Snapchat gets several new features, including message editing – but there’s a catch

The next time you make a typo on Snapchat or say something that doesn’t come out quite right, you’ll have a chance to fix it — but you’ll have to move fast.

Snap announced several new additions to its messaging app today, among them the much-requested ability to edit sent messages. There are a few caveats though. You only have 5 minutes to edit your sent messages and the other person can’t have already responded. The feature is coming soon, the company says, but will arrive first for Snapchat+ subscribers.

Meta added an editing feature to Instagram’s DMs in March 2024 and to Messenger in December 2023. The time limit for editing messages on both those platforms is 15 minutes.

Also: Snap wants to help you identify Snapchat’s AI-generated images using watermarks

Snap has also added emoji reactions to Snapchat. Since 2022, Snapchat users have been able to react to a message with their Bitmoji avatar to show a response. Users can now react with any emoji to express their feelings.

Next up, map reactions are now available for Snapchat users who have opted to share their location with friends. Snap offered some example use cases. If you see a friend has arrived home safely, you can send a heart. If you pass by a friend on the way to work, you can send a quick wave.

Like almost every company these days, Snap is also embracing AI. You can ask Snapchat AI directly or even in a chat with a friend to remind you about an upcoming deadline. The chatbot will then set up an in-app countdown to the event.

If you can’t find the right clothes for your Bitmoji, you can write a short description that the chatbot will turn into digital garments for your avatar. “Generate unique patterns like ‘vibrant graffiti’ or ‘skull flower,'” Snap explained, “and tap on your favorite to edit and see your clothes transform.”

These additions come after Snap introduced AI features earlier this year, including the ability to enhance Snaps with AI, generate AI captions for posts, create and send AI-created images based on a text prompt, and Dreams, Snapchat’s AI-generated selfie feature.

Aside from message editing, the rest of Snapchat’s new features mentioned above are available now.