@Snapchat introduces Video Calling and Instant Messaging - You have 10 seconds before this Video Call or IM explodes as Snapchat gears up for @WhatsApp VoIP Calling

“Until today, we felt that Snapchat was mission an important part of conversation: presence. There’s nothing like knowing you have the full attention of your friend while you’re chatting.”

Snapchat Team on their Snapchat blog commenting on the introduction of Video Calling and IM (Instant Messaging)

Snapchat now has a Chatroom that supports Video Calling and IM (Instant Messaging) that went live on Thursday May 1^st 2014 as stated in “SNAPCHAT ADDS MOBILE MESSAGING AND VIDEO CHAT”, published May 1, 2014 By Williams Pelegrin, DigitalTrends and “Snapchat adds chat, video calls”, published May 1, 2014 6:23 AM PDT by Don Reisinger, CNET News.

Finally, after having pictures and Video that members can send to each other that self-destruct in less than 10 seconds, lasting conversations was the final sauce that was lacking from this controversial Mobile Social Network. The Snapchat Team broke the news on their official Blog in the post “Putting the Chat into Snapchat”, published May 1 2014, The Snapchat blog!

So they rolled out this new feature based on the demand for Stories, their 24 hour Picture and Video feature that made its debut back in October 2013 as stated in “SNAPCHAT RELEASES ‘SNAPCHAT STORIES,’ A FEATURE THAT STRINGS TOGETHER THE SNAPS OF OUR LIVES”, published October 3, 2013 by Kate Knibbs, DigitalTrends and “Snapchat lets photos live for a day with 'Stories'”, published October 3, 2013 8:32 AM PDT by Lance Whitney, CNET News.

Stories was a feature within Snapchat that allowed members to share pictures and video with friends, assuming them to be friends you can trust with such intimate snaps and videos as noted in my blog article entitled “Snapchat now racks up 350 million shares of self-deleting snaps per day - Milennial Girl’s Litmus Test for Friends and future boyfriends”.

Snapchat Stories well Received – Enter Snapchat Video Calling and IM, Stage Left

It must have gone down well for Snapchat to have advanced their agenda towards Video Calling and IM. Either that, or like everyone else, they’re gearing up for the coming of Video Calling on WhatsApp as noted in my blog article entitled “WhatsApp VoIP Calling in Second Quarter of 2014 - WhatsApp kills International Calling at the Advent of Facetime-eqsue Premium Video VoIP Calling on smartphones”.

It may also be a defense against Twitter and their recently improved Facebook-like interface that includes an improved DM (Direct Message) Feature as noted in my blog article entitled “How to Download Twitter user Pictures as Twitter makes Facebook Timeline changes”.

Facebook’s Nearby Friends Feature may also be in their Target Sights as noted in my blog article entitled “Facebook launches Nearby Friends feature - WhatsApp VoIP and Oculus Rift VR Wearable Computing Takes flight as FB look towards the Future in the Year of the Horse”. Snapchat, by introducing Video Calling and IM, they hope to keep them from defecting to Facebook, which is slowly on the rise.

Not to mention FireChat, the Mesh Network Napster-meets-Whisper Mobile Social Network that’s all the rage among Apple iPhone users as reported in my blog article entitled “Open Garden's FireChat is a Viral Hit - Mesh Networking is Back as Apple’s Multi-peer Connectivity Network reintroduces Napster-esque P2P Mesh Networks for Millennials” and will expand once the Google Android versions lands on the Google Play Store.

Basically, this upgrades puts them in competition with everyone that already has Video Calling and IM, as this is basically Video Calling over 3G/4G LTe (Long Term Evolution) Networks as well!

Snapchat Wants You – Video Calling and IM makes them a real Mobile Social Network

Whatever the reason, the new Video Calling and IM Services is again based on you having close friends, as assumedly by now you know who you can trust in your Snapchat group with pictures of your Balloons or you Sausage and meatball pictures…..you get me? To engage Video Calling, you friend has to be in the “Here” or online state and thus allowing you to call them. IM works in a similar fashion, with a mere swipe activating a Text based Chat App that also supports emoticons.

And yes, in keeping in the Mission Impossible mantra of Snapchat, these messages will self destruct once you’ve ended the call or close the chat window. By now, as I’ve pointed out before, if these persons are your real friends, they’re not the type that’ll be trying to record you while you chat to them in the nude while bathing in the Bathroom.

Want to start Video Calling and Sending IM and then watch them Self-destruct with a single swipe? Then get the Snapchat updates for you App on you Apple iPhone or Google Android smartphone!

Snapchat Update on Apple iTunes

Snapchat Update on Google Play