Snapchat News: Over a Million Users Sign Petition to Take Down App Redesign
Snapchat's attempt at improving its social media application has backfired now that more than a million users signed a petition to remove the update.
A campaign titled "Remove the new Snapchat Update," has now gained 1,033,801 signatures on Change.org, as of this writing.
According to the petition, which was authored by Nic Rumsey, instead of making the app easier to use, the latest update resulted to a more difficult navigation of Snapchat features.
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"There is a general level of annoyance among users and many have decided to use a VPN app, or are using other risky apps or steps, to go back to the old Snapchat as that's how annoying this new update has become," Rumsey added.
The petition also argued that the redesign Snapchat interface "defeats the purpose" of the social media platform.
Over the years, Snapchat has been popular among users as it gave them the convenience of being able to keep track of photo and video updates from their friends and favorite celebrities. These were strategically listed, in chronological order, on the app's Stories panel regardless if they were posted by the users' real-life friends or the celebrities they followed.
In older versions of Snapchat, the application had a separate Discover page where contents from legitimate media outlets could be found. There was also a dedicated tab where users could browse through their chat history.
However, in the controversial Snapchat redesign, the application features two main panels. Swiping right will open the Friends page where users will find their chat exchanges with their real friends. What was different was that their friends' photos and video updates have also been mixed into this window.
Swiping left, on the other hand, will open the Discover page that now also includes posts from their followed celebrities and internet content creators.
The Snapchat update also did not gain praises from some of the most followed celebrities on social media.
Shortly after the app redesign went live, Kylie Jenner shared her thoughts on Twitter and said, "I don't know how I feel about it." One of her followers then replied and said she hated the update and demanded for the "old Snapchat" to be brought back.
Cookbook author and supermodel Chrissy Teigen also retweeted a fan's post complaining that the Snapchat redesign made it more difficult to quickly watch the celebrity's video updates. Teigen's follower pointed out that the previous Snapchat setup had made her feel like they were real friends - a feeling which had been taken away by the app overhaul.
Teigen retweeted her fan's social media post and said she "liked" that there was a way they could feel she was their real friend. She then took a jab at how the infamous Snapchat update had changed that. Teigen also commented: "How many people have to hate an update for it to be reconsidered?"
