Snapchat first showed off the new feature at its Partner Summit event in April this year. It’s the first part of the suite of tools that Snapchat calls “Director Mode.”

The update is live on iOS, with Snap saying Dual Camera will come to Android a few months from now. It allows iPhone users to use both the selfie and rear cameras simultaneously, with several different layouts for the two camera feeds.

READ MORE: TikTok Now is another blatant copy of the BeReal app

Snapchat’s announcement video (below) shows a picture-in-picture mode, two split screen options (side-by-side and top-to-bottom), and a cutout mode that uses the second camera to put a virtual green screen behind you.

Users can also use Snapchat’s signature augmented reality (AR) filters, but only after they’ve recorded the clip.

This would be the first time a dual-camera feature worked with video. Earlier apps, like Frontback and BeReal, used pictures instead when capturing from both the front and back cameras.

That photo-first approach is also something Instagram is working on. Their IG Candids feature challenges users to take a dual-camera selfie once per day, with no setup, no filters, and no preparation.

That’s an interesting counterpart to the carefully staged and presented images you usually see on Instagram.

Social media apps like Snapchat have to change to stay relevant. Dual camera feeds might be today’s phase, but it could be another feature in the future.

Have any thoughts on this? Carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Meta Quest 2 users can now ditch their Facebook accounts to log in
• TikTok’s in-app browser can track every tap you make
• Twitter adds podcasts to its redesigned Spaces tab
• TikTok creators can now share Stories on Facebook, Instagram

The post Snapchat now has its own ‘dual-camera’ feature similar to BeReal appeared first on KnowTechie.

The new Family Center was revealed in a blog post on Snap’s website this morning. The platform hopes to imitate the way parents engage with their kids in the real world.

It gives them access to their kids’ friends, but not to any of the conversations they’ve been having.

READ MORE: Snapchat now has its own ‘dual-camera’ feature similar to BeReal

Parents of teenagers on Snapchat can use the Family Center to help monitor their kids, but first, they have to set it up.

You have to be friends with your teen on the platform. And they will then have to accept an invitation sent to join the Family Center.

Once joined, parents will be able to see their kids’ friends list, as well as see a list of which users they have been talking with. Parents also have the ability to quickly and easily report any suspicious accounts they might find on their teen’s friends list.

But that’s the limit. Snapchat wants to ensure that it’s not selling out its teen users’ privacy with Family Center. Parents can’t see individual messages. And teens can actually get a mirrored look of exactly what their parents see through Family Center.

Like many new features of this scale, Snap says it will be adding more features to Family Center in the coming months.

The company plans on adding new content controls and a way for teens to notify parents when they’ve reported someone, similar to Instagram’s Family Center.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Snap launched a desktop version of its mobile app
• TikTok is working on a music streaming app to challenge Spotify
• Instagram expands NFTs to over 100 countries
• Facebook brings back the chronological feed for your friends

The post Snapchat’s new Family Center helps parents monitor their kids appeared first on KnowTechie.

The company revealed its new plans in a post from its newsroom earlier this morning. Initially, the feature is only available for Snapchat Plus members in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

The company also confirmed plans to bring Snapchat for Web to Snapchat Plus members in France, Germany, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. But eventually, it will be available for users all around the world.

Snapchat for Web contains many features you would normally expect from the app. You can continue your chats where you left off on your mobile device or join voice and video calls.

It even includes messaging features like Chat Reactions and Chat Reply that mobile users enjoy. You can check it out for yourself at web.snapchat.com.

The seems like a pretty smart move from Snap. The app itself originally started primarily as a picture and video sharing app. But it has evolved into a full-fledged social platform with messaging, voice and video calling, and more.

Now that it’s also available on desktops, users have more options for continuing to use the app while on their computers.

It will be interesting to see if the new feature remains exclusive for Snapchat Plus members. Or if it will eventually be available to everyone. Let us know what you think down below.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• A new Snapchat update lets other users see your precise location
• Snap’s CEO says the metaverse is ‘ambiguous and hypothetical’
• Snapchat unveils a $230 self-flying drone called Pixy
• How to send YouTube links as stickers in Snapchat

The post Snap launched a desktop version of its mobile app appeared first on KnowTechie.

With this newly updated feature, not only could your children talk to strangers, but they could also unknowingly disclose their exact location, down to the street address, and even the exact house number,

Now, if that sounds spooky, that’s because it is. In addition to disclosing their exact location, Snapchat now estimates how long it’ll take to drive there using Google Maps.

