Apps in the app: Snapchat copies the Wechat principle

07/21/2020, 07:28 p.m.
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Snapchat opens for HTML-based mini-apps under the name Snap Minis. The US provider is thus copying the principle of super apps, which is extremely popular in China and some emerging markets.

In June 2020, Snapchat mother Snap announced that the app’s chat section would be expanded to include small third-party applications. The first of these so-called snap minis are now available. The HTML-based apps allow users to perform certain tasks directly in Snapchat. To start with, there are Snap Minis from the meditation app Headspace and an app developed by Snap, which is designed to help friends make decisions.

The snap minis are displayed below the text entry field and can be called up from there. One click and the respective mini app opens in full screen mode. Since the Snap Minis are HTML-based, no complex installation is required. The mini apps can interact with the Snapchat platform via an API and, for example, access the camera. However, there should not be access to the friends list.

Snap Minis: Snapchat wants to become a super app

Apps that run smaller apps are rather rare in this country. In China and some emerging markets, the concept of so-called super apps is very common. More than a million such mini-apps run on the app of the Chinese chat service Wechat. The apps range from shopping to games. The Indian payment apps Phonepe and Paytm can also be expanded to include mini-apps, which users can then use to buy airline tickets or order food, for example.

So far, the principle of super apps has not prevailed in the USA or Europe. Which should be a reason why Snapchat is initially only launching a small selection of curated minis. Companies interested in developing snap minis must submit an application to the Snapchat developer site put.

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