The heat that Facebook and Twitter have about various problems has brought social networks under the microscope. It also gives their rivals the chance to turn the story into their favor. Snapchat, which has recently received a lot of anti-aircraft weather because of the enormously unpopular design of the UI, is one that really needs a positive turn. And this very young Snapchat Alpha hidden deep inside the Android app could be the picture, not to mention the performance, and it has huge needs.

If you consider how many Facebook likes to copy Snapchat functions, you would think that Snapchat is the social network that you can beat. In fact, there are numbers that suggest that Snapchat is the place where the hip kids are still going. It almost lost that prestige, however, when it did a redesign that triggered an angry crowd of Snapchatters.

However, this is a different kind of redesign, one that was promised almost a year ago and one that is actually very much desired, especially by Android users. CEO Evan Spiegel again promised to rebuild the Android app to solve the biggest complaints about performance. That version, codename Snapchat Alpha, is apparently already hidden in the early version of the beta version of the original app. And even so early it looks promising.

Because Alpha is already embedded in the Snapchat app, it is technically possible to enable it. The only big advantage is that it requires root access and everything that comes with it in terms of security and deleting your user data. Even after you've been ridden, installing the latest Snapchat version (if you do not already have one) and enabling the feature is a pretty complicated process. Fortunately, XDA has a handy guide, both in text form and in a video version below.

At this point, the most fanatical Snapchat fan on Android is likely to take the process. There is still a lot of work to do, but this hopefully gives users a sign that Snapchat has not completely forgotten its Android users.