Whilst Instagram users get to grips with “Instagram Stories,” Snapchat is launching a new set of location-activated icons for its dedicated users. The visual messaging app calls them “Geostickers” and they’re being rolled out to select cities right now, including Los Angeles; New York City; San Francisco; Washington, D.C.; Honolulu; London; Sydney; São Paulo; Paris; and Riyadh.
Much like the app’s Geofilters (which allow users to overlay custom, location-based graphics on a snap) the stickers offer quirky, emoji-style icons that can be placed on your Snapchat visuals.
The Geostickers available to you will depend on your location, and tend to include references to local culture, and landmarks. There are also some recognizably funny icons for select cities, such as a pizza rat for NYC, and what look’s like organic kale juice for Los Angeles. It’s good to see that Snapchat hasn’t lost its sense of humor.
Geostickers can be accessed by activating location services for Snapchat on your smartphone, and can be sent via chat and on snaps. Snapchat first launched its extensive set of stickers in May as an attempt to draw users away from native emojis. There is no word on the success of the feature as of yet.
Custom Geofilters, on the other hand, have been extremely successful, with the app revealing that it receives thousands of requests for the graphics, which can cost anywhere between $5 to upwards of $2,000.
Snapchat’s emoji selection was recently upgraded with its integration of Bitmoji, an app that allows you to create self-resembling emojis. With so many icons now available on Snapchat, there may not be room left in your snaps for you.
