Snapchat is rolling out “Topic Conversations” for public conversations

After focusing primarily on private conversations since its founding, Snapchat is embracing public conversations with its new Topic Conversations feature. The social network says the feature allows users to chat about what’s happening in the world and across different communities, from Formula 1 to the reality TV show Below Deck.

Snapchat says profiles will remain private to anyone who’s not friends with you, which helps prevent unwanted friend requests or direct messages. While a user’s display name will be visible next to their message, others won’t be able to click through to their profile through Topic Chat, the company told TechCrunch in an email. Unlike usernames, display names can’t be used to search for someone.

Snapchat told TechCrunch that it will use LLM technology and other safety measures to manage thread chats to keep them safe and appropriate. Additionally, messages must adhere to Snapchat’s Community Guidelines, and users can report inappropriate messages. The company says it will take action against users who violate its policies, including warning users and banning accounts.

Users will be able to see which topics their friends have joined, which the company says will make it easier for people to find common interests with others.

In addition to messages, Topic Chats will also show related Spotlight videos, which are short TikTok-like videos in the app.

Until now, the only place for public conversations on Snapchat was in featured comments. Snapchat says it was inspired to launch Topic Chats after seeing how its community interacted in public comments, as it wanted to give users a new way to have these conversations.

“Snapchat users create billions of Snaps every day, sharing moments with friends and family, and as we expand services like Spotlight, we also find that the Snapchat community loves to comment publicly on trending topics and events,” the company wrote in a blog post.

Users in Canada, New Zealand, and the United States will begin to see Topic Chats appear across Snapchat in the coming weeks in chat shortcuts, in search, on the Stories page, and in video highlights. If you see a big yellow button on your Story or Spotlight that says “Join Chat,” you can click it to enter the chat room.

Snapchat says messages sent in Topic Chats will be kept for up to five years.