Snapchat introduces location specific 'Geofilters
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Snapchat has finally launched a set of location-specific photo filters revealed by MailOnline earlier this month.
The 'geofilters' add a custom sticker to your photo, and are unlocked only when you're in a specific place or city.
Experts say the firm could work with major brands to create custom stickers.
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A Snapchat user snaps a friend on the roof of The Getty art museum in Los Angeles and overlays a new geofilter to show where the snap was taken.
HOW THEY WORK
The new smart filters don't offer any photo-editing effects, and are clear filters with a graphic overlay.
They look similar to they type of stickers that have been popularized by stand-alone photo editing applications.
Snapchat users who use the service in Brooklyn are shown a clear filter with the word 'Brooklyn' written in an artistic font on the bottom, while those in New York's financial district get a special filter showing a shower of dollar bills.
Users who use the service in Manhattan's theater district receive a custom filter with the words 'Broadway' in yellow lights.
The new smart filters don't offer any photo-editing effects, and are clear filters with a graphic overlay.
They look similar to they type of stickers that have been popularized by stand-alone photo editing applications.
'Swipe right on the preview screen to check them out – they'll change depending on which neighborhoods you're in!' the company wrote in a blog post and video announcing the new feature.
The video features filters from several neighborhoods around their Venice Beach, CA headquarters, as well as filters for a specific Soul Cycle location, Disneyland, a coffee shop and cultural institutions like the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and The Getty.
A Snapchat spokesperson told The Verge that 'neither Disneyland, nor any of the other locations, paid to have their filter included in the app.'
Though, it's easy to see how branded stickers and sponsored filters could become a potential revenue stream for the company, which isn't currently making money, experts say.
A Snapchat user in Malibu, California shares a playful snap of her toes in the wet sand.
Two Snapchat users don Mickey Mouse hats as they share a selfie from Disneyland using the new geofilter.
Snapchat debuted its first customized branded filter at Cannes Lions advertising festival just last month. The company partnered with a publisher to add a corporate logo to snaps taken at a party along with the phrase, 'Yes we Cannes'.
Brands such as Taco Bell and Rebecca Minkoff have sent out hundreds of snaps, and the ability to add their logo to Snapchat content could add extra legitimacy to their efforts.
The geofilters already appear to be a hit with users of the service.
'Super cute snapchat filters based on your location the future is now' @juliacosette, a Snapchat user, tweeted.
'What is this new snapchat filter. I like it.' tweeted another user, @debzshin.
Though the video only highlights geofilters in the Los Angeles area, the feature also appears to be enabled in New York.
Enthusiastic Snapchat users in New York show off their custom filters featuring the word 'Brooklyn', when in Brooklyn, and a sea of cash when pictures are taken near NYC's financial district.
HOW TO USE THEM
To enable new smart filters, update the app, go to the app's settings menu, scroll down to 'Additional Services' and click 'Manage'.
Once there, ensure that you have the 'Filters' setting switched to 'on' and that you've given the app permission to pull your location.
For instance, Snapchat users who use the service in Brooklyn are shown a clear filter with the word 'Brooklyn' written in an artistic font on the bottom, while those in New York's financial district get a special filter showing a shower of dollar bills.
Users who use the service in Manhattan's theater district receive a custom filter with the words 'Broadway' in yellow lights.
Other users have received customized filters around events such as Gay Pride.
Snapchat even released a custom filter for rival Facebook's headquarters in Menlo Park, CA. It shows Snapchat's familiar ghost logo pointing its finger and laughing.
Facebook famously tried to buy Snapchat for $3 billion in cash last year before being turned down by Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel.
'Hilarious Snapchat secret filter unlocked at Facebook HQ' an Instagram user posted last month.
Last December, Snapchat released its first major update when it added its first line of filters along with a 'replay' function.
In May, Snapchat unveiled its own in-app instant messaging and video chat service.
Earlier this month, the company announced it was testing a new group-sharing feature for concerts and live events called Our Story.
Both Apple and Facebook have released similar ephemeral messaging services in attempt to capitalize on Snapchat's runaway success.
Facebook released Slingshot, its own service for sending self-destructing messages to friends in mid-June.
Apple also added the ability to send self-destructing audio and video messages via iMessage.
The company is based in Los Angeles and is run by Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy, two former fraternity brothers at Stanford.
The service was first released in 2011 and quickly gained a following among high school students in Southern California.
The company does not reveal the number of people currently using its service, but says more than 700 million messages are sent each day.
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