Snapchat may be known as the ephemeral social media network, however the company is now allowing users to look back in time, thanks to a new feature called Memories.
Memories is basically a way to save and share old snaps inside a folder, which acts somewhat as a camera-roll replacement for the scores of people turning to Snapchat as their main camera app. Within the folder, you can organize, edit, and re-share photos after they’ve been taken — a pretty significant shift for Snapchat.
Memories can be accessed simply by swiping up from the main camera screen. Of course, it’s important to note that in the past you have been also been able to save snaps to your camera roll, however the new feature saves those photos to the Snapchat servers, too. They can then be revisited from the Memories section.
When you open up the Memories section you’ll see your saved snaps in reverse-chronological order. You can also search through the photos based on their location and time stamp, and the search feature will show you snaps on their anniversary dates. Snapchat has even built object recognition right into the search feature, however it’s quick to point out that object recognition is processed on your phone rather than on Snapchat’s servers, adding an extra layer of privacy.
The move is certainly an interesting one for Snapchat. Long have its disappearing messages encouraged users to share quick glimpses of their lives — leading to a sense of safety in sharing based on the fact that the messages aren’t permanent. Still, you obviously can’t save someone else’s snaps to your Memories, only your own, so that sense of safety shouldn’t be disrupted too much by the new feature.
Memories is currently rolling out on both Android and iOS, so if you don’t have the new feature yet, you should in the near future.
