Skip to main content

Snapchat lets businesses create custom Snapcodes that launch their websites

snapchat
dennizn/123RF
Snapchat is making its quick response (QR) codes for businesses a little more personal. The company is updating its app to allow websites to have their own QR code. Once scanned, the code will automatically launch the linked website inside the Snapchat app, making it easy for businesses to send users to their website.

An employee of a business looking to use the new feature can simply head to Settings, then select Snapcodes, then hit Create Snapcode. They can then enter the URL for their website, as well as an image that can be pulled from their website or phone, and that image will sit within the Snapchat ghost logo. They can then use the Snapchat QR code wherever they want.

Individual profiles have had Snapcodes since January 2015. The feature was implemented using technology Snapchat picked up when it acquired Scan.me. What was the point? Well, the codes basically made it easier for users to follow each other without having to type in usernames or search through contacts.

The move makes sense for Snapchat as a way to entice businesses to use Snapchat a little more regularly, and it could help make Snapchat a lot more useful in general for businesses. After all, the easier it is to follow a business and get to its website, the more likely it is that someone will follow that business on Snapchat. Instagram, which is increasingly becoming a competitor to Snapchat, lets verified accounts share URLs within stories, a feature that Snapchat doesn’t currently have — Snapcodes for businesses could be Snapchat’s answer to that.

The new feature comes shortly after Snapchat launched a redesign for its app, which basically made the app far easier to navigate for both iOS and Android users. The Android version of that app was launched early in January, while the iOS version began rolling out on January 23.

Editors' Recommendations

Christian de Looper
Christian’s interest in technology began as a child in Australia, when he stumbled upon a computer at a garage sale that he…
Bluesky barrels toward 1 million new sign-ups in a day
Bluesky social media app logo.

Social media app Bluesky has picked nearly a million new users just a day after exiting its invitation-only beta and opening to everyone.

In a post on its main rival -- X (formerly Twitter) -- Bluesky shared a chart showing a sudden boost in usage on the app, which can now be downloaded for free for iPhone and Android devices.

Read more
How to make a GIF from a YouTube video
woman sitting and using laptop

Sometimes, whether you're chatting with friends or posting on social media, words just aren't enough -- you need a GIF to fully convey your feelings. If there's a moment from a YouTube video that you want to snip into a GIF, the good news is that you don't need complex software to so it. There are now a bunch of ways to make a GIF from a YouTube video right in your browser.

If you want to use desktop software like Photoshop to make a GIF, then you'll need to download the YouTube video first before you can start making a GIF. However, if you don't want to go through that bother then there are several ways you can make a GIF right in your browser, without the need to download anything. That's ideal if you're working with a low-specced laptop or on a phone, as all the processing to make the GIF is done in the cloud rather than on your machine. With these options you can make quick and fun GIFs from YouTube videos in just a few minutes.
Use GIFs.com for great customization
Step 1: Find the YouTube video that you want to turn into a GIF (perhaps a NASA archive?) and copy its URL.

Read more
I paid Meta to ‘verify’ me — here’s what actually happened
An Instagram profile on an iPhone.

In the fall of 2023 I decided to do a little experiment in the height of the “blue check” hysteria. Twitter had shifted from verifying accounts based (more or less) on merit or importance and instead would let users pay for a blue checkmark. That obviously went (and still goes) badly. Meanwhile, Meta opened its own verification service earlier in the year, called Meta Verified.

Mostly aimed at “creators,” Meta Verified costs $15 a month and helps you “establish your account authenticity and help[s] your community know it’s the real us with a verified badge." It also gives you “proactive account protection” to help fight impersonation by (in part) requiring you to use two-factor authentication. You’ll also get direct account support “from a real person,” and exclusive features like stickers and stars.

Read more