What is Snap Map and why are parents worried?

READ MORE: Snap launched a desktop version of its mobile app

Snap Map requires users to enable location sharing. Snapchat uses this to offer real-time location tracking.

Users’ location is shared with Snapchat friends, then used to search for nearby Snaps. It is also shared with other Snap Map users across the world. Each shared live location update disappears after four hours. 

Health and beauty brand, Ethan Thomas Collection, shared this hint in a now-deleted Facebook post that has since gone viral. It posted 

READ MORE: Snapchat now has its own ‘dual-camera’ feature similar to BeReal

“Click the drive icon which will open google maps and it gives you their precise address. Even the house number!  ‘If you have kids, turn their location off or put it in ghost mode.”

Although this feature is opt-in and can be disabled in the settings by turning off Precise Location, not many parents or their children may know how to do this. 

Snapchat+ also shares users’ location data

Snapchat’s new subscription service, Snapchat+, brings exclusive data insights including the ability to see your friends’ location history in the last 24 hours and rewatch their Stories. This is almost similar to Google’s Location History and Google Map Timeline features.

If you’re concerned about sharing your location with others, you should turn off Precise Location and enable Ghost Mode to prevent location sharing. You should also educate your teens on the dangers of cyberstalking by other Snapchat users.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Snap’s CEO says the metaverse is ‘ambiguous and hypothetical’
• Snapchat unveils a $230 self-flying drone called Pixy
• How to send YouTube links as stickers in Snapchat
• Snapchat now lets you change your username – here’s how to do it

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Snapchat hasn’t released many details about what you get for your money. It sounds kinda like Twitter Blue, in that you get features before the rest of Snapchat’s users.

Similarly, you get the ability to change the style of the app icon on your phone.

“This subscription will allow us to deliver new Snapchat features to some of the most passionate members of our community and allow us to provide prioritized support.” – Snap Inc.

READ MORE: A new Snapchat update lets other users see your precise location

The Verge reports that only a few other features are available right now. You can pin one friend to the top of your chat history, as a “BFF.” You also get the ability to see who re-watched your Snapchat Story.

That’s the full list of the launch features, for which again, you will pay $3.99 for the privilege. What you don’t get is an ad-free experience in the app.

READ MORE: Snap launched a desktop version of its mobile app

YouTube’s subscription removes advertising for the paying customers, which is nice, but does cost $11.99 a month. Twitter Blue might not remove ads on the site, but you do get Ad-free articles from participating publishers.

Snapchat Plus is available to users in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Snapchat will add more countries to the list as time goes on.

READ MORE: Snapchat now has its own ‘dual-camera’ feature similar to BeReal

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Snap’s CEO says the metaverse is ‘ambiguous and hypothetical’
• Facebook overhauls groups with private chats and voice chat
• Elon Musk’s $44B Twitter bid approved by board of directors
• Instagram and Facebook creators are getting new monetization tools

The post Snapchat Plus adds BFFs and Story stats for $3.99 a month appeared first on KnowTechie.

Snap is currently testing a new paid feature, called Snapchat Plus, as it explores new ways to make money. Snapchat Plus will be a premium subscription that gives users early access to new features on top of some other perks.

App researcher Alessandro Paluzzi shared some of what the new Snapchat Plus subscription will include. The upcoming subscription model was later confirmed by a Snap spokesperson speaking with The Verge.

The new Snapchat Plus subscription will give paying users the opportunity to experience “exclusive, experimental, and pre-release features,” according to the company’s spokesperson.

Paluzzi shared what some of those features will be in their tweet.

READ MORE: A new Snapchat update lets other users see your precise location

Snapchat Plus will reportedly give subscribers the ability to pin a “#1 BFF” to share with the world. That sounds like a great way to piss off your other friends.

READ MORE: Snap launched a desktop version of its mobile app

Subscribers will also get exclusive Snapchat icons, a badge to show off in your profile, and much more.

Snap’s idea to add a subscription model to help it make some money isn’t the first of its kind. Twitter launched Twitter Blue back in November. Telegram is another platform that recently revealed plans for a premium, subscription feature.

Paluzzi was able to find another page that shows prices for Snapchat Plus. But there’s no guarantee that those will be the real prices when the feature launches. Those prices start at around $5 a month, with six-month and yearly prices available, as well.

