Pictures from Snapchat on Android looking awful? Here's why

by Daniel Petrov / Nov 30, 2017, 2:11 AM

Snapchat is prepping to roll out a big Android app update, as its CEO figured out that this mobile operating system actually has many more millions of users across the globe than their current focus, iOS, and vouched to step up Android development during the Q3 earnings conference call with investors.

Pictures from Snapchat on Android looking awful? Here's why

Developing for Android is a challenge, though, as there are thousands of devices to plug into, as opposed to Apple's more limited roster, so what's a Snapchat dev fella to do? Well, resort to some unorthodox tricks, it seems. "Given the sheer volume of different Android handsets used to access Snapchat, we have had to establish new processes to ensure that our quality efforts can be maintained," quipped Snapchat's CEO during the call.

One of these shortcut processes seems to involve taking a screenshot of your viewfinder, instead of extracting a picture from the actual camera on your Android handset. Apparently, Snapchat thought that's the only surefire way for exchanging pics to work on all Android models it has to deal with.

As a result, if someone sends you a less than good looking photo from their Snapchat for Android app, while your iOS friends always look perfect with bunny ears on, you will know the culprit. The Snapchat app is primed for a huge redesign, as the new video above implies, and rumors are it will start rolling out en masse on December 4. Maybe that one will fix the Android picture exchange quality.

source: Business Insider

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7 Comments

1. markobarko

Posts: 176; Member since: Oct 09, 2016

Would be nice and logical, since in Europe IOS is very marginal product and if we exclude UK, France and Italy, than Android is keeping 90% at least of market share.

posted on Nov 30, 2017, 2:28 AM 0

3. JoshuaDK1984

Posts: 24; Member since: Apr 01, 2017

and Denmark! iOS has a market share of 50% in Denmark.

posted on Nov 30, 2017, 2:59 AM 1

6. microsoftnokiawin

Posts: 1268; Member since: Mar 30, 2012

we've known this for years and people have brought it up many times but they clearly don't give a s**t !

posted on Nov 30, 2017, 4:45 PM 0

2. Boast_Rider

Posts: 531; Member since: Sep 14, 2017

Meh, can't they use the camera API of the default app. Bulls**t reason for lazy development.

posted on Nov 30, 2017, 2:54 AM 10

4. HouTexan

Posts: 461; Member since: Jan 08, 2012

They sure can and that's why it's there. They are, as you said, just lazy a**es who only cared about iOS. That's why they lost many Android users to Instagram. Bunch of idiots.

posted on Nov 30, 2017, 7:39 AM 4

5. bucknassty

Posts: 1296; Member since: Mar 24, 2017

is it hard to use the camera API... they've known about the crap quality of screenshots for years

posted on Nov 30, 2017, 12:17 PM 0

7. Boast_Rider

You know how much experience I have in Android development: 2 weeks. And even I was able to do that. What snapchat wants us to make their own camera app and use their stuff. And they're lazy too.