Snapchat rolls out gifting and cash prizes

(Pocket-lint) - Snap is rolling retired the Gifting diagnostic that it announced earlier this twelvemonth to users crossed the globe, adding a nonstop (if a small complicated) mode for users to wage the accounts they travel for contented they appreciate.

• What is Snapchat, however does it work, and what's the point?

The strategy is fundamentally an in-app tip-jar, that lets you nonstop "Gifts" that you wage for with existent money. The relationship receiving the acquisition past gets a chopped of that outgo from Snapchat, which makes wealth disconnected the transaction.

It means the enlargement of a benignant of in-app currency called Crystals that you'll beryllium paid in, from the looks of things, and mightiness easy beryllium framed arsenic portion of a strategy to pull the benignant of creators who mightiness beryllium making the large bucks connected different platforms that promote payment, similar OnlyFans and Patreon.

The strategy is rolling retired to users now, astir the world, but different diagnostic volition beryllium US-only successful the archetypal instance. Spotlight Challenges volition connection the accidental for Snapchatters to triumph shares of chunky currency prizes by sending Snaps utilizing circumstantial filters oregon lenses.

It fundamentally means that brands and creators tin clasp contests wholly wrong Snapchat, which is an intriguing conception that we'll person to support an oculus on. The diagnostic is being tested astatine the moment, according to Snap, and volition deploy successful November successful the US initially.

Writing by Max Freeman-Mills. Originally published connected 6 October 2021.