Snapchat has enjoyed immense popularity among young users since its inception in 2011. The platform introduced groundbreaking concepts to instant messaging and multimedia sharing, including vanishing images, stories, and filters.
Snapchat quickly captured the attention of its target audience, contributing to its overwhelming success. Despite facing competition from various platforms that imitated its features, Snapchat has managed to maintain its distinct position.
The platform is again generating excitement with its latest feature, Snapchat After Dark Stories. This new addition is causing a lot of excitement and confusion at the same time; worth exploring.
Snapchat stories last only 24 hours and provide a great opportunity to share the moments from your life without cluttering your profile. However, With the Snapchat update 2023, the company has decided to add a sparkle to it yet again.
In this guide, I will take you through the latest addition to Snapchat’s repertoire: After Dark Stories. We’ll explore the distinctive features that set it apart from competing platforms. Let’s get going.
What Is Snapchat After Dark Stories?
In case you’re unfamiliar, Snapchat was the first to introduce the concept of stories, which are snapshots or short videos showcasing your activities that remain on your profile for 24 hours. This idea resonated strongly with young users, leading to widespread adoption quickly.
By now, you must be wondering what Snapchat After Dark Stories is and how it differs from normal. If you’re expecting something extraordinary, prepare for a letdown. After Dark stories on Snapchat are essentially the same as normal stories, but with a time restriction—they are posted between 8 PM and 5 AM.
However, here’s the twist: After Dark stories can only be posted during those specified hours on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Once 5 AM hits, you can watch the snaps shared to the story and relive the night by seeing what your friends posted.
Although the stories last for the usual 24-hour period, there’s a clue to identify an After Dark Story. Look for a moon icon, which indicates it was posted before 5 AM that night. In a nutshell, it’s a glimpse into what everyone was up to during the nighttime hours.
Difference Between Snapchat After Dark Stories And Normal Stories?
We are all familiar with Snapchat stories. After all, it was Snapchat that presented the idea of a temporary post that disappeared after some time. Snapchat stories have become a familiar feature, known for their temporary nature and the ability to jazz them up with Snapchat’s iconic filters. These posts are visible to friends and disappear after 24 hours.
While platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and even WhatsApp introduced their versions of Stories, none could quite capture the essence of Snapchat’s appeal. Snapchat offers users various ways to engage, including filters, stickers, and more, creating a unique user experience.
However, Snapchat has taken a fresh approach with After Dark Stories. This new feature allows users to share content related to their nighttime experiences.
It’s an opportunity to showcase late-night activities like studying, partying, or enjoying a night out. The aim is to redefine the concept of Stories and offer users a unique experience during the late hours.
Only the friends who contribute to the After Dark story can view the Snaps the next morning. Snapchat also plans to introduce a similar shared Story for early risers.
The only noticeable distinction will be the presence of a moon icon, indicating that the story was posted after 8 PM.
How To Add Snapchat After Dark Stories?
Adding a Snapchat After Dark story is extremely straightforward. The feature will be ready once you download the new Snapchat update. Here are the steps you need to take:
- Open the Snapchat app and tap your profile icon to access your Profile page.
- Look for the section labeled My Stories once the clock strikes 8 PM in your timezone; the After Dark Story option will become visible.
- Tap on After Dark Story, then capture a snap using the Snapchat camera.
- Send the snap to add it to your After Dark story.
From 5 AM onwards, you and your friends can enjoy watching the Snaps shared in the After Dark Story, allowing you to relive the night and see what your friends posted. It’s important to note that you can only view the Story if you also posted in it the previous night. Additionally, you’re limited to one post per night in an After Dark Story.
Apart from these specifics, all other features remain the same as regular Snapchat stories. You can personalize After Dark Stories with a wide range of filters, text, audio tracks, gifts, stickers, and more.
What Users Think about Snapchat After Dark Stories:
The expectations were high when Snapchat unveiled After Dark Stories in April 2023 in Santa Monica, just like Snapchat’s every summit. In the past few years, the platform seemed to fall back in the competition and has constantly been introducing new features, including AI chatbot, night mode, Snapchat web, and much more.
However, the Snapchat After Dark Stories launches left users more confused than excited. Many questioned the purpose of this feature, as they felt it could be achieved by simply posting a regular story with a timestamp, something users already do. They wondered why an additional story mode was necessary for just two nights.
Many connected it to Cosmo After Dark which turned out to be an adult fiasco and faced criticism for promoting adult content on the platform. However, there is no association between the two.
Users seem to be very disjointed regarding the feature, claiming there is no need for such a night activities feature.
While many users just laughed it off, some seemed to appreciate the idea. We can’t wait to see what people will do with it.
Is Snapchat After Dark Stories Useful?
To answer your question, there is no practical use of After Dark Stories. However, considering its distinct features, it appears to cater well to those who are active during late-night hours.
After Dark Stories can only be viewed after 5 AM, ensuring your friends won’t see them until the night has passed. Furthermore, only the friends who contributed to the After Dark Story can view it.
This suggests that it is intended for sharing moments from private night outings or enjoyable gatherings among close friends, to be seen in the morning as a way to relieve the nighttime experience.
Frequently Asked Questions:
The latest Snapchat update introduces a range of fresh features. Among them are calling lenses, enabling users to apply diverse filters during video calls and appear together on the screen. The update includes After Dark Stories, the Snapchat community, and a Memories feature highlighting past snaps you’ve shared with friends.
Indeed, Snapchat After Dark stories is exclusively visible to you and the friend who posted the After Dark Story the night before.
The After Dark Stories feature becomes accessible starting from 8 PM, which is why you may not currently see it. If it is not visible after 8 PM, kindly ensure you have downloaded your device’s latest Snapchat update.
The Snapchat After Dark Stories feature is free and does not require a Snapchat Plus subscription. However, it’s important to note that this feature cannot be accessed before 8 PM, and the stories will not be accessible until after 5 AM.
Closure:
The 2023 Snapchat update stands out as one of the most significant updates released by the company in recent memory. It introduces many new features to enrich the user experience and foster creative connections between individuals.
Notable additions include an AI chatbot, enhanced creative lenses, improved Bitmoji integration, and updated snap maps functionality.
As far as Snapchat After Dark Stories is concerned, I don’t see its requirement. However, I am sure people will find creative ways to use this feature; to share dark moments from the past night or to embarrass each other.
I am an engineer by education, tech writer by profession, and a motor sport fan by heart.
