Snapchat Gets Website Linking, On-Demand Geofilters, Voice Filters, and More

Popular photo-sharing app Snapchat has introduced a major update to its Android and iOS apps that brings features such as new Geofilters, Backdrops, new voice filters, and ability to send website links in the snaps. The most notable is the addition of the website linking feature that will let any Snapchat user send website links using the Paperclip tool. Another feature is the Voice filter that will let users remix their voices with predefined voices after recording a snap. The Snapchat update is currently available to download from the respective app stores of Android and iOS.

Snapchat's Paperclip is very handy tool when it comes to sending a website link to your friends while sending a snap. Tapping on the Paperclip will open a URL bar where you can input the website link and hit enter. Snapchat will make the use of Google's Safe Browsing service to scan it for potential threats and will provide an option to attach it to your snap. As we mentioned, the feature is available to everyone now unlike its Instagram counterpart that only lets verified accounts and publisher use the same.

Coming to another feature, the Geofilter allows you to create custom location-based filters within a certain area and time. This is an on-demand feature that can be found under On-Demand Geofilters and cost $5.99 or higher depending on the length of the area and time. Next up is Backdrop, which is essentially a crop feature that lets you cut a selected area in your snap and apply colourful patterns on it with just a tap on the Scissors tool. Just like the Snapchat face filters, Backdrops will keep changing on a daily basis.

The Snapchat Voice filter is an interactive filter that lets you remix your voice in the snap with a range of predefined character, animal, and other voices. It was previously only available in the Snapchat's AR filter lenses.

While these features are new and fresh to Snapchat, it will be interesting to see how much time Facebook's Instagram and Messenger platforms take to ape them.