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Snap Kit Brings Bitmoji, Snapchat Stories to Third-Party Apps

Snap on Thursday introduced a new developer kit, which lets third-party app-makers integrate some of its 'best features' – such as Bitmoji and publicly-shared stories – into their own apps.

 & Angela Moscaritolo Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

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Snapchat is branching out.

Snap on Thursday introduced a new developer kit, which lets third-party app makers integrate some of its "best features"—such as Bitmoji and publicly shared stories—into their own apps.

Snap Kit has four main tools: Login Kit, Bitmoji Kit, Story Kit, and Creative Kit. Thanks to Login Kit, you should start seeing "Log In with Snapchat" buttons inside other apps offering a quick and easy way to log in without having to create another account, similar to how you can already log into many apps with your Facebook account.

Meanwhile, with Bitmoji Kit, developers can bring Snap's personalized stickers into their own apps while Story Kit lets them embed publicly shared Snapchat Stories into their own platforms, a feature that was rumored last year. Finally, Creative Kit helps developers "integrate their own stickers, Filters, links, and other highlights — like high scores and workout stats — right into the Snapchat camera," Snap explained in a Thursday blog post.

"Snap Kit brings the experiences you love on Snapchat into some of your favorite apps, without compromising your private account data," the company said.

Snap promised to review "every single app" that uses the developer kit. Apps connected with Snap Kit get access to just your display name and Bitmoji. They will not require access to your email, phone number, location tracking data, or friend graph.

"You don't share any of your friends' data when logging in with Snap Kit," the company wrote, taking a thinly-veiled shot at Facebook's recent privacy scandal. Plus, after 90 days of inactivity, apps are automatically disconnected.

"Your privacy and security come first," the company wrote in a YouTube video about the new developer kit.

Apps like Tinder, Poshmark, Pandora, Giphy, Patreon, Postmates, Quip, Eventbrite and more have already agreed to utilize Snap Kit.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. 

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes. 

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app. 

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth. 

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light. 

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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