Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel has justified the app's redesign that continues to draw criticism from users, saying the complaints that were received by the company following the makeover "validate those changes", CNN reported on Friday.

The latest design has segregated updates posted by friends and publishers that could previously be viewed on one page. Now, 'stories' by celebrities and publishers appear on a separate page than those by people on users' friend lists.

Users also complain that due to the new update, the page displaying updates by friends also contains personal messages, which lead to confusion between stories and messages. The update has made the app harder to navigate, they say.

When Snapchat announced the update in November last year, it aimed to make the app easier. That intention seemed to have backfired, but the Snap Inc. CEO remains unmoved.

"One of the complaints we got is, 'Wow, I used to feel this celebrity was my friend and now I don't feel like they're my friend anymore,' " he said, discussing the user feedback on the update at the Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference, according to CNN.

"Exactly. They're not your friend[s]."

Spiegel had insisted in November: "Your friends aren't content, they're relationships."