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Snap like you've never snapped before thanks to new custom Stories

Introducing Custom Stories
Snapchat wants to help you make your Stories a bit more exclusive. On Tuesday, the social media platform introduced “a new way to create custom Stories,” which can revolve around just about anything. So whether you want to Snap a wedding, your vacation, or just your afternoon with friends, create a custom Story just for the ones you love.

The new Story format is meant to make sharing around specific events a more seamless process. Starting Tuesday, iOS users can create global, geofenced stories with specific friends. Just tap the “Create Story” icon in the upper righthand corner of the Stories screen, name it, and then invite the folks you want to take part in your Story. The app will automatically create a one-block geofence around your current location,

To create a custom Story, tap the new “Create Story” icon in the top-right corner of the Stories screen. Give your Story a name and then invite the friends you want to participate — no matter where in the world they live. You can choose to either geofence or story or keep it open — if you opt for the former, only your friends (or friends of friends) within a one-block radius can contribute to your story. This could be useful in aggregating all the action happening at a specific event, like a birthday party.

Alternatively, you can create a non-geofenced custom Story, in which you simply invite the people you want to be able to view and contribute content. And don’t worry — those groups can be mutually exclusive (though they don’t have to be). While you can only create up to three custom Stories on your own, there is no limit to the number in which you can participate.

If no one contributes to a custom Story within 24 hours, however, it will disappear, maintaining Snapchat’s trademark ephemerality. So if you’re in search of new ways to share your experiences, custom Stories just may be the tool you have been waiting for.

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Lulu Chang
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