Snapchat Finally Uses The Word “Sorry,” Releases Updated App In Wake Of Hack

Come again? Is that an apology?

We’re not sure if that fact that Snapchat used the word “sorry” in a post today means that perhaps “going backwards” by apologizing isn’t quite the death sentence the company’s CEO said it was, or if it just means, sorry. The company posted the word within a blog post announcing an updated version of the app, one week after it acknowledged a hack had happened.

That hack not only revealed users’ user names and phone numbers, but the group behind it posted all 4.3 million censored sets online on New Year’s Eve and offered full access to the numbers for anyone who asked.

A few days after the leak, Snapchat promised it had new security measures in place and would be releasing an updated version of the app.

Today’s blog post mostly focuses on the new version, which allows users to opt-out of the Find Friends function that links your phone number to a username. Which makes it pretty tough for your friends to find you without asking your username, but heck, if it protects your info from strangers, it’s probably worth it.

Here’s the full statement. If you blink you’ll miss the “sorry”:

This morning we released a Snapchat update for Android and iOS that improves Find Friends functionality and allows Snapchatters to opt-out of linking their phone number with their username. This option is available in Settings > Mobile #.

This update also requires new Snapchatters to verify their phone number before using the Find Friends service.

Our team continues to make improvements to the Snapchat service to prevent future attempts to abuse our API. We are sorry for any problems this issue may have caused you and we really appreciate your patience and support.

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist