Snapchat announced Thursday that it will be adding "disappearing" text and video chat to its features. It was likely the only thing missing from an app with ephemeral photos and messaging.
Chief executive Evan Spiegel said that the new feature wasn't meant to compete with Skype for planned conversations, but more "serendipitous" like a "fleeting encounter," according to The Verge.
In essence, it's phone calls for the Millennials.
"For Snapchat, the closer we can get to ‘I want to talk to you’ — that emotion of wanting to see you and then seeing you — the better and better our product and our view of the world will be," he continued. "We’re trying to get rid of these weird boxes that we put media into and get to the essence of conversation — that we’re both here."
Online status is illustrated by a blue button push notification "pulsating" like a heartbeat. However, only when both are using and pressing the blue button is the video call live, so there's no "negative indicator" that a friend may not want to talk to the user. There's no "End Call" button to reject someone either. The text notification is minimal to avoid distractions.
