Snapchat adds group video chats and friend tagging

Snapchat’s evolution from an ephemeral messaging app to a place where you can hang out with all of your friends takes another step today. The app is gaining group video chat, enabling you to hang out with up to 16 of your friends at the same time, or 32 if you switch to voice-only mode. Of course, there are plenty of platforms that will group chat, so Snapchat’s USP here is that you can use face lenses at the same time. Consequently, if you’re shooting the breeze with your chums, you can do it while vomiting rainbows or with a puppy’s ears and nose.

The other big addition to Snapchat’s platform is Mentions, letting you tag friends in your stories, much like you can do on Twitter or Facebook. If you type @, followed by the username of the person in question, and they’ll be informed of the honor in chat. In addition, people watching your snaps can swipe up to see the tagged account’s public-facing stories, or even add them as a friend. Now, these features will be rolling out to users across the globe over the next few weeks, so if you don’t have them yet, just sit tight.