Snapchat has redesigned its UI in the latest update to make it easier for new users. However, it seems that a good number of Snapchat users do not find the new UI useful and have since launched a petition on Change.org asking the company to revert to the old design. The petition reads, “With the release of the new Snapchat update, many users have found that it has not made the app easier to use, but has, in fact, made many features more difficult”.
In the past, Snapchat’s UI has been criticized as being confusing to new users and the app does not seem to follow more “traditional” designs, which apparently has been catered towards the younger crowd. To address the long-standing criticism, Snapchat later announced that they will be revamping the app’s design which was supposed to be a good thing. The new layout rolled out in November to a small number of users, but it seems the company pushed it to mass market over the weekend.
The new UI is a major departure from previous Snapchat designs and was supposed to be easier for users to navigate, however, users are finding it more difficult and cluttered.
Unfortunately, the app’s new UI is seeing a massive uproar on social media, with users begging for Snap to roll back the update. Many old-time users are claiming that the new design has made many features difficult to use and “defeats the original purposes Snapchat has had for the past years”.
With the release of the new Snapchat update, many users have found that it has not made the app easier to use, but has in fact made many features more difficult. There is a general level of annoyance among users and many have decided to use a VPN app to go back to the old Snapchat, as that’s how annoying this new update has become. Many ‘new features’ are useless or defeats the original purposes Snapchat has had for the past years. This petition aims to help convince Snap Inc. to change the app back to the basics, before this new 2018 update.
Over 600,000 Snapchat users signed a petition on Change.org asking the company to revert back to the old version of the app. Taking things a step farther, a fake tweet promising that Snap would revert to the old redesign after 50,000 retweets, is currently approaching 1.4 million retweets. Of course whether or not Snap will listen to the masses and revert to the original/old design remains to be seen.
One of the big changes included merging Stories from your Snapchat friends with all of your chats. This panel, which is found by swiping left, is ordered automatically by an algorithm that guesses who you are most keen to chat with.
In a statement, Snapchat explained: “You can think of it as a more sophisticated Best Friends algorithm that makes it easier to find the friends you want to talk to when you want to talk to them”.
We’ve all had the frustrating experience of scrolling endlessly through our Chats to find the right person – now your friends will be listed in the order that you want to talk to them.
But users who hate the new design are desperately seeking workarounds to avoid the update. One of the simplest ways is to simply turn off app auto-updates on your smartphone, but this only works if the update has not already been installed.
It is also possible to download older versions of the app on Android, and some users are using VPNs (or virtual proxy networks) to trick the app into showing an older design. However, Snapchat’s Twitter support account is warning that this should not be done.
While users hate the design, the company is defending its decision. The company has spent much of the last couple of days tweeting from its official account to advise people they will get used to the new change. However, the real reason for the alterations is money – the company hopes that the updates to the way the app works can allow it to bring in more revenues, as it explained during an earnings call where it first set out its vision.
