Back in September, Snapchat introduced a fun new feature called "Lenses" that lets users animate their snaps with fun effects, making you look like you were vomiting rainbows or shooting lightening from your eyes, for example. The app released new special effects each day and phased out the old ones. People were obsessed.
But then, today, the company introduced the Lens Store to let users stop their favorite filters from disappearing. Pay $0.99 and the lens will be yours forever. Snapchat says it will introduce a bunch of new filters to the store every day, but that users will still have a handful of free ones at all times, too.
The new store and corresponding fee has made some Snapchat users rather unhappy, however.
I think the cycle of emotions can best be described using, well, Lenses:
Business Insider
Here's a sample of the Twitter outrage which, curiously, Snapchat's official Twitter account has been retweeting all day:
@Snapchat I DONT HAVE THE MONEY DOLLARS FOR THESE FILTTERS1 like = 1 cry
- ??????? (@Yizzl3) November 13, 2015
@Snapchat NO ONE IS GOING TO BUY THOSE FILTERS LOSERS
- Raghad (@raghads25) November 13, 2015
It didn't take long for @Snapchat to start making you pay to use those filters. Thanks for ruining a fun idea
- Aaron Hren (@AHrenbo) November 13, 2015
This is proper embarrassing @Snapchat ... pic.twitter.com/OmKIe7gUGT
- Claudia?? (@ccfha) November 13, 2015
wth dickheads @Snapchat https://t.co/VNcJkZX3kq
- jessy loves zo (@pllzoe) November 13, 2015
What is this bullshit about paying for filters on Snapchat now??? $0.99 for each one but maybe 5 of them? this is dumb @Snapchat
- Supreme Bean (@lechugaa_romana) November 13, 2015
Snapchat has also started retweeting people who thought it was admirable that it was retweeting all the hate, because why not?
@Snapchat roast of snapchat, whoever is on Twitter duty today deserves a raise
- Ciara Morgan (@ciara24m) November 13, 2015
i love @Snapchat for so many reasons. i love them today for retweeted hate tweets about their new paid lenses. pic.twitter.com/2E0In2Oe06
- Casey Neistat (@CaseyNeistat) November 13, 2015
lmao @Snapchat retweeting hate tweetsevan spiegel is definitely logged in rn
- BENJI TAYLOR (@btaylr) November 13, 2015