As of now, we don’t have any real idea of when the subscription feature will make its way to the platform. Snapchat is supposedly still in early internal testing for the feature, so it will likely be a little while before Snapchat Plus makes its way to the public.

READ MORE: Snapchat now has its own ‘dual-camera’ feature similar to BeReal

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Snap’s CEO says the metaverse is ‘ambiguous and hypothetical’
• Snapchat unveils a $230 self-flying drone called Pixy
• Meta’s new parental controls make Quest VR headsets safer for kids
• Instagram adds Amber Alerts for missing kids in your feed

The post Snapchat is reportedly adding a paid tier for early-access features appeared first on KnowTechie.

Snap CEO Evan Spiegal seems to be on the same page and calls the whole thing “pretty ambiguous and hypothetical,” in a statement to The Guardian. “Just ask a room of people how to define it, and everyone’s definition is totally different.”

Because of this, Snap has no intentions of investing in Zuckerberg’s vision for the metaverse. Instead, the company is putting all its chips on augmented reality (AR). And that makes sense since its AR tech is used by millions of people every day in the Snapchat app.

“There’s now like 250 million people engaging with AR everyday on the smartphone alone,” Spiegel tells The Guardian. “And that’s on this tiny little screen that you’re looking through and you’re using your thumbs on. So we believe that trying to break some of those constraints, and go into a truly immersive and interactive AR experience, will be really important in the future.”

Snap has its own pair of AR Glasses out in the wild, and it’s currently in the hands of testers. Sure, they’re not perfect, but at least they have the ball rolling. In comparison, Meta’s AR glasses have a release date of 2024.

But Snap’s approach is simple. Instead of building tools to replace reality, the company hopes to augment the real world around you. Because realistically, who wants to spend all day hanging out wearing a VR headset?

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Snapchat unveils a $230 self-flying drone called Pixy
• Meta is opening a physical store to conquer the metaverse
• Epic Games is pumping $2 billion into the metaverse
• Nintendo plans to focus on real virtual worlds, not the metaverse

The post Snap’s CEO says the metaverse is ‘ambiguous and hypothetical’ appeared first on KnowTechie.

Announced during the Snap Partner Summit keynote, Pixy looks like it was created for ease of use. There’s no controller, no SD card for additional storage – just a dial to choose between the four preconfigured flight paths.

Different flight paths include float, orbit around you, follow you as you walk or run, and Pixy zooms into the air and starts recording. The resulting video is at a 2.7k resolution, or you can get 12-megapixel photos. To stop recording, you put your hand under Pixy and it will land.

READ MORE: Snapchat Plus adds BFFs and Story stats for $3.99 a month

READ MORE: Snapchat is reportedly adding a paid tier for early-access features

Snap says Pixy can capture five to eight flights on each charge from the 3.3Wh, 860mAh removable battery. In terms of flight time, that equals out to about three minutes. The whole drone, including the battery, only weighs 101g.

Pixy transfers its footage wirelessly to the Snapchat app via Snapchat Memories. You can then view, edit, and share the videos, using the same editing tools for Snapchat.

READ MORE: Snap launched a desktop version of its mobile app

Pixy is available for sale now, starting from $229.99 for the drone, a carrying case, one rechargeable battery, and a USB-C charging cable. Snap expects orders to ship within 11-12 weeks from the day you order.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

READ MORE: A new Snapchat update lets other users see your precise location

Editors’ Recommendations:

• How to send YouTube links as stickers in Snapchat
• Think someone is blocking you on Snapchat? Here’s how to check
• Snap’s new Story Studio is a vertical video editing app for iOS
• Snapchat is cracking down on drug dealers with its latest update

The post Snapchat unveils a $230 self-flying drone called Pixy appeared first on KnowTechie.

If you have the YouTube mobile app installed on your phone, you can share videos directly to Snapchat in sticker form. Once you’ve shared the link, you can use it to create a snap and release it into the world.

The feature is available on both Android and iOS devices, so we can all distract our friends in style. Let’s discuss how to send YouTube links as stickers in Snapchat.

How to send a YouTube link as a Snapchat sticker

If you want to share a YouTube video with a friend and Snapchat is your preferred chat method, here’s how to send a YouTube link as a sticker in the Snapchat app:

READ MORE: How to rent or buy movies on YouTube

When the snap arrives, the recipient can tap the YouTube attachment button to open the video in the YouTube app or a browser. Before exiting, the app will ask permission to play the content in the appropriate application.

