Snapchat's biggest story of 2016 was its hard-to-get Spectacles wearable, but its biggest feature for 2017 just launched yesterday. That's Groups, the app's answer to the group chat functionality found in major messaging apps such as Google Hangouts and Facebook Messenger.
The easiest way to create a Group is by tapping on the Messages button in the bottom right corner on the main screen, selecting contacts from the list view and then tapping Chat. Now you've started a message in Snapchat and all that's left to do is to name it, which you'd do by tapping "Name Group" at the top of the screen and typing in a title.
Groups function just like normal chats, allowing users to share snaps, texts, video notes, audio notes and stickers. And of course, if a message isn't opened in the 24 hours after it's sent, it will disappear from the group.
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If you need to talk one-on-one with someone in a group chat, tap their name in the row above the keyboard to open up what Snapchat calls a "Quick Chat," because everything needs its own title. After you're done, you can swipe right on the screen to return to the Group.
It's a little surprising that Snapchat, a company that prides itself on appealing to younger users, didn't offer a group chat option until this late in its existence. If non-Snappers thought their friends were addicted to Snapchat before Groups, it's not a big stretch to think these chats might take obsessions with the app to an even higher point.
