Snapchat’s redesign lets you share public Stories outside of the app

By Brenda Stolyar January 23, 2018

Snapchat — dennizn/123RF

As part of its redesign, Snapchat is launching a new feature that allows users to share some public stories with those who aren’t on the app. Using links provided, you will be able to send the story via email, text message, and other social media platforms for others to view via Snapchat’s website.

In November, the company announced its plans to provide a more user-friendly interface following its disappointing third-quarter financial results. Snapchat explained the redesign aims to bring more users to the app, and will also have a bigger focus on content.

Related Videos

In an effort pull in these new users, the company is no longer restricting its content to one platform. By allowing its Stories to be shared across various channels, it’s an opportunity to introduce Snapchat’s capabilities to those who are unfamiliar with the app entirely.

The share option will apply to its public Stories which are Official Stories, Our Stories, and Search Stories. That means you will be able to share content from verified accounts — like celebrities — along with stories hand-picked by Snapchat’s editorial team, and any stories that are crowdsourced. But you won’t be able to share your friend’s stories publicly — which might be for the best.

You can access the share option through the Discover section, which is where you’ll create links by holding down on a specific “tile” and tapping on “Share Story.” Similar to the way you would share a tweet or Instagram post, you will then copy and paste the link to send to a friend through text, email, or to post on a social network.

If you share the link to Facebook, it doesn’t auto-play but instead shows up the way a YouTube link would. As for Twitter, links to Snapchat stories will be able to play within the tweet, Mashable notes.

Links for Official Stories will be available for 24 hours while Our Stories and Search Stories are available for 30 days. The links also won’t include any advertisements, but this could change in the future. According to Quartz, Snap says that when it does expire, shared snaps will either show the most recent snap posted to the account or you’ll receive a message letting you know the link is no longer available.

Currently, the feature is only available for those with the redesigned Snapchat app in the U.K., Australia and Canada. It will roll out globally over the next few weeks for both iOS and Android.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Mobile

Our 5 favorite iPhone and Android apps by Black developers

An iPhone with apps from Black developers downloaded on it.

As we wrap up the celebration of 2023's Black History Month, it remains important to recognize and appreciate the contributions that Black people have made in various fields, including technology and the smartphone apps we use every day. From social media platforms to productivity tools, Black developers and other people of color have worked hard to create innovative, useful, and just plain fun apps.

Here, we're focusing on five helpful apps developed by Black people that you should check out. These iPhone and Android apps range from ones that help you discover and support Black-owned businesses to ones that provide legal assistance in case of an emergency to ones that curate and highlight sources of news and entertainment by Black creators.
We Read Too

Mobile

The Pixel 7’s best camera trick is coming to the iPhone and all Android phones

Erasing items in Magic Eraser.

The Google Pixel series of phones, specifically the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7, have an exclusive feature called Magic Eraser. With Magic Eraser, you can get rid of unwanted objects in a photo, such as people in the background or things like power lines. As of today, Magic Eraser is becoming available to all Android phones and iPhone users through Google One.

Magic Eraser debuted on the Pixel 6 lineup, which includes the Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, and the more affordable Pixel 6a, which is still available to purchase (the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro have been discontinued). If you have a Pixel 7 or Pixel 7 Pro, you also have the Magic Eraser feature. One of the reasons I had always wanted a Pixel device is because of Magic Eraser, and it is something that I desperately wished Apple would implement.

Mobile

SMS 2FA is insecure and bad — use these 5 great authenticator apps instead

Twilio Authy 2FA app running on an iPhone.

You probably have what seems like a million accounts across the internet these days, right? At least, that’s what it feels like for me — with all these social media, email, and banking accounts, plus digital storefronts, and more. Regardless of where I access these from, whether it’s my iPhone 14 Pro or my Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus, or even my Mac, the first step is to make sure that I have a strong and secure (preferably randomly generated) password. But for extra peace of mind, everyone needs to look into two-factor authentication (2FA) to really keep people out.

Recently, Twitter has made the news yet again because it’s forcing everyone who uses SMS 2FA to either remove it from their account or subscribe to Twitter Blue to keep it. SMS 2FA is when you get a code sent as an SMS to your phone, and while it's convenient, this is the least secure 2FA method available. SMS 2FA is susceptible to numerous vulnerabilities, including SIM swapping (where someone takes over a mobile phone number by convincing a carrier to link that number with the SIM card), SIM duplication attacks, and more.