Snapchat Scraps Simplified App Plans - Latest News

Snap Abandons Simplified App Design

During its Q1 2025 earnings report, Snap announced the discontinuation of development on a streamlined version of its application.

This decision arrives after a seven-month testing period where Snapchat users experienced a redesigned interface lacking the Snap Map and Stories tabs.

Redesign Focused on Core Features

The experimental version featured a consolidated navigation bar with only three icons: chat, camera, and Spotlight – Snapchat’s competitor to TikTok.

Instead of pursuing further testing of this simplified layout, the social media platform will now focus on refining a “five-tab interface.” This new design will retain all existing tabs while improving access to Spotlight.

CEO Spiegel Explains the Shift

Snap CEO Evan Spiegel explained to investors that the three-tab design proved challenging, particularly for frequent users.

“It was difficult for power users, those who consistently utilize the map and stories features, to adapt to the three-tab design,” Spiegel stated. “This made locating stories, subscriptions, and the map more cumbersome.”

The company intends to incorporate learnings from the three-tab experiment into the evolution of the five-tab interface.

Positive Results from Spotlight and Friend Stories

Snap discovered that a more visible Spotlight experience, coupled with the integration of Friend Stories within chats, led to a significant increase in daily content views.

This boost in viewership was particularly noticeable among less frequent users of the platform.

User Preference for the Five-Tab Layout

According to Snap’s investor letter, highly engaged Snapchat users consistently expressed a preference for the five-tab layout.

Users favored the familiar tile-based content discovery and the dedicated Map tab.

The refined five-tab interface aims to combine the strengths of both approaches, bringing more Stories into the messaging experience and providing easier access to Spotlight, positioned directly next to the camera icon.

User Base Changes in North America

This reversal in design strategy coincides with a loss of 1 million users in North America during the first quarter.

Snapchat’s daily active users (DAUs) in North America decreased to 99 million, compared to 100 million in the previous quarter and the same period last year.

Growth in My AI Usage

However, the company reported a year-over-year increase of over 55% in daily active users of My AI within the U.S.

Spiegel hinted at upcoming announcements related to artificial intelligence later in the year.

Future of AI and Augmented Reality

“We are focused on differentiating ourselves through visual communication,” Spiegel commented.

He noted that user interaction with My AI, involving the exchange of snaps and chat responses, demonstrates the potential of multimodal models.

Looking ahead, Snap is investing in integrating AI into augmented reality to create a new, AI-powered user interface.

Financial Performance

Snap reported first-quarter revenue of $1.36 billion, representing a 14% year-over-year increase.

This growth is attributed to the success of the Snapchat+ subscription service and advancements in its advertising solutions.

Global User Growth

The company also achieved a new milestone, surpassing 900 million monthly active users (MAUs) worldwide.

Globally, Snapchat’s DAUs increased to 460 million, a year-over-year growth of 38 million.