Have you ever been at the perfect location, but the Snapchat filter doesn’t match your mood? Good news: The video-messaging application is now enabling its users to customize their own geofilters, but for a small price, according to Snapchat’s latest blog post.
Snapchat users can now design their own filters for special events, such as birthday parties, or for their businesses. To start, users can design the filter using their favorite image editor. The company is providing templates that are compatible with both Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator to help its users get started. After designing the filter, the image must be submitted through the company’s new online portal.
Previously, Snapchat’s geofilters were only available for well-known places, such as colleges, cities, and neighborhoods. Filters are seen when swiping left on an image or video while the user is in an accurate location. This specialized filter will appear next to the neighborhood filter and the sponsored brand-of-the-day filter.
As soon as the image is uploaded, users can begin to map out where the filter will appear, with a minimum size of 20,000 square feet. The day and time for the filter’s availability can be customized to one’s liking, but it requires at least 30 minutes of existing time. Once the information is entered, Snapchat will have to approve the content, although the site does not specify the criteria the filter needs to meet for approval.
Snapchat’s on-demand filters are currently available in the U.S., U.K., and Canada, starting at $5. Prices can increase depending on a few factors, such as the size of the geo-fence and how long the filter will be available. The custom filters can stay live for up to 30 days, suitable for any marketing campaign or weeklong events.
Two new highly requested iCloud plugins just got added to ChatGPT, giving people who rely on Apple’s Mail and Calendar services a way to search emails, check appointments, and manage their schedules directly through the chatbot.
The integration is rolling out to all ChatGPT plans, including the free tier. You can access it on the web, desktop, and iOS.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.
Samsung’s scandal over its Game Optimizing Service, or GOS, has returned with a bill attached. South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission has tentatively fined the company 20.1 billion won, or about $15.1 million, over gaming claims made for the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S22, and Tab S8.
The regulator says Samsung promoted the devices as gaming powerhouses without disclosing that GOS placed preset CPU and GPU limits on certain demanding games. Samsung disputes that conclusion, calling GOS a legitimate way to manage heat.