- Snapchat announced Monday that it had released an updated version of its app for Android devices.
- The Android version of Snapchat has long been criticized, especially for its poor camera quality and frequent app crashes.
- The update has already been rolled out to Android devices, and can be downloaded now.
Android users finally have a new — and improved — version of the Snapchat app available to download.
The Android version of Snapchat has long been criticized for being inferior to the iOS version available for those with Apple devices, so an overhaul to the app will come as welcome news to many Android owners.
Snapchat announced Monday on Twitter that it had released a Snapchat update "rebuilt just for Android."
The app should be available to download now from the Google Play store, but at least one Android-owning Business Insider reporter wasn’t able to update the app on their phone, so keep checking Google Play throughout the day.
An update to Android’s Snapchat app has been long-awaited and is very overdue. Snapchat has known for at least three years that its Android version has had issues. Android users have documented and complained frequently about the app’s frequent crashing and poor quality camera.
Need a sampling? One Reddit user wrote in last year that the Android app "runs worse than literal dog s–t."
"By far the worst app experience I’ve ever had on any device is unquestionably Snapchat," another Reddit user wrote in 2016. "I can’t even take a photo let alone apply any of the filters or text to it without waiting a good minute for the app to be somewhat usable. What is going on here Snapchat?"
Snapchat hasn’t done anything to appease Android users’ criticism until now.
On its face, the new Snapchat looks exactly the same as its predecessor design-wise. However, the camera has been completely revamped. Here are two pictures I took, one with the old Snapchat app and one with the updated version.
Paige Leskin/Business Insider
The post-updated Snapchat didn’t crash while I was playing around with it, but I’ll have to see whether it’s still buggy with longer use.
Considering that Android devices account for more than 80% of the global smartphone market, the Snapchat update is long overdue. The app’s poor quality explains why Snapchat’s biggest decline in daily active users recently was among Android users, as Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel explained to analysts in an earnings call in October.
The updated Android app may help to mitigate some of Snapchat’s woes and combat a decline in daily users. However, Snapchat’s central demographic is largely younger millennials and Gen Zers, who overwhelmingly own iPhones. But as Snap looks to expand its footprint and userbase by launching in new markets, having a reliable Android version will be key.
Fortunately for Snapchat, Gen Zers still cite the platform as their favorite social app, according to a recent survey of teens from Piper Jaffray.
The Snapchat update should be available for Android users to download in the Google Play store.
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Source: Business Insider – pleskin@businessinsider.com (Paige Leskin)