Snap Inc. has announced the introduction of Topic Chats, a new feature designed to support public conversations on Snapchat. Traditionally, Snapchat has focused on private messaging, but the company observed increased engagement through public comments on features like Spotlight.
“Watching our community engage with one another in public comments inspired us to invent a new way to have these conversations. Meet Topic Chats — a new type of Chat built for the moments everyone’s talking about,” the company stated.
In the coming weeks, users in Canada, New Zealand, and the United States will begin seeing Topic Chats integrated throughout Snapchat. The feature will appear in various locations such as Chat shortcuts, search results, the Stories page, and on Spotlight videos. Users can join these discussions by tapping a yellow “Join the Chat” button found on relevant Stories or Spotlight content.
According to Snap Inc., Topic Chats are designed to simplify participation in public discussions by grouping related Snaps and making it easier for users to explore visual content connected to trending topics or events. The feature also allows users to see if their friends are participating in specific Topic Chats and brings joined chats to the top of their Topic Chat page for easy access.
“We’re really excited to see what the Snapchat community has to say about everything from F1, to Below Deck,” Snap Inc. added.
The rollout marks a shift for Snapchat as it explores more ways for its community members to interact publicly around shared interests and current events.
