The Current State of Snapchat on ChromeOS
It was during the 2017 hardware event that Google announced a collaborative effort with Snapchat — one of the largest the social media networks — to bring a fully-functional, desktop-oriented version of the app to Chromebooks.
The idea that the search engine juggernaut was working hand-in-hand with the fastest growing platform to bring its services directly to the Chromebooks was welcomed by many as it indicated Google’s aggressive push to elevate ChromeOS’s status.
Nevertheless, some argued that the idea might be a bit redundant considering Snapchat was a mobile-focused app that already supports Chromebooks.
With 2018 gone, fast forward to 2019 and information regarding the state of Snapchat within the Chrome OS ecosystem is close to non-existent.
So, what really happened to snap-chatting on a Pixelbook with a 12.3-inch Quad HD display?
Both Google and the team working on bringing Snapchat to the ironclad operating system weren’t really forthcoming about the details of the said collaboration.
Could it be the limited time offered to the segment during the hardware event where the announcement was made or the idea that curiosity feeds excitement with core details being a closely guarded secret as both teams work behind the scenes? We’d never know.
The speculation was that Google doesn’t just want the standard Android version for Chromebooks but rather a full-fledged desktop app created from the ground up. Furthermore, this will have the added potential of catering for additional features only made possible through a supposed desktop environment that is optimized exclusively for Chromebooks.
Snap Inc. potentially moving away from it predefined business model –Being a mobile-centric platform — to conforming to creating a desktop variation for its popular app could take time.
Another explanation is that Snapchat is losing its relevance partly due to intense competition from competing platforms like Facebook and Instagram — Who’ve been cloning everything that makes Snapchat special–
These incidents seem to have hit the company hard as its evident in their Q3 earnings report where it was reported that the multimedia sharing platform shredded a whopping 2 million active users.
It is actually possible that the reason there isn’t any new news regarding where the project to bring Snapchat to Chromebooks stands is because Google has decided to shelve the entire thing due to apparent decline in interest for Snapchat.
All these are just speculations at this point and both Google and Snap Inc might pull a surprise and finally showcase a working product during this year’s Google I/O event. All we can do is wait. Until then, what’s your take on the whole Snapchat on Chromebooks saga?
