Snapchat is to allow users to share Stories created on the platform with those outside the app for the first time.
From today, users of the photo app will be able to share a Story via text, email or to another social platform, Snapchat said.
Stories are the chronological collections of pictures and video that users can add to over a 24-hour period and share with friends and followers on the social media site.
These traditionally disappear after a day, but Stories shared outside of the app will be available for 30 days, Snapchat confirmed.
The redesigned app will be rolled out to users alongside the Story sharing update (Snapchat)
Users will also be able to send a link to their Story to friends and family not on the service, with the Story then watched on a new media player on the Snapchat website.
The company also said a redesign of the app, first announced in November, will be rolled out to more users alongside the Story sharing update, and will be available to users on both iOS and Android.
At the time of the announcement, chief executive Evan Spiegel said the aim of the redesign was to make Snapchat “more personal” by better separating personal content with that from publishers.
According to the firm, Snapchat is one of the world’s most used cameras, with the company’s figures claiming more than 3.5 billion Snaps are created every day in the app.
Founded in 2011, Snapchat has grown to become one of the world’s most popular social media apps – particularly among teenage social media users.
It currently has more than 178 million daily active users.
However, the platform has come under increased pressure in the last year from Facebook and its range of services – including Instagram and WhatsApp – which have collectively introduced similar features to Snapchat, including their own version of Stories, to entice users to their own platforms.