Snapchat adds Bitmoji widget feature in latest Android app update

By Lulu Chang March 10, 2017

Snapchat — dennizn/123RF

Hot off its IPO, Snapchat is giving its Android-using fans another reason to celebrate. While Snapchat has historically favored Apple’s operating system, with updates typically hitting iOS before making their way over to Android, the latest feature seems to buck that trend. On Friday, users noticed that the Android Snapchat app has made it possible to turn your friends’ Bitmoji into widgets on your home screen, which you can click on to open up a chat.

Of course, in order for this feature to work, both you and your friends will need to have Bitmoji. And if you don’t have the app installed, you’ve made a mistake. After all, who doesn’t want to design and customize an emoji that looks just like themselves, and can express oh so many feelings and emotions?

Alas, the move to essentially digitize more and more of your friendships via Snapchat is currently available only in the Android app, and it’s unclear whether iOS users will be getting the feature anytime soon. The Verge, which initially reported the update, has reached out to Snap (Snapchat’s parent company) to see whether Apple loyalists will be able to enjoy the same Bitmoji functionality within the ephemeral messaging app. We’ll keep you posted as we learn more.

In the meantime, you can check out screenshots of the updated app on Twitter.

@samsheffer HUGE @SNAPCHAT ANDROID UPDATE: You can place widgets on the home screen of your friends. They must have Bitmoji. #SnapchatBeta pic.twitter.com/135dKXgBW7

— MontrellOThigpen™ (@mot427) March 10, 2017

Of course, given that Snapchat seems to be setting the tone for what most other social media companies are doing these days (after all, Facebook just announced the global launch of Messenger Day and Instagram can’t get enough of Snapchat’s features), you may soon find Bitmoji integrated into other platforms as well. Imitation, after all, is said to be the sincerest form of flattery.

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