20 May 2021
Snapchat on Thursday debuted a slew of new products and user metrics for things like games and augmented reality lenses that have been built using Snapchat's developer tools.
Why it matters: It's an important milestone in Snapchat's transformation from a social network to a camera company that caters to developers.
By the numbers: Speaking to an audience of hundreds of thousands of developers and partners virtually at Snap's third annual Snap Partner Summit, Snap provided user metrics for several of its developer products, showing growth in areas like augmented reality, gaming and short-form video creation.
- 250,000 developers are registered to use Snap's developer tools, "Snap Kit," which helps developers build and distribute augmented reality lenses.
- 200 million people use Bitmoji stickers every day. (Bitmojis are personalized cartoon stickers made by a company Snap bought years ago.)
- 1 billion Bitmojisare sent per day. More than 34 million Bitmoji stickers are available to developers in a new "Bitmoji Developer Kit," that allows developers to insert Bitmoji stickers into their keyboards for their own apps.
- Nearly 30 million Snapchat users play games on the app per month. Snapchat's first game ever "Aqua park," has reached 45 million players to-date.
- More than 250 million people uses Snapchat's "Snap Map" monthly. The company now has more than 30 million businesses on the map. Moving forward, it plans integrate more business, stores and universities onto the map.
- More than 135 million people use Snapchat's TikTok rival feature "Spotlight." Over 5,400 creators have collectively earned more than $130 million dollars from payouts Snapchat has awarded to viral video makers. Snapchat will add "tipping" for creators later this year.
- Nearly 2 million augmented reality lenses have been created by Snapchat users using Snap's developer tools. Those lenses have been viewed by Snapchat users more than 2 trillion times.
The big picture: Snapchat's push to become a developer platform began three years ago, when the company first launched its developer tool kit for engineers around the world.
- The move has fundamentally changed Snapchat's business, allowing for much deeper engagement with its core products, like its map, video shows and messaging features, as well as new opportunities for revenue.
- Today, CEO Evan Spiegel says there are over 500 million monthly active users on Snapchat. About 40% of Snap's users now come from areas outside of North America and Europe, a testament to the company's ability to successfully redesign its app for Android, a feat given early failures to woo users.
What to watch: Moving forward, Snapchat says it wants to use the tools it's designed to help its users get creative to address societal issues that align with its mission.
- For example, the company debuted its efforts to make its camera more inclusive to capture a wider range of different skin tones.
- It also introduced a new partnership with re:wild and the National Parks Service to use augmented reality visualizations to help restoration efforts in areas devastated wildfires in Southern California.
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.