When Snapchat launched in 2011, the app seemed like a flash-in-the-pan teen messaging fad. Its signature function—sending photo and video messages that would self-destruct after viewed—echoed the fugitive thrill of passing notes. Correspondences vanish before meddling grown-ups have time to intervene.
That's changed in the past few years. The ephemeral messaging model proved resilient enough not just to keep Snapchat alive, but to fuel key product developments on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. This summer, Instagram Stories—a direct copy of Snapchat—grew to 400 million users. That’s more than twice the current daily usership of Snapchat, which lost 8 million users in the last quarter.
Even as Instagram Stories threatens to dominate the disappearing-photos market, there are plenty of reasons to use Snapchat. According to research from eMarketer, 16.4 million US teens use Snapchat, compared to 12.8 million teen users on Instagram and 11.5 million on Facebook. They estimate that Snapchat’s popularity among the 12- to 17-year-old set will continue to grow, as Facebook’s teen usership dwindles. In other words: The future may be uncertain, but for now, Snapchat has defended its seat at the cool kids table.
Whether you've never used Snapchat before or you're simply mystified by the recent redesign, we have everything you need to know about getting started. We’ll break down everything from Snaps to Streaks, Stories to Snap Maps. And even if your network has already migrated to Instagram, we still think there's no better app for taking an AR-enhanced selfie.
A social app is only as fun as your friends list. On Snapchat, friends can exchange Snaps with you and view your Story.
The app opens on the camera. Swipe right to view the tab for Friends, where you can add friends and view your exchanges with friends. Tap the “Add Friends” icon, shaped like a person, in the upper right corner. You can search for a friend by username, or via your contacts.
Want to share Snaps with the whole squad? To start a group, tap the “New Chat” icon, shaped like a speech bubble, in the upper right corner. Select up to 15 friends to be a part of the group.
You can also adjust your settings to limit who can see what. From the camera page, tap your avatar on the upper left corner to access your profile page. Then, tap the gear-shaped icon in the upper right corner to access your settings. Scroll to the options under Settings > Who Can and adapt to your liking.
Snapchat always opens on the camera page. Here, you can tap the shutter button to take a photo or press and hold to capture a video up to 60 seconds long. Congrats! You’ve made your first Snap.
Once you’ve taken a photo or video, you see a preview of it. Tap the blue arrow on the bottom right. Now, you get to decide: Do you want to send your Snap as a message, or add it to your Story for all your friends to see? (Never do both with the same Snap. That's a Snapchat faux pas.)
Maybe you took a selfie only a best friend could love. Tap your friends’ names, and the Snap will disappear right after they view it.
Maybe it’s a stunning panorama that you wouldn’t mind showing off. To share with everyone, tap “My Story.” Snaps saved to your Story are preserved for 24 hours. Snaps saved to your Story can be viewed an unlimited number of times within the 24-hour period. By default, only your friends can see your Story. (Keep in mind: You can see who views your Story. And other people can see when you view theirs.)
You can also save a Snap for later. Take a Snap, and instead of tapping on the blue arrow, tap the download icon on the bottom left corner. This saves the Snap to your Memories, to reminisce on or repost later. If you’ve already added a Snap to your Story, you can save the Snap to your Memories, too. To view your Memories, go back to the camera page and tap the Memories icon, just beneath the shutter button. Only you can view your Memories.
Finally, remember the Snapchat code of honor: Think twice before you take a screenshot of a friend's Snap. Your friend will automatically receive a notification that you essentially broke the first rule of Fight Club.
Snapchat offers an extensive palette for adding personality to your Snaps. Most of them are on the column along the right side of your Snap. The tools are best learned by exploring them, but here's a basic run-down to get started.
Text: Select a font and a color. Pinch and expand to adjust the size of your text. Using Snapchat’s motion tracking feature, you can also “pin” your text to a precise spot on a video. Add text, drag the text over the desired object, long-press the text, and release.
Drawing: Use the spectrum to select a color. Pinch to adjust the thickness of the brush. You can also select an emoji from the base of the spectrum. Pinch to adjust the size, and stamp your Snap with puppy paws and lipstick kisses galore.
Stickers: A gif is worth a thousand words. Explore stickers and gifs, which can can be pinned to videos, too.
Links: Attach at URL to a snap to lead friends to your website, or to that article you’ve referenced.
Timer: Choose how long a viewer can see your Snap.
Custom stickers: The tools under the scissors icon on the upper right bar lets you truly make Snapchat your visual playground. The scissors icon lets you create custom stickers from your Snap by drawing an outline around an image in your Snap. Snapchat will save these stickers, which you can then access from the Stickers menu. Don’t forget to test out magic eraser, backdrop, and the color manipulation tools, too.
Filters and Geofilters: Swipe left and right view filters. Depending on your locations, you might even swipe through custom Geofilters to show your regional pride.
Augmented reality filters: Snapchat is almost synonymous with its AR “face filters” and 3D World Lens animations that get more sophisticated with every update. Play with them to see how the animations respond to your body and voice.
Snapchat isn’t just a one-to-one messaging app anymore. Over the years, Snapchat has evolved to connect more users and more content streams.
Snapcodes: See the ghost icon surrounded by a smattering of black dots? This is your personalized Snapcode. Every user has a customized Snapcode, which functions like a QR code. Focus your Snapchat camera over a user’s Snapcode, and you’ll automatically add them as a friend.
Snapstreaks: Part of what makes Snapchat so addictive is how it gamifies communication. A Snapstreak, or Streak, keeps track of how many consecutive days you’ve kept up an exchange with a friend. Skip a day, and your Streak plummets back down to zero. Ouch.
Discover: From the camera screen, swipe left to access the Discover page, where you can see celebrity Stories and Snaps that fall under topics (try searching for the hypnotic “Oddly Satisfying”). You can also subscribe to your favorite news and content streams, like yours truly.
Our Story: Our Story is Snapchat’s way of crowdsourcing Snaps taken at an event, like a concert, and presenting it in a single Story that can be viewed by anyone. If you choose to add your Snap to “Our Story,” your username will be hidden, and the Snap can appear in search results from the Discover page. If you submit a Snap to Our Story, it can be viewable for longer than the disappearing Snap period. To remove a Snap you’ve submitted to Our Story, go to your Settings, scroll down to “Our Story Snaps,” and delete the Snap.
Snap Map: Tap the magnifying glass on the search bar, or pinch inward (like you’re zooming out) to view the Snap Map. The Snap Map shows a heat map of public Our Story snaps in real time. Scroll and tap around to explore Snaps taken at popular events, theme parks, and even natural disasters. Privacy heads-up: If a user does not turn on “Ghost Mode,” their friends can see the user’s avatar marking their locations on the Snap Map. If you want to keep your locations private, turn on Ghost Mode in settings. If Ghost Mode is on, only you can see your Bitmoji on the Snap Map.
You've mastered the art of Stickers. You've kept up a Streak. You transformed into a remarkably photogenic bear. There's a whole world of Snap-tricks out there, and the best way to find them is by playing around.
So go forth and goof off. The entire Snapchat experience embodies breezy, silly fun. After all, what other app could make us fall in love with a dancing hot dog?
