600,000 angry Snapchat users sign petition to change new redesign

APD NEWS

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More than 600,000 people have signed an online petition calling on Snapchat to revert its update back to the original design.

The app’s latest redesign, which was released last week, focused on separating “media content” from that of “friends” among an array of other interface changes.

Snapchat Stories, which are videos and photos shared among users that vanish after 24 hours, also now appear with individual Snaps and direct messages.

The “Remove the new Snapchat update” petition, which is hosted on Change.org, was authored by Australian user Nic Rumsey.

“Many users have found that it has not made the app easier to use but has in fact made many features more difficult,” the petition reads.

“There is a general level of annoyance among users and many have decided to use a VPN app to go back to the old Snapchat, as that’s how annoying this new update has become.

“This petition aims to help convince Snap Inc to change the app back to the basics, before this new 2018 update”.

The update has outraged millennials and celebrities alike, with many protesting that the new interface is cluttered and difficult to use.

Under the comment section of the petition one signatory wrote, “I am signing because Snapchat is my favourite app, me and my friends use it all the time. I find this update confusing and childish-looking and I am considering no longer using it as long as the update stays.”

Others took to Twitter to voice similar concerns.

Model and TV presenter Chrissy Teigen also weighed in on Twitter, asking rhetorically “How many people have to hate an update for it to be reconsidered?”

Some of Snapchat’s users have complained the app was updated automatically, causing the loss of some messages or archived data.

Despite the pleas, parent firm Snap Inc. currently has no plans to reconsider the original design. In a statement, a spokeswoman said “updates as big as this one can take a little getting used to, but we hope the community will enjoy it once they settle in”.

(GUARDIAN)