Snapchat added a new feature allowing its users to watch snaps that had disappeared for a price.
A paid-for Replay feature was added that allows people to recover lost snaps since most pictures and videos would disappear after one view and play for however long the sender tells them to, the Daily Independent reported.
In a blog post, Snapchat revealed that it is offering this feature because it realized many of its users "receive many daily Snaps deserving of a Replay." A fee of 99 cents is charged to re-watch three disappeared messages but would only allow re-watching a snap once. "They're a little pricey -- but time is money!"
Some users aired their complaints about the new Replay feature saying that it should be free or it shouldn't have been introduced at all.
The Replay tool was first introduced in its “Additional Services” settings, where hidden or advanced features of the apps are located. Prior to this new feature, users had a chance to replay one message for free each day.
Apart from that, it also introduced a new filter that change a photo or video to add animations such as a cartoonish rainbow, or distort a photo to make the subject look older, for example, CNET reported.
It will also be giving "trophies," or recognition rewards to users for different things they do on the service. For instance, doing 10 snaps using the front-facing flash will give them a "trophy" for that. "Trophies" were once included on a previous update but was said to be a mistake.
The new features of the app can be accessed by updating the software from relevant app stores.
The move marks the latest effort of messaging service to expand its business and find new ways to make money from its about 100 million daily users. The app which is valued at $16 million has also attempted to expand its business through advertising and content partnerships.
