Snapchat releases new, rebuilt app for Android

SNAPCHAT. The Snapchat logo is displayed on a mobile phone, March 1, 2017 in Glendale, California. File photo by Robyn Beck/AFP

MANILA, Philippines – Snapchat has released its rebuilt app for Android, Monday, April 8, US time.

The rebuilt app is expected to be faster and less buggy than the original app, which debuted in October 2012.

Snapchat originally launched as an iOS app in 2011, before being carried over to Android. Its history as an native iOS app, using pretty much the same code between the two platforms, is likely to blame for the rougher Snapchat experience on Android.

To @Android. Love, Snapchat. #SnapForAndroid pic.twitter.com/MGOFQYa9Cj

— Snapchat (@Snapchat) April 8, 2019

In the 3rd quarter of 2017, plans to overhaul the Android app began, promising to make the experience as good as the iOS version. Earlier that same year, Snapchat parent company, Snap Inc., had its IPO.

Among the core issues that the new Android app addresses is the huge variance of Android devices. Whereas Apple only has several iPhone models, the Android ecosystem has devices spanning many different processors, RAM amounts, and most importantly, camera specs.

Gustavo Moura, Snapchat's director of engineering told Android Authority in an interview: “[Android devices] don’t all behave the exact same way, right? It’s very easy for us to build an Android app that will work well on flagship devices like the Pixel 3. It’s more challenging when you have to capture the whole ecosystem, especially when the camera works very differently from manufacturer to manufacturer."

"The Android rewrite should finally achieve the performance parity that Snapchat has been looking for," noted the Android-centric website. – Rappler.com

Source From:https://www.rappler.com/technology/news/227738-snapchat-android-rebuilt-app-availability