Snapchat user growth has been on the decline. Evan Spiegel, CEO of Snap, the parent company of Snapchat is putting the blame on its Android app. While speaking at a media and telecom conference, Evan pointed out that the subpar experience on its Android app as the reason for its disappointing user growth, especially in international markets.
Spiegel said that they have been working to improve their Android app since Snap went public in early 2017 and have been rolling out the newly rebuilt app to select users since late 2018.
since I switched back to android my snapchat usage has plummeted because the app is soooooooooooo bad
— evan rodgers 🌈 (@evanrodgers) August 19, 2016
As someone who’s used Snapchat on both iOS and Android, I’ve seen the differences. The Android app experience is terrible even on flagship phones when you compare it to the iOS experience where it is more refined and with a much more decent performance.
Since it went public, Snap can’t afford to continue ignoring its Android users(the Android app was an afterthought) as its bad for business, so they’re now streamlining their efforts towards improving the Android app.
I only check snapchat probably once every two weeks or so & i barely snap back.
— George (@indeadline) March 17, 2017
The new app will aid to capture new audiences and retain its current ones in emerging markets where Android smartphones take up the lions share. The lacklustre user experience on its Android app is a huge letdown for teens and millennials especially when rival social media apps such as Instagram and TikTok have captured their attention.
Personally, I can’t remember the last time I logged in to my Snapchat account since I created it and the new app might tempt me to go back, I don’t know.
Evan Spiegel is betting on the new users to help Snapchat gain traction in these markets and is hoping that at least some of them will be well received and put Snap on an upward growth trajectory. The newly designed app will be rolling out to all Android users by late 2019.