Best way to send YouTube links with Snapchat

While the YouTube sticker feature may not be groundbreaking, it does provide a fun way to share content with friends. Attaching links the old-fashioned way just isn’t appealing once you’ve tried stickers.

Because messages self-destruct after being viewed, sharing content through Snapchat creates a sense of urgency and may compel recipients to watch the attached YouTube video immediately.

If your ultimate goal is distraction, an enticing sticker with a short expiration date is worthy bait.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Snapchat now lets you change your username – here’s how to do it
• Think someone is blocking you on Snapchat? Here’s how to check
• Snapchat finally removed the ‘Speed Filter’ that was causing car accidents
• How to enable Siri’s gender-neutral voice on iPhone and Mac

The post How to send YouTube links as stickers in Snapchat appeared first on KnowTechie.

To compare apples to apples, Twitter expects to generate $5.58 billion in advertising revenue by 2022, and Snapchat will generate $4.86 billion. When you add those two figures, that doesn’t even come close to what TikTok expects to make in 2022. 

So how is TikTok generating so much more revenue than Twitter and Snapchat combined? Well, the answer is pretty simple. It all boils down to active users. 

READ MORE: TikTok is finally testing a dislike button for toxic comments

Currently, TikTok has more than one billion active users on its platforms. On the other hand, Twitter only has 206 million active users, while Snapchat has 293 million daily active users worldwide.

READ MORE: TikTok now lets anyone make their own AR filters

The more users you have on a platform, the more ads you can show. This is because more ads equal more revenue, which seems to be the case here with TikTok.

“TikTok’s user base has exploded in the past couple of years, and the amount of time users spend on the app is extraordinary,” said Debra Aho Williamson, an analyst at Insider Intelligence.

READ MORE: What is the BeReal app and why are all the kids using it?

If all goes to plan, TikTok’s ad revenue could reach $23.58 billion by 2024, which puts it within striking distance of YouTube’s $23.65 billion.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• TikTok (finally) tests a watch history feature
• Facebook employs shady GOP tactics to tear down TikTok
• Reddit is exploring TikTok-style reaction videos
• TikTok is investigated for its effects on teens and kids
• Ever wonder how influencers make money on TikTok?

The post TikTok’s ad revenue will surpass Twitter and Snapchat combined appeared first on KnowTechie.

Private businesses worldwide – including the leaders in big tech and social media – have taken action against Russia to pressure the country to withdraw its troops.

Here’s what Apple, Google, and other tech giants have done to aid the world in ending the conflict.

Apple

Cellphone manufacturer Apple has taken drastic measures. It paused all product sales within Russia’s borders and restricted essential functions for Russian citizens who own Apple devices. Russian news apps RT and Sputnik are also no longer available on the App Store.

READ MORE: Yandex, Russia’s Google, is secretly sending your data to Russia

The company has also made an impact in Ukraine, shutting down all traffic and live incident reports on Apple Maps to avoid exposing civilians to armed forces, as many civilians remain sheltered in Ukraine’s major cities.

The map now shows Crimea as Ukrainian territory instead of Russian territory as a jab to Russia.

Google

Google shares Apple’s sentiment and has also restricted its Maps features within Ukraine’s borders.

Google Maps can normally show population density in a specific area through traffic reports, but the company has turned that feature off to avoid putting large groups of civilians and military personnel under a microscope. 

Google also updated its Search tool to direct people seeking asylum to helpful United Nations resources. This step is part of a greater effort to fight against Russia’s online influence.

Google has bolstered cybersecurity for over 100 Ukrainian websites and blocked all YouTube channels across Europe connected to ST and Sputnik.

Meta

Facebook and Instagram’s parent company Meta also blocked access to RT and Sputnik throughout the European Union to stop the spread of Russia’s state-backed information.

The social media apps have also demoted or fact-checked content from other Russian media outlets – something they also did with COVID-19, to varying degrees of success.

Meta has also introduced new security measures for Ukrainians and Russians to protect against hackers, militant groups, and other threats.

Many Russian citizens have protested against the conflict and face punishment from their own government.

Meta’s messaging apps WhatsApp and Messenger remain functional to encourage these citizens to continue organizing their cause.

