Snapchat has reportedly dumped plans for a kids version of its super complicated app. This decision follows a comprehensive testing period of seven months. This decision was revealed in the company’s Q1 2025 earnings release, which highlighted the platform’s ongoing evolution in response to user preferences.
Snapchat made waves last year when it first tested a drastic redesign. They’ve gotten rid of the Snap Map and Stories tabs, making navigation simpler into a three-icon format that includes chat, camera, and Spotlight. With the focus on the homepage, user testing showed us that this simplified method was just not connecting with its heaviest users. Snapchat’s daily active users in North America have fallen to just 99 million. That’s down from 100 million in Q2 2023 and 100 million this time last year (Q3 2022).
Snapchat didn’t have reason to celebrate a drop in North American daily active users (DAUs), but it did worldwide. Total DAUs hit a record 460 million, up 38 million from a year ago. On top of all that, the platform just recently reached an all-time high of more than 900 million monthly active users (MAUs) around the globe. The company announced disappointing first-quarter earnings of just $1.36 billion. That’s a substantial 14% jump from this time last year.
Testing a New Interface
Based on user feedback on the app’s cluttered design, Snapchat is currently testing a new “refined five-tab interface.” Our new design retains all of the current tabs. It deepens engagement with users by making it easier to discover Spotlight and bringing even more Stories directly into the messaging experience. The updated interface places Spotlight directly to the right of the Camera icon. This strategic placement means users can quickly move between features with ease.
Snap has said that their most active users have indicated strong feedback in favor of this five-tab structure.
“Our most engaged Snapchatters consistently demonstrated a preference for a five-tab layout, favoring the familiarity of tile-based content discovery and a dedicated Map tab,” – Snap
Snap CEO Evan Spiegel admitted that the storm the previous, greatly-simplified design had caused. He reflected on the redesign process being an eye-opening experience. In the end, it was a move that hurt the committed users, many of whom use features such as the map and Stories extensively.
“In terms of the simple Snapchat design, we learned a lot from the redesign, but ultimately found that it was difficult, especially for power users, folks who really love Snapchat the way that it is who use the map and stories all the time, to really adopt the three-tab design, which made it harder to find stories and subscriptions and harder to find the map,” – Snap CEO Evan Spiegel
The decision to revert to a more complex interface reflects Snapchat’s commitment to addressing the needs of its core user base. According to their most recent earnings release, though North American user growth might be waffling, global engagement is up.
Author’s Opinion
Snapchat’s decision to backtrack on its simplified design shows just how crucial it is for apps to listen to their most loyal users. Simplifying an app’s interface may work for some, but when core features are lost or hidden, it can alienate the very people who make the app successful. Snapchat’s willingness to adapt highlights its commitment to staying relevant in the competitive social media space.
Featured image credit: Anton via Pexels
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