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Snapchat redesign aims for more personalized feel

Snap, the company behind the social media app, is tweaking two core sections of Snapchat in a bid to win new users.

Roger Cheng Former Executive Editor / Head of News
Roger Cheng (he/him/his) was the executive editor in charge of CNET News, managing everything from daily breaking news to in-depth investigative packages. Prior to this, he was on the telecommunications beat and wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal for nearly a decade and got his start writing and laying out pages at a local paper in Southern California. He's a devoted Trojan alum and thinks sleep is the perfect -- if unattainable -- hobby for a parent.
Expertise Mobile, 5G, Big Tech, Social Media Credentials
  • SABEW Best in Business 2011 Award for Breaking News Coverage, Eddie Award in 2020 for 5G coverage, runner-up National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Award for culture analysis.
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Roger Cheng
discover-page-preview

Snap's Discover page

 Snap

Snapchat wants to be there for you. 

Snap, the company behind the social media network, on Wednesday unveiled new features to try to make Snapchat more personalized. In particular, the company is splitting up the app experience to separate the social aspect of Snapchat (your friends) and the media aspect (your interests and content). 

Snapchat still opens up with the camera app as the "home page" but introduced a new "Friends" page when you swipe to the left. Swiping to the right takes you to an updated "Discover" page with shows and content from media partners. The company said it hopes to make the Discover page easier for companies to distribute content and make money. 

The redesign is a response to the slowing growth that Snap continues to face. The company in the last quarter acknowledged that its user experience can be confusing and a detriment to adding new people. 

The company is also facing intense competition from Facebook, which has rolled out a similar "Stories" short-video-post feature both on its core site and on Instagram.