Snapchat: An unlikely new rival for Zoom

• Snapchat is launching a web-based version of its mobile app.
• Users will be able to make video calls from their laptops and desktops.
• Users in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the U.S. will be able to access the app from launch.

Since its inception more than a decade ago, Snapchat has only been accessible via mobile devices, unlike many other social media networks.

However, the business unveiled a web-based version of the well-known messaging software on Monday.

Users should be able to freely switch between their phones and laptops while still being able to carry on chats on the platform.

However, the new desktop capability might also enable Zoom, an unexpected opponent, to challenge Snapchat (SNAP).

Despite being known for allowing users to exchange vanishing chats and photographs, or “snaps,” the business claims that video calling has grown in popularity on the app.

According to Snapchat, the app facilitates more than 100 million video calls every month with a maximum of 15 participants.

Now that consumers may join those calls from a PC, it is hoped that the service will be simpler and more enjoyable to use.

The concept is comparable to video calling services like Zoom (ZM), which became extremely popular during the epidemic, but Snapchat has some distinct selling advantages.

According to the company, users will be able to start calls more quickly and conveniently because they are already connected to friends and can see when others are online.

Soon, video calls on the web-based version of Snapchat will also support the company’s renowned photo lenses, which may give users the appearance of having freckles, dog ears, or other traits.

To encourage users to share photographs to pals, the web version of Snapchat opens directly to the camera. Users can open snaps or start a discussion by selecting one of the latest friend talks listed in a sidebar.

According to the firm, the web version won’t initially have all the features of the mobile app, such as the “Snap Map” where users can track their pals or the discover area.

A spokesperson for Snap, the parent company of the app, said in a statement: “With so many in our community spending more time online, whether it be for remote learning or working, streaming or just plain browsing — we saw a huge opportunity to make it easier for our community to stay connected throughout their day.”

Snapchat for the web forbids users from taking screenshots of chats or snaps in order to safeguard users’ security and privacy (the app alerts users if someone screenshots their chat or photo).

To prevent users from clicking away from the Snapchat window, the business also developed a “privacy screen.”

The launch occurs at a time when Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, is under pressure on Wall Street following the publication of a larger-than-anticipated loss in its most recent earnings report and the subsequent warning to investors that it had reduced its outlook for the upcoming quarterly due to a deteriorating economy.

Shares of Snap, which are expected to release second-quarter earnings this week, have fallen by 70% since the year’s beginning.

Snap unveiled Snapchat+, a new paid subscription service last month with the potential to increase its revenue.

The new $3.99 per month subscription option can be attractive because of the web version. All Snapchat users in Australia and New Zealand as well as Snapchat+ members in the US, UK, and Canada will have access to the web-based version of the app from launch.

Soon, subscribers to Snapchat+ in France, Germany, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates will be able to use the service.

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