Culture

How to Add GIF Stickers to Snapchat Stories

Take that, Instagram.

by Kevin Litman-Navarro
Snapchat

Snapchat introduced a new feature on Tuesday that allows users to include GIFs from the media repository Giphy in their snaps. The update marks the latest move in Snapchat’s one-upmanship battle with Instagram (it added GIF support last month) as they both add new features in a bid for messaging app supremacy.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, what is a GIF worth?

Snapchat

How to Add GIF Stickers

To include GIFs in a snap, press the sticker button while decorating a picture or video. When you type a search term, Giphy results will now be displayed along with the stickers and emojis that were previously available. Multiple GIFs can be added to a snap, and they can be scaled like any other sticker.

Go ahead, send that birthday GIF.

Snapchat

The Giphy integration is just the latest change in Snapchat’s recent overhaul. Snap CEO Evan Spiegel first announced the new look for Snapchat in November 2017, but the app makeover wasn’t available worldwide until early February.

Since its release a couple of weeks ago, the update has been wildly unpopular. The major changes were met with swift backlash, culminating in a massive petition demanding that Snap rescind the changes and revert to the old Snapchat. The petition had garnered over 1.2 million signatures at the time of writing.

Woof!

Snapchat

It seems like Snap has no plans to capitulate to angry Snapchat users’ demands and reverse the update. But in a statement to Inverse, a Snap Inc. spokesperson confirmed that a new feature is rolling out in the coming weeks, and it may address some of the major criticisms.

One of the changes that confused many Snapchatters was the separation of friends and media outlets into different sides of the app. Prior to the update, the app was divided into direct snaps and stories, so the alteration made for a starkly different experience. After the change, users complained that they didn’t know where to locate the snaps they wanted to watch.

Once the new feature is made available, Snapchatters will be able to sort friends, groups, and content providers into tabs. This way, people can better organize how their snaps are grouped and where they are located, hopefully eliminating any confusion.

Now that’s a real GIFt.

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