Snapchat began testing a new feature called Sounds back in August, allowing users to add licensed music to their Stories and Snaps. However, the feature was limited to Snapchat users in Australia and New Zealand only, until now. Today, the company has announced that the Sounds feature is now widely available for users across the world. However, it is only accessible in the Snapchat app for iOS, as per a Variety report, with no information about its arrival on the app’s Android version. Here is Snapchat’s new Sounds feature in action:

Exclusive to the iOS app for now

In order to add music to their Snaps and Stories, users have to tap on the music icon in the top-right corner and pick one from a wide range of songs under the Feature Sounds list. Once they’ve selected a song, users can proceed with recoding their Snap or Stories. However, users also have the option to record the video first and then add a song to it.

Also, when users come across a Snap or Story with licensed music in the background, they can swipe up on it to see details such as album art, title of the song, and artist’s name. Plus, there will also be a “Play This Song” link that will let them hear the full track on their preferred music streaming platforms such as Apple Music, SoundCloud or Spotify.

Snapchat finally catches up with TikTok and Instagram

The Sounds feature in Snapchat debuts with an exclusive preview of Justin Bieber and Benny Blanco’s latest track “Lonely” prior to its commercial release. Snap has reportedly signed licensing deals with major music labels such as Warner Music Group, Merlin Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt, and BMG Music Publishing to name a few.

In addition to letting users add licensed songs to their Snaps and Stories, the company is also testing a new feature that will let users add their own sound to their content. This feature will reportedly be released for all Snapchat users worldwide in the upcoming months.

Source: Snapchat