Snapchat was the very first app I downloaded - and its latest feature has got me hooked again
SnapchatWhen I got my very first iPhone in 2013, Snapchat was one of the first apps I downloaded.
Almost immediately, I felt like the one thing Snapchat was missing was a groups feature. I wanted to be able to send a Snapchat relevant to my college roommates and immediately Snapchat the five of them, rather than scrolling through and looking for their names.
The same goes for my high school friends, or my sisters, for instance.
But alas, I kept waiting for this one feature as Snapchat introduced other things like Stories, streaks and even a pair of hardware sunglasses called Spectacles. And yet, after three years of owning this app, I still found myself scrolling down my list of 150 Snapchat friends until I found the few that I wanted to send that particular Snapchat to.
But last week, Snapchat answered my prayers by finally announcing Groups, and I could not be happier.
During my sophomore year of college, Snapchat was the app I used, by far, the most often. I was that kid who was known for sending a bunch of hilariously embarrassing Snapchats. My birthday present from my roommates that year was printed-out Snapchats of my friends and family wishing me a happy birthday.
In the last year or so, however, I find that I use the app a lot less. I've stopped watching my friends' Snapchat stories. I rarely even open the app, and have contemplated deleting it altogether.
But since the new groups feature launched over a week ago, I am back on my Snapchat game.
My college roommates are now spread out all over the country and our regular iMessage group chat is only used when someone has major news to share. Snapchat provides a great everyday option. We can send Snapchats on our lunch breaks, in between classes, or after work. It gives us a chatroom to be able to talk about pictures we take, complain about our days, and laugh at one another.
So yes, this is my long-winded way of saying thank you to Snapchat for finally building the feature I have been asking for since 2013. It couldn't have come soon enough.