Why Did Snapchat Try to Kill Streaks?

Evan Spiegel did not like the idea of Snapchat streaks, did not want to do it, and fought very hard over the years to kill streaks. Snap has always been anti-metric: no metrics. The objection is a user-facing metric, which is separate from gamification and from an internal count. Almost no metrics show up in Snapchat, and a metric is hard to find. Most social services show how many friends you have, how many followers you have, how many likes you have, and a metric on comments. The experience should not be looking at a bunch of numbers. Snapchat should get out of the way and help people communicate with their friends.

For years he kept trying to get rid of streaks. What changed was learning how much people love streaks as an opportunity to connect with one another. People emailed Evan at Snap.com and wrote you wouldn't believe it, then described a move halfway across the world, a separation from a best friend, and a divorce. Over time he came around. Sometimes an invitation to communicate, or an invitation to connect, is what matters.