Snapchat gives your thumbs a break

Good news for Snapchat addicts with sore thumbs: a redesign of the app will let you watch videos without having a digit permanently pressed against the screen. The change is part of a wider revamp of the Snapchat app. 

Snapchat has moved to a tap-to-view interface, meaning you no longer have to press the screen for the duration of a video play. “This means no more tired thumbs while watching a several-hundred-second Story… and a little getting used to for anyone who has been Snapchatting for a while,” reads a post announcing the update on the Snapchat blog. 

It’s not the only new feature in the app. The company is making it easier to keep in touch with people you meet on a night out by allowing the app to search for nearby users, who can quickly be added to your friends list. “It’s a quick way to add a group of friends when you’re all hanging out together,” explains the blog. “If everyone opens Add Nearby, a list of your friends will appear on the screen. Just tap to add.” Both parties have to select the Add Nearby feature, to stop people randomly stalking Snapchatters in a bar, for instance.

Talking of adding friends, Snapchat is also allowing you to personalise Snapcodes for the first. Snapcodes are the service’s equivalent of QR codes. Point your Snapchat camera at someone else’s Snapcode – which can be found by clicking on the ghost icon from within the app – and they’re automatically added to your friends list. You can now customise your own Snapcode, replacing the ghost in the centre with a series of selfies. We know. Kill us now.

Finally, Snapchat’s also boosted security, bringing two-factor authentication to the service for the first time. Snapchat can now send a code to your smartphone every time you log in from a new device, preventing people from hijacking your account, unless they’ve also managed to steal your mobile, too. 

All of these features are in the latest version of the app, which is available now.