Microsoft

Computer software and electronics company Microsoft has stopped all product sales in Russia.

It’s also kept a close eye out for cyberattacks against Ukrainians through sectors that are vital to the war: finance, agriculture, energy, and humanitarian aid.

READ MORE: Microsoft stops serving Windows downloads to Russian users

Cybersecurity has played a major role so far, and secure devices could make a significant difference in the war’s outcome.

Microsoft has also removed RT and Sputnik from the Windows App Store and de-ranked the sites on the search engine, Bing. 

Twitter

Twitter has taken similar precautions to Facebook, flagging any explicit pro-Russian posts, identifying influential accounts, and disrupting attempts to spread misinformation.

The site has also temporarily paused its advertisements in Ukraine and Russia, though it remains on the App Store.

Snapchat

Snapchat has personal connections to the war, as its augmented reality technology comes from Looksery, a Ukrainian tech company the social media giant bought out in 2015.

Snapchat says that over 300 Ukrainians have helped develop the app over the years. It no longer runs advertisements in Russia, Belarus, or Ukraine and has stopped accepting revenue from Russian-owned entities.

Its heat map feature also no longer works in the region.

TikTok

TikTok has suspended livestreaming and video creation for Russian accounts following Russia’s recently passed fake news law, which could put anti-war protesters at risk of significant jail time.

It has also begun labeling content from state-controlled media accounts and banned RT and Sputnik in the European Union.

Every Effort Helps

These sanctions from big tech and social media companies aren’t just PR stunts.

They help Ukrainian citizens and activists communicate without Russian interference, limit Russia’s influence in the digital world and put increasing pressure on its leaders to end the invasion without further bloodshed.

Every effort helps if it means we can find a peaceful solution.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Russia fulfills its promise by completely banning Instagram
• Facebook has dismantled a Russian propaganda network sharing fake war news
• In its fight against Russian hackers, the Biden administration is making progress
• Microsoft says Russia is mostly to blame for state-sponsored hacking attempts

The post Apple, other major tech companies react to Russia invasion appeared first on KnowTechie.

There is a kind of sparkle-in-the-eyes optimism when a social media company attempts to appear to care about social good and the well-being of its users. But in the end, Snapchat’s real-time location tracking is just another feature on another app for users to abuse.

Snapchat has had a map feature for years, but it only offered a general location when turned on.

READ MORE: Snapchat is reportedly adding a paid tier for early-access features

Now, it’s gone full parental control. It is partnering with It’s On Us, a national nonprofit program that is working toward stopping campus sexual assault. Even though Snapchat’s reasoning is altruistic, real-time location sharing still has some Life360-mom-is-watching vibes.

READ MORE: A new Snapchat update lets other users see your precise location

Yet, if Apple Watch can freaking save lives, then it stands to reason that Snapchat could possibly do the same. It saves the effort of an emergency text (perhaps) and could possibly enable a friend to save another friend from a dicey situation, to say the least.

The new Snapchat feature isn’t turned on by default, but it can be enabled for a few minutes or a few hours at a time. Only mutual friends can use the feature, and they can pause it without the follower receiving a notification (stalking in mind).

READ MORE: How to send YouTube links as stickers in Snapchat

There is no option to share location with all friends, only one at a time. Naturally, with a feature like this on a free social media app, we have to wonder not only who our friends really are, but what is Snapchat getting out of all of this?

Snapchat is getting that delicious location data Yum Yum sauce. Location data provides all kinds of data points for advertising purposes. Of course, Snapchat has likely had access to that data for years with live mapping through your phone’s location data.

READ MORE: Snapchat Plus adds BFFs and Story stats for $3.99 a month

Ad dollars drive every new feature within free social media apps, and why not? That’s what pays for the app you love to ignore the world with.

This isn’t the only new feature Snapchat has introduced recently

READ MORE: Snap launched a desktop version of its mobile app

This feature comes on the back of Snapchat allowing you to change your username, another step in discouraging stalkers. Regardless, lawmakers are not satisfied that Snap and others are doing enough to protect the children, but that’s a story for another day.

Snapchat is just making it easier for your children to share their location with social media friends – a loosely-defined concept, to say the least.

For parents, they can use this new feature to also track their kids. You know, instead of having important conversations about the psychological demands of social media.

With every new social media feature, there are some good intentions. But it’s too early to tell if allowing access to live location data will have a positive impact.

