Snapchat’s new feature allows users to add licensed music to their Snaps

In a bid to consolidate its foothold in the face of competition from TikTok and Instagram, Snapchat has launched a new feature that will allow users to add licensed music to their videos. The test is currently being conducted in Australia and New Zealand, but a wider release is on the table as well (via TechCrunch).

The new feature will let Snapchat users add music to their videos, both before or after the capture, and choose songs from what Snap calls a diverse catalog of music. To license all that music and bring it before users, the company has joined hands with some big music labels that include Warner Music Group, Universal Music Publishing Group and Merlin among others.

When users come across a Snap that has used licensed music as the background, they can swipe up on it to check details such as album art, artist name and song title. There will also be a “Play This Song” link that opens a Linkfire web view and prompts users to choose and listen to that song on their preferred music streaming platform which can be Spotify, Apple Music or SoundCloud among others.

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Snapchat released an offensive Juneteenth filter, then deleted it, and is now sorry about it

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Snap stirred online furor after it released a weird and distasteful Juneteenth filter that asked users to smile and break on-screen chains. Soon after it was released, many Snapchat users took to social media and complained that the filter was offensive and ridiculous considering what Juneteenth truly stands for and its significance. Here’s the filter in action:

Soon after the outrage, Snap pulled the filter and tweeted an apology to users, claiming that the filter was not approved by the company’s review process prior to its release. The company assured that it is internally investigating the matter so that such incidents are not repeated in the future.

A source familiar with the matter told The Verge that a majority of the team responsible for creating a Snapchat Lens (or filter) is based in Ukraine, so they may not have been aware of its cultural impact and how it will be received by users.

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Snapchat won’t promote Trump’s account after finding his posts call for violence

Snap has announced that it will no longer promote President Donald Trump’s account in Snapchat’s Discover section after finding that his recent Twitter posts incite violence. For the unfamiliar, Discover is the section where Snapchat promotes posts from renowned personalities and celebs, giving them more exposure by drawing user engagement.

“We are not currently promoting the president’s content on Snapchat’s Discover platform,” Snap noted in its statement. “We will not amplify voices who incite racial violence and injustice by giving them free promotion on Discover. Racial violence and injustice have no place in our society and we stand together with all who seek peace, love, equality, and justice in America.”

Trump’s Snapchat account will continue to exist, but his activities will no longer be shown in Discover. As for the posts that drew the penal action from Snap, it refers to a chain of three tweets shared on May 30, in which Trump said that the protesters “would have been greeted with the most vicious dogs, and most ominous weapons” if they crossed the White House fence.

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Snap tries again with slightly costlier, slimmer, water-resistant Spectacles

Second-generation Spectacles have gone on sale at $149.99, in a trio of eye-catching colors, with a sleek, water-resistant body and faster data transfers.

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Believe it or not, Snap’s ‘002’ Spectacles could be right around the corner

Despite the spectacular failure of the initially well-received Spectacles, Snap Inc. looks keen to release a second version soon, possibly followed by a third next year.

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After Facebook, BlackBerry also wants Snap to pay for messaging patent infringement

Canada-based BlackBerry Limited may be out of the mobile phone-making business, but it's certainly not out of the tech company-suing business, setting its sights on Snap Inc shortly after Facebook.

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CES 2016 Day 3 wrap-up: AOT, HP, Intel, Samsung, and more

CES 2016 has officially started, and, as it is usually the case with trade shows, it is pretty much over. Companies are generally unveiling products and services, making announcements, and gathering media at their press events prior to the official start of the show. However, that doesn’t mean that Day 3 (which is the official day one of CES) was a boring one. Check out the most important things that saw the light of day, rounded up for you below, in case you missed any of the action.Alcatel OneTouchAlcatel OneTouch

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