Even if Snapchat isn’t getting as much attention as TikTok these days, it’s still very popular among the Alpha and Z generations. In our Snapchat Statistics and Revenue piece, we demonstrated that as of Q4 2020, the app had over 265 million DAUs. The number of people using it every day increased to 332 million by the beginning of 2022.
But the 43rd biannual Generation Z poll conducted by Piper Sandler among 7,100 U.S. teenagers in the spring of 2022 would have set off some alarm bells at Snap headquarters. TikTok was declared the most-liked social media network, with 33% of the vote; Snapchat came in second with 31%; Instagram came in third with 22%. Nonetheless, Snapchat knows it must innovate or perish, and Snapchat Plus may be the way forward.
What Exactly Is Snapchat Plus?
Snapchat Plus (also known as Snapchat+) is a premium upgrade to the original Snapchat. In the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, Snapchat Plus is being rolled out to iPhone and Android users gradually (at launch). Over time, Snapchat intends to roll out to additional countries.
“Snapchat+, a collection of exclusive, experimental, and pre-release features available in Snapchat for $3.99/month,” reads Snapchat’s official description of the upgrade. It is their hope that Snapchat+ will enable them to introduce new Snapchat features to their most devoted users and provide them with priority assistance. Snap’s VP of product, Jacob Andreou, has stated that the new premium account is aimed at people who “spend most of their time interacting with their closest friends on Snap.”
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Extra Functions on Snapchat Plus
Snapchat Plus’s supplementary features are evolutionary rather than ground-breaking. They are made to facilitate the most frequent Snapchatters. These are the current “special features”:
Snap Inc. reserves the right to modify this list at any time as it tests new features. Users who are “superfans” of Snapchat can get early access to the updated version of the app for a nominal monthly fee before the general public.
According to Andreou, features that require interaction with other users will be made available to the general public at some point in the future, while “single-playerish” capabilities (those simply engaging the user, not impacting anybody else) would likely remain reserved to Plus members.
A Map with Ghost Tracks
Ghost Trails lets you track the whereabouts of your friends throughout the past day. While all Snapchatters have the ability to share their position on the Snap Map with pals, you won’t be able to view your friends’ Ghost Trails unless they’ve enabled location sharing and you’ve enabled Snapchat+ in your country.
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Simply Tap a Friend’s Bitmoji on The Map to View Their Ghost Trail
Snap Map’s Ghost Mode can be turned on and off to erase your digital footprint. Your Ghost Trail will only be visible to the people you briefly share it with.
Although, for some, Ghost Trails could be a dealbreaker when considering a Snapchat Plus subscription. TechRadar has advised that while using the Snap Map to check at Stories from places you’re planning to visit on vacation can be useful, Ghost Trails takes things farther. It plots a yellow line next to your friends that represents their movement over the past day. You are essentially doing covert surveillance on the whereabouts of your pals or significant other. They could change their privacy settings to avoid being seen, but that would defeat the purpose of Ghost Trails and could lead to awkward questions about why they vanished.
Best Friends Forever (pin as Your Number One Best Friend)
Best Friends Forever is a great way to show off your best friend to the world. One can wear only one #1 Best Friend lapel pin at a time, as implied by the name.
To “Pin” a buddy as your number one bestie, choose them from the Chat or Send To screen and push and hold. If you’re worried about upsetting your other friends, know that only you have access to this pin.
Rewatch Indicator for Stories
The rewatch emoji will appear under Stories that have been rewatched by a friend or friends if you have Snapchat+. If you see a number next to the heart emoji, that’s the number of times your friends have rewatched your Story, not how many times it’s been rewatched overall. On the other hand, it doesn’t reveal which of your pals have revisited your Story.
Snaps you upload to My Story, Private Stories, and Shared Stories will be viewable to your friends, and you can see how many of them have viewed them. If you want to check how many times your Story has been viewed, tap and slide up on it.
To enable or disable the Rewatch Indicator, go to your Profile and press your Snapchat+ membership card. Next, turn ‘Story Rewatch Count’ on or off as desired.
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Custom Icons and Themes for Your App
The feature isn’t really impressive, but it does have the potential to make you feel unique. Users of Snapchat are no different from everyone else; their app icons are the ubiquitous white ghost on a yellow backdrop. However, Snapchat Plus subscribers get access to a library of roughly 40 symbols to choose from.