Someone will find some way to exploit it. So, it’s a race to see if this feature results in positive news pertaining to its use, or something more tragic born of naiveté and arrogant social media callousness.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Instagram now lets you send private Story likes that don’t clog up your DMs
• Meta has to pay $90 million for tracking users even after they logged off
• Donald Trump’s new Truth Social platform is basically a Twitter clone
• Twitter is testing a new DM feature that everyone seems to hate

The post Snapchat now offers real-time location tracking so your friends can watch your back appeared first on KnowTechie.

The feature does come with some caveats. For example, users are allowed one name change per year. Additionally, users can’t choose a previously-used handle, including inactive usernames. You may also lose your old username once you switch too.

All of that said, however, the feature has been highly requested and it’s honestly wild that it hasn’t been available until now.

Changing your Snapchat username is a pretty straightforward process – here’s how to do it: 

If you want to use this feature when it is available, the change can be made in just a couple of taps.

1. Tap the Bitmoji icon in the top-left corner of the camera to head to your profile 
2. Select settings by tapping on the gear icon in the top-right corner
3. Then, select Username – you’ll see a Change Username button in blue 
4. Enter a new username and hit “Next” to make the change

Snapchat also says that friends lists, Snap scores, and memories are ported over to the new username once users make the change.  

In response to this much-requested feature, a Snapchat spokesperson said: “As an app built around ephemerality, we know that people grow and change – we certainly have over the last ten years – and couldn’t be more excited to bring this top requested feature to Snapchatters.”

READ MORE: How to send YouTube links as stickers in Snapchat

If you have itchy fingers and are pouncing at the idea of changing your Snapchat username, just keep in mind this feature isn’t available yet, but you’ll have access to it starting February 23rd.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• How to change your username on Twitter
• How to find all your forgotten online accounts
• PlayStation users rejoice, you may soon be able to change that terrible username
• Snapchat is cracking down on drug dealers with its latest update

The post Snapchat now lets you change your username – here’s how to do it appeared first on KnowTechie.

In a blog post on the company’s website earlier this week, Snap spoke about the progress that it has made and is continuing to make to combat drugs on its platform. One of the biggest changes discussed was a new safeguard added to the Quick Add feature.

Quick Add lets users discover new people on Snapchat, but it has now seen some major changes. Now, for users under the age of 18 to be discoverable in the Quick Add section, they must have a “certain number of friends in common.” The platform hopes that this will stop drug dealers from being able to connect with young, vulnerable Snapchat users.

READ MORE: A new Snapchat update lets other users see your precise location

Additionally, the company shared some of the progress that it has made to combat drug dealing on its platform. The platform has improved the proactive detection rates of drug content by almost 400 percent in the last year.

READ MORE: Here are the secret emojis teens are using to buy drugs online

Machine learning and AI are responsible for finding almost 90 percent of the drug content on the platform. The remaining comes from community reports.

And Snapchat has a lot more plans for combatting drugs on its platform, including new partnerships with anti-drug groups and expanding its education portal, Heads Up.

While it’s hard to say that any blame for drug dealing should fall on Snapchat’s shoulders (let’s be real here, drugs will continue to be sold with or without Snapchat), it’s nice to see that the company is so proactive about keeping its platform as free from drugs as possible.

It will be interesting to see how these changes and updates affect the platform and what kind of changes we can expect to see next.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Snap’s new Story Studio is a vertical video editing app for iOS
• Facebook rounds out the year as the least trusted tech company
• Meta’s new patents show how it plans to make money off you in the metaverse
• A hacker on Twitter says they took partial control of over 25 Tesla EVs

The post Snapchat is cracking down on drug dealers with its latest update appeared first on KnowTechie.

As someone who still maintains a “reaction GIFs” folder, this is news to me.

But then, as a Gen X’er, I don’t give a shit what’s popular with what generation or what’s not. We do how we do. Millennials can pound sand.

The thing is, overall, GIFs haven’t lost any ground on the internet as far as usage. GIPHY reported strong use numbers, and r/gifs on Reddit still have over 21 million subs and thousands of daily comments.

GIFs are still hot, and if you tell me that only Boomers are using them while also telling me that Boomers are using them on Reddit, I call bull. I’ve never seen a Boomer use Reddit.

Go ahead, ask a Boomer what Reddit even is.

