wish to watch. The update is currently rolling out for Snapchat’s Android community and will be coming soon to all Android and iOS versions of the app. If you don’t already have Snapchat on your device, follow the Google Play Store link below to get it installed.