“We believe humans value recommendations that come from other humans, so having the opportunity for friends to suggest, and then subsequently watch content together paves the way for more meaningful discovery,” said Lyons in the statement. Certain Snapchat features, such as direct messaging and Bitmoji reactions, are available during viewing, so users can react and interact with their friends in real time while watching.
Users can also host virtual viewing events of their own and invite as many as 63 friends to join them by sending a chat message with a link to join or by sharing a sticker link in an image sent through the Snap camera. Within Minis, Snapchat users can gain access to watch groups for specific shows, so long as those shows are rated as age-appropriate for a given user. To take advantage of the integration, installation of the HBO Max app is not required users can view shows directly through Snap Minis, which can be accessed via search in the app or through the rocket icon within the Chat feature.