While there is no evidence to support it, chances are the younger generations are calling GIFs dead (as in, the Boomers have latched on to GIF use, so it must be uncool) while simultaneously still using them to express themselves.

Otherwise, who would be creating new GIFs?

Hell, several of the Instagram accounts I follow are younger Millennial kids that post nothing but self-created memes and GIFs.

Memes have moved into communication territory previously occupied by GIFs but have certainly not replaced them.

READ MORE: How to make your own Twitter GIFs using the in-app camera

Not to mention circumstantial evidence like the children that infest my domicile continuing to shove GIFs in my face like a Subway sandwich artist insisting that it’s real bread.

I can’t use the bathroom without my phone blowing up with poop GIFs from the 21-year-old, who doesn’t even live here. How does he know?

To be fair, I started the trend of sending poop GIFs while on the toilet in the house, but a Boomer I am most certainly not, even though my GIF-addicted 13-year-old calls me one.

The GIF was created way back in 1987 and has had its battles with sustainability, so it makes sense that a lot of young internet users might not ever use a GIF in communication.

Others might have only started with memes and seen their parents using GIFs before deciding never to use them again.

One could easily find many cases of GIFs not being used.

But I think it’s less than Boomers are using GIFs and more that older generations are using GIFs too, even though they invented them and popularized their use.

Younger generations always think they are utilizing technology better than the previous generation, I know I feel that way toward Boomers.

So when an older generation finally adapts, the younger set somehow turns it into some sort of insult toward the technology itself. Fucking why? Get over it, you little shits.

Yes, my mom just discovered and started using GIFs. Sure, she’s two years behind the trends but isn’t that what we all want?

To be using technology together and communicating more effectively? Or are you Gen-Z/Millennial rats pissed because you no longer own a particular communication method?

What is happening is that younger internet users are using apps like TikTok and Snapchat to share videos of themselves, becoming the GIF.

This has become the current hot form of communication, therefore, by attrition, GIFs must either be dead or relegated to use by an older generation. Hence the heat from younger Millennials and Gen-Z.

But that’s a self-centered reaction. For every person that isn’t using a GIF, someone of equal-or-lesser generational value is. Plus, the olds.

What happens when the “olds” start using TikTok and Snapchat to communicate?

Will those platforms be designated as only for olds as the younger generations feel somehow slighted that the olds dare use their favorite communication tools?

Frankly, this is one of those internet situations where everything is subjective and true use is obfuscated. It’s unclear whether it’s the younger Millennials, Gen-Z, or both that are turning away from GIFs.

We’ve got Elder Millennials in the mix, Boomers using emojis along with younger Millennials and Gen-Z, and the classic “Ok Boomer” meme taking a toll on Gen-Z.

It’s all a mess, and none of it means a damn thing.

Have any thoughts on this? Carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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The post Boomers learned how to use GIFs, so Millennials and Gen-Z are over it appeared first on KnowTechie.

When someone blocks you on Snapchat, you’ll vanish from each other’s friends lists, and you’ll no longer be able to search that person’s name. Interestingly, the symptoms of a deleted account look very similar.

If you suspect that someone has shunned you on Snapchat, you can take several steps to find out for sure. Let’s run through the investigation process.

Check your Snapchat chat history

When someone blocks you on Snapchat, your chat history with that person will disappear. You’ll also no longer be able to send that person messages or view previous conversations.

READ MORE: How to send YouTube links as stickers in Snapchat

However, deleting an account causes similar behavior, so checking chat history is only one step in the investigation process.

Search for the account in Snapchat

Next, you should try searching for the suspected blocker’s full name or username in the Snapchat app.

If you’re unable to locate the account using that person’s last known details, you may be on the receiving end of a block. On the other hand, a deleted account will once again behave in a similar way.

Search using another account in Snapchat

If you’ve tried everything else and want to know for sure whether or not you’ve been blocked, searching for the person in question with another account is the solution.

Create a new Snapchat account

Creating a new Snapchat account to perform a clean search is a swift avenue to the truth. Alternatively, you could ask a friend to look for you, but you’d have to be sure that person hasn’t also been blocked.

Here’s how to quickly create a new account in the Snapchat mobile app:

Once you’ve signed in, you can perform a clean search for the person you suspect has blocked you. If the account in question appears in the results, you know you’ve copped a blocking.

READ MORE: Snapchat now lets you change your username – here’s how to do it

If, however, you still can’t locate the person, you may instead be dealing with a deleted account.

