Snapchat unveils a major redesign of its mobile app

Snapchat has unveiled a redesign of its mobile application which focusses more on personal interests rather than friends post. Snapchat's parent company Snap has made the application more user-friendly due to competition from rival messaging apps such as Facebook. The new update will launch for a small percentage of users initially.

One of the most significant changes is the separation of content produced by family and friends which will now live on the left side of the app with that of publishers and other more professional organizations going to the Discover tab on the right side. The company hopes that this change will in part prevent fake news.

"Until now, social media has always mixed photos and videos from your friends with content from publishers and creators. While blurring the lines between professional content creators and your friends have been an interesting internet experiment, it has also produced some strange side-effects (like fake news) and made us feel like we have to perform for our friends rather than just express ourselves." Snap said in a blog post.

Snapchat is also experimenting with a Netflix-inspired algorithm that sorts the content based on the user behavior rather than simply relying on friends recommendations. Other notable changes include vertical scrolling for news, easier access to Snap Map and the reintroduction of the auto-advance feature that lets users watch Snapchat Stories in succession.

Introducing the new Snapchat!!https://t.co/2gwVskpY1M

— Snapchat (@Snapchat) November 29, 2017

While the Friends page comes to the left of the camera, Discover page goes to the right  that includes Stories from publishers, creators, and the community. Your subscriptions live at the top, followed by other Stories you might be interested in watching.

The changes will be available in the latest versions of the Android and iOS apps.