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Snapchat Just Added a Bunch of New Features

Yahoo Set To Invest $20 Million In Snapchat
Peter Macdiarmid—Getty Images In this photo illustration the Snapchat app is used on an iPhone on October 6, 2014 in London, England.

Sore thumbs, rejoice

Ephemeral messaging app Snapchat is rolling out a few new features in an effort to make the software easier to use, the company said in a blog post Wednesday.

Most notably, users no longer have to press their thumb down on the screen while viewing pictures or video they’ve received — sore thumbs rejoice! Now, a simple tap on the screen will suffice.

Snapchat is also adding a new way for users to add friends to their contact list with an “Add Nearby” feature that can come in handy in group situations. Snapcodes, the QR codes people can scan with their phones to instantly add the code’s owner to their contacts, are getting two upgrades: they can now be personalized with a selfie “so that it’s easier for friends to recognize you when you add them on Snapchat,” and they can be shared outside the app.

And last but not least, Snapchat is rolling out two-factor authentication for some added security. The company’s been vulnerable to hackers in the past, including in late 2013 when attackers stole and released the usernames and numbers of some 4.6 million Snapchat users.

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