Give your friends a reason to snap with Snapchat's custom stories

Snapchat's new feature isn't a killer one, but it will certainly give its existing users another reason to keep using it.

A new Snapchat feature could help you when encouraging your friends to at least install the Snapchat app for the weekend. Snap has introduced custom Stories, which are designed to help friends and family groups collectively snap even the most mundane of events on the fly.

Custom Stories are easy to set up and don't require that much planning beforehand. Tap the new Create Story icon in the top-right corner of the main Stories screen. Type in a name for the event, and then invite your friends. You can extend the invitation to anyone you'd like to participate in the as-it-happens festivities, regardless of their location. The new feature isn't geofenced. You can also invite nearby Snapchat users to participate if it's, say, a public event, like a high school prom or college graduation. Snapchat will create a one-block geofence around your current location.

Custom Stories will stay up on the main Stories page for as long as they are live, or until no one contributes for 24 hours. Each user is limited to three custom Stories at a time.

Is this a killer feature that will bring back hoards of budding Snapchat users? Not likely. It's hard to ignore Snapchat's declining numbers, especially when Instagram has all but run rampant with its own story-making features. But in the realm of mobile-first apps, it's encouraging to see social networks attempting to become more of an extension of our social lives rather than a replacement.

The update is slowly rolling out to Snapchat users right now. If you don't see it in the Google Play Store just yet, hang tight.