The beta version of the app shows a tab for a “Connected App” feature which allows a user to log in to third-party or partner services with the social media account
The timing could not have been more perfect!
The feature that landed Facebook in the soup is being tested by Snapchat. The beta version of the app shows a tab for “Connected App”, the feature which allows a user to log in to third-party or partner services with the social media account.
When clicked on the tab, it shows an information that reads: "These apps are connected to your Snapchat account. Choose an app to control what it has access to." Apparently, the section would show the list of services linked to the Snapchat account if connected.
The app which was tested by Mashable, currently in the beta version allows a user to link the account to Bitmoji, an app for creating cartoon versions of yourself which Snapchat bought in 2016.
The Snapchat app also has an integration with Shazam and for that one doesn’t require to have an account with the Music discovery app.
The feature if released in the stable version would help Snapchat develop an ecosystem much like Facebook and Google. Snapchat, apart from owning Bitmoji, has a partnership with Shazam. It also sells its video-camera sunglasses Spectacles, but all of those videos are uploaded and stored within the Snapchat app.
Incidentally, the timing of the beta release draws stares as Facebook is embroiled in a controversy for being over-friendly with partner apps using a similar feature. Personal data of over at least 50 million users were compromised when an online game extracted data for an analytics firm Cambridge Analytica in partnership with Facebook.