Another way to find out if someone has blocked you on Snapchat

If you’re still not convinced that someone has blocked you, or you wish to bypass the tedious investigation process, you could try asking the person what happened. They probably blocked you for a reason and knowing why could be useful.

We’re not suggesting that you confront someone with threats, weapons, and wild accusations, but asking the right questions is a great way to learn.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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The post Think someone is blocking you on Snapchat? Here’s how to check appeared first on KnowTechie.

The standalone editor was first announced back in May, at Snap’s Partner Summit. The company says it is building the app “alongside creators,” whatever that means. It comes with more advanced tools than the main Snapchat app.

Snap – Use the frame-precise trimming, splitting, and timing tools to get your edits just right. Add layers and captions to tell your story, and then Sounds from Snapchat. Try the latest Lens that everyone is talking about, and add smooth transitions from one video to another.

With every other social media app having some version of short-form, vertical video, Snap is trying to retain creator talent. Once videos are created in Story Studio, they can be uploaded directly to the user’s Snapchat Spotlight, or to their normal stories.

The app is iOS-only for now, with no plans for bringing an Android version in the near future. It will be interesting to see if Snap reverses that decision and launches the app on Android.

Other recent updates to Snapchat include new tools inside Lens Studio for the creation of AR lenses. These include the ability to scan local landmarks to bring them into AR, a new sounds library, and a new physics model for AR elements to react “more realistically.”

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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The issue? Google Cloud’s Cloud Networking service, which has an unspecified issue that started at 09:53 PST. The end result is that some web pages and services are inaccessible, with a wide range of services all down for the count. Yes, it’s DNS. It’s always DNS.

If you hop over to Downdetector, you’ll notice that all of these services went down at the same time as Google Cloud started to have issues, with pretty much the exact graphs.

It seems that just like earlier outages of Slack, and the colossal outage when Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp all went down earlier this year, it’s again network configurations that are the culprit.

Services like Google Cloud are great for companies to spin up extra capacity as they grow, without managing physical server infrastructure. The problem with that reliance on one service is that it can take large chunks of the internet down at a time, like today.

Google’s service page now says that the issue is “partially resolved,” so maybe the internet is working again as intended in your location. However, it could still take some time before Google finds out the root cause and fixes their Google Cloud services, so expect intermittent issues until then.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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The post Google Cloud just took a huge dump on the internet appeared first on KnowTechie.

In the company’s blog post earlier this week, Snap’s primary concern as of now is fentanyl. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that was present in over 60% of all drug deaths last year. That fact comes from Snapchat’s new drug education portal, where users will be redirected if they search for “fentanyl” on the platform.

But that’s not the only improvement that Snap is making to how it handles drugs on its platform. The company said that its enforcement rates have improved greatly and its detection rates have increased by around 260 percent since the beginning of 2021.

READ MORE: Snapchat is reportedly adding a paid tier for early-access features

Snap also says that it detects around two-thirds of the drug content on the platform and that its response time to law enforcement requests has improved by 85 percent.

Though this announcement comes on the heels of an NBC report about the dangers of fentanyl on Snapchat, the company says its announcement has nothing to do with the report. Snap told The Verge that these initiatives have been several months in the making and the announcement would have been made this week regardless of the NBC report.

Regardless of the reason for these improvements, it’s definitely nice to see. In a time where we are learning just how bad certain social media platforms are for society, it’s good to see that Snapchat is taking the drug problem on its platform seriously.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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The post Snapchat is finally doing something about its massive Fentanyl problem appeared first on KnowTechie.

As part of International Week of the Deaf, Snapchat has added new stickers plus multiple AR filters to honor the week. The company notes that these filters are meant to encourage people to fingerspell and that the three AR filters have been created in conjunction with Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing employees at Snap.

READ MORE: Think someone is blocking you on Snapchat? Here’s how to check

These AR filters from Snapchat show users how to fingerspell some common phrases like “love” and “smile” and can even teach you how to fingerspell your name. The new Bitmoji stickers are similar, depicting commonly signed terms.

If you are interested in using any of these new filters or stickers, they should be available on your device now. If you aren’t seeing them, make sure your app is up-to-date and try again.

READ MORE: How to send YouTube links as stickers in Snapchat

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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The post Snapchat has awesome new filters and stickers that help teach people American Sign Language appeared first on KnowTechie.