With Snapchat for Web, users will be able to log into their current Snapchat accounts and send private messages or even call friends on the desktop. Snapchat Plus subscribers will be the first ones to get access to the service. Subscribers in U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are the worst countries to get access to the service. Snapchat will only be compatible with Google’s Chrome browser, with no support for Apple’s Safari browser.
Snapchat Coming to the Web is a Better Way for the Company to Stay Relevant and in Competition
Although Snapchat was created as a visual-first messaging app, its head of messaging product, Nathan Boyd has said that a web offering makes sense because users are more frequently using their computers. Snapchat for Web gives the users an additional space to chat as well as call in the same window, with Snap’s AR lenses also coming soon. Considering how the pandemic played a huge part in people using their computers more and more, as well as the new school year starting, Boyd has mentioned that Snap wants to bring more of the company’s products to the web as time goes on. Snap considers itself mostly an AR platform for its Lenses, but the core use of the app is still private messaging and calling. This means that Snapchat for Web will be competing with the likes of Discord, as well as WhatsApp. Boyd has also mentioned that 100 million people call each other on Snapchat every month and spend an average of more than 30 minutes a day. You can read more about it here.