Snapchat is rolling out a new set of filters that respond to your voice. Your actual voice, meaning there’s no need to make a facial gesture, like raise an eyebrow or stick out your tongue. Just proclaim your eagerness to modify your carefully-snapped images with a howl and it will be done.
Okay, not quite. Saying one of the app’s recognised words, like “Hi”, “Love” or “Wow,” will see one of the new filters animate and make you more beautiful. Or just tinted another colour, at least. The feature should begin appearing in the app today as part of a global rollout. But how do the filters work?
If you come across one of the new filters in the carousel, on-screen instructions will guide you on how to use the voice commands for them — notably the code you need to put voice to in order to get it working. For now, the filters only respond to pre-selected English words. So we’ll get others rolling out soon that respond to a black metal scream? Maybe? No?
We’ve seen audio filters from Snapchat before. A few months ago the service introduced an animal mask that responded to the sounds it hears. Now… you’ve got even more reason to yell at your phone. Unless you count cold callers and telemarketers, that is.
Snapchat has been struggling to retain and increase its user base of late, and it has a little problem with a certain social network (which rhymes with PlaceNook) er… borrowing features. Something a little more drastic had to be done. In this case the game plan is clear — give people the opportunity to talk to themselves even more. Because selfies aren’t egotistical enough, yet.
Source: Mashable