Snapchat is getting ready to launch a new feature called Topic Chats. This will let people talk about any trending subject in one shared space. It will also group together Snaps made on that topic so everyone can see what is happening in a more visual way. It feels similar to Clubhouse or X Communities, but with Snapchat’s own style.
Topic Chats will let anyone join a public discussion about something popular. Snapchat says the feature will bring its usual chat tools into big public conversations about things going on in the world or in your area. Since Snaps get clustered by topic, it becomes very easy to explore what people are sharing.
Joining a discussion is simple. When you are watching Stories or Spotlight videos about a topic, you will see a big yellow button that says Join the conversation. Tap it and you are in. If you are already part of a group chat, you can also enter from your Chat page.
Your friends will still be easy to find inside these Topic Chats. People who are not your friends will not get access to your profile. To keep things safe, an LLM will moderate the chats according to Snapchat’s community rules. The feature will first launch in Canada, New Zealand, and the US.
Snapchat seems to be testing more tools lately to increase engagement, like its Lens plus subscription and paid storage for Memories. Topic Chats might be another step toward getting more people to talk inside the app. And since Snapchat is very popular with younger users, this feature could work well.