UPDATED 19:24 EDT / JULY 18 2022

APPS

Snap launches web-based version of Snapchat for paid subscribers

Eleven years after launching Snapchat, Snap Inc. today launched Snapchat for Web, a web-based version of its popular service that works from a web browser.

Pitched as a new way for the Snapchat community to stay connected when they’re at their computer, the new service allows users to start a call or pick up where chats left off on mobile. The service will enable users to keep conservations going on their computers “where they’re already working, learning and browsing.”

Snapchat for Web includes messaging features such as Chat Reactions and Chat Reply, with support for the Lenses feature being rolled out soon. The announcement mentions using Google LLC’s Chrome to access the service. It’s unclear whether Snapchat for Web will work in other browsers.

The service will initially only be available to Snapchat+ subscribers in the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Australia and New Zealand, with other countries to follow at a later date. Snapchat+ is Snap’s premium subscription service launched in June for $3.99 per month. The subscription service offers exclusive and early access features to Snapchat users, but unlike other similar services it does not remove advertising.

Launching a web version of a mobile app isn’t exactly a groundbreaking announcement. One could ask why it took Snap so long to offer the service. Although Snap’s core audience skews younger and may prefer using mobile apps over a computer, offering a web version that extends access to the service for those in front of a computer seems like a no-brainer.

The announcement comes two months after Snap triggered a tumble in tech stocks on May 24 after announcing a profit warning. Snap, which also said it’s planning to slow hiring and spending, saw its shares drop 43% when the announcement was made, its largest single-day decline on record.

Snap shares are now down more than 70% over the last 12 months. Though the company has recovered slightly from its profit downgrade, the stock has continued to trade at near record lows. Snap shares closed at $13.92 today, up almost 2% in regular trading following the announcement of Snapchat for Web.

Image: Snap

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