Skip to main content

Finally, Snapchat helps users save data with new TravelMode feature

Snapchat Emoji Camera Updates
Maurizio Pesce/Flickr
Snapchat has just rolled out an update that should serve to make life a whole lot easier for regular users of the ephemeral messaging app. Released on Monday for both iOS and Android, TravelMode stops content from automatically preloading when you’re on a cellular connection, so you’ll no longer have to worry about hitting your data cap earlier than expected.

Once you’ve enabled TravelMode (via the Manage screen in the app) you can choose which content you want to load from friends, Discover, and Live Stories by simply tapping the display. The new feature gives you more control over what you view and when you view it, and therefore considerably more control over your data usage.

Related Videos

The issue of heavy data usage has been troubling some Snapchat users for a while now. The app’s Discover feature, which offers curated video content from a number of media partners, increased data consumption markedly when it rolled out in January, a situation that led to many user complaints. TravelMode finally offers a solution.

Monday’s update also brings with it more versatility when adding emojis to snaps. Up to now the colorful characters could only be placed in a line of text, but now, thanks to a new Sticker Picker menu, you can let your creativity run riot and stick ’em all over the place.

It’s also now possible to export your animated Snapcodes as video files so you can share them across social media sites and the like. Rolled out at the start of this year, Snapcodes (a kind of Snapchat-branded QR code) offers a quick and easy way for friends to start following them.

One more thing — a tap on the “eye” icon beside the view count will now show you who has viewed that particular snap. While it was possible to access the information before, this update simplifies the process.

Snapchat, which launched back in 2011, has expanded its feature set and functionality significantly over the years, and is estimated to have over 100 million users. Co-founder and CEO Evan Spiegel said in May the startup “has a plan” for an IPO, though declined to offer a timeline for such a move.

Editors' Recommendations

Popular YouTubers react to Shorts’ new video remix feature
Two mobile devices showing two people dancing in YouTube Shorts videos.

YouTube introduced Shorts in 2021, months after its release in India. The feature came as an answer to TikTok, which had already taken the world by storm. While YouTube is still ahead of TikTok in terms of popularity, the company's Shorts service is nowhere near TikTok. But YouTube is making constant efforts to catch up in the short video format. Recently, YouTube introduced a feature for Shorts that allows creators to use clips from billions of public YouTube videos. The feature is a build-out of the existing remix feature that lets users sample out audio for their Shorts posts. Since this is a new feature, we reached out to some popular YouTubers to find out their opinion on the feature.
An overview of the new Shorts feature
The new video sampling feature from YouTube Shorts aims to popularize the service. Also, it is an answer to TikTok’s popular Stitch feature. Through this feature, Shorts creators can splice 1- to 5-second clips from public YouTube videos. When a short is created using clips from long videos, the original creator gets credited via a link. All the videos on YouTube are available for remixing by default. Hence, creators who don't want their videos to be used for the particular feature have to opt out of it manually in YouTube Studio.

YouTube Shorts splice feature YouTube

Read more
Fitbit cleared to launch new feature that could save lives
Move reminder on a Fitbit Charge 5.

Fitbit has been given the green light for a new feature that will passively check for atrial fibrillation (AFib), a form of irregular heart rhythm.

Clearance for Fitbit’s new PPG (photoplethysmography) algorithm was granted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), paving the way for a new Irregular Heart Rhythm Notifications feature for certain Fitbit devices.

Read more
Ring’s new Pet Profile feature can help find your lost dog
A woman holding her phone showing a Pet Profile.

Over 10 million pets are reported lost every year in the U.S. alone. Ring's neighborhood app, named Neighbors, has returned over 100,000 of these beloved furry creatures to their owners. Today, Ring has updated the app to include new features that will help reunite pets with their owners: Pet Profiles and Contact Me.

Ring, the massive smart home security company, created the Neighbors app so that community members can stay safer together. The app has users connect with other users in their local neighborhood to alert each other when crimes happen, safety events need to be noted, or when pets are lost. The app also connects local public safety authorities with users.

Read more