What to know

  • Snapchat has abandoned plans for a simplified three-tab version of its app after seven months of testing revealed challenges for heavy users.
  • The company will instead develop a "refined five-tab interface" that maintains all current tabs while improving access to Spotlight.
  • Snap reported 460 million daily active users in Q1 2025, with revenue increasing 14% year-over-year to $1.36 billion.
  • The company declined to provide a Q2 forecast citing economic uncertainty following President Trump's tariff announcements.

Snap Inc. announced it is abandoning plans for a simplified version of Snapchat as part of its Q1 2025 earnings release. The company began testing a redesigned app seven months ago that removed the Snap Map and Stories tabs, focusing instead on just three main icons: chat, camera, and Spotlight.

The simplified design aimed to streamline navigation and enhance the user experience. However, testing revealed significant challenges, particularly for Snapchat's most engaged users.

"We gained significant insights from the redesign, but ultimately discovered that it posed challenges, particularly for heavy users," explained CEO Evan Spiegel during an investor call. "They found it harder to adapt to the three-tab structure, which complicated the discovery of stories and subscriptions as well as access to the map."

Instead of pursuing the simplified design, Snapchat will now test a "refined five-tab interface" that preserves all current tabs while enhancing access to Spotlight, the platform's TikTok competitor. The new design will position Spotlight directly to the right of the Camera tab.

The company noted that its most active users consistently preferred the five-tab configuration, appreciating the familiarity of tile-based content exploration and a dedicated Map tab. However, the testing period wasn't without benefits.

Snap reported that a more prominent Spotlight feature and the integration of Friend Stories within chat conversations led to increased daily content consumption and overall content views, particularly among casual users.

The announcement came alongside Snap's Q1 2025 financial results, which showed revenue growth of 14% year-over-year to $1.36 billion, slightly exceeding analyst expectations. The company reported 460 million daily active users, up from 453 million in the previous quarter.

Despite these positive results, Snap declined to provide a forecast for the current quarter, citing "headwinds" and economic uncertainty following President Trump's tariff announcements. This decision contributed to a sharp decline in Snap's stock price, which fell more than 15% in after-hours trading.

The company also announced it has surpassed 900 million monthly active users, highlighting Snapchat's continued global growth despite the competitive social media landscape.

Via: techcrunch