Andy Biersack Holding Baby on Snapchat Assking Jazmyn

(Pocket-lint) - Snapchat has changed a lot in contempo years. Frequent updates mean the app looks and works nothing similar it once did.

Snap, the company backside Snapchat, is so aggressive with making changes to the app that information technology can exist difficult to keep up with how Snapchat really works, even if you lot're a regular user. To make things easier for you and newbies, Pocket-lint has compiled this guide. By the end of it, you'll know every facet of the app. And when the side by side update arrives, be sure to check back hither.

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What is Snapchat?

Snapchat is a mobile app for Android and iOS devices. Colloquially, the app is often called Snap by its users.

Meanwhile, Snapchat'southward programmer is a public company also called Snap, confusingly. The company itself claims to be a camera visitor. (As such, it creates other products, including hardware, like Snapchat Spectacles.) Whichever you cull to call information technology, Snap is headed by co-founder Evan Spiegel.

Ane of the core concepts of the mobile app is that whatsoever picture, video, or bulletin - aka snap - y'all send by default is made bachelor to the receiver for simply a brusque time before it becomes inaccessible. This temporary or ephemeral nature of the app was originally designed to encourage a more natural flow of interaction.

What's the point of Snapchat?

Snapchat was initially focused on private, person-to-person photograph sharing, but you can now apply it for a range of asks, including sending videos, live video chatting, messaging, creating caricature-similar Bitmoji avatars, and sharing a chronological "story" that's broadcasted to all your followers. There's fifty-fifty a designated "Discovery" area that showcases short-form content from major publishers like Buzzfeed. Snapchat even lets you store media in a individual area.

Other features include the ability to add filters and AR-based lenses to snaps and testify your live location on a globe map. But the key thing to realise about Snapchat is information technology's all about instant communication through your telephone. Prior to Snapchat, social media was very desktop-based. For instance, you'd mail statuses, tweets, photos, and yous'd have a record of all those things online, so your friends could comment on them and yous would all see them forever.

Snapchat changed the mode we communicate online. With Snapchat, you tin quickly send a photograph of yourself with a rainbow-puking AR lens applied to a friend, and subsequently they open it, information technology'll disappear forever. Technically, they can screenshot information technology if they desire, and reply with their own photo or video response, which they can besides broadcast to their story for friends and followers to encounter. There are so many uses for this app. It's hard not to see its value and why it'southward unique.

What does all the lingo mean?

Many reports and studies take claimed that the bulk of Snapchat'due south users are millennials and Gen-Zers.

As a result of those younger users, the app has yielded a number of different unique terms and names for its features, from "snaps" to "story". If y'all're confused by all this lingo, you should really read through the Glossary department of this Snapchat guide before you motility on to how the app actually works.

Snapchatter: It'south non as mutual anymore, only it means a user of Snapchat.

Snap: When you have a photo or video, or receive a photograph or video, it is known as a "snap". So, when someone asks you to snap them, they are asking you to send them a photo or video through Snapchat, or even a message through the app's conversation role. The Snapchat app itself is likewise colloquially referred to equally "Snap", every bit is the app's developer/public visitor.

Snapback: This term was more popular when Snapchat launched, but it'due south faded since. Nevertheless, if you've heard information technology, just know that it simply means a reply to a snap. So, if y'all Snapback, you lot're just replying to a private ane-on-i snap that you've received.

Story: Y'all tin link snaps together and broadcast them as you capture them. They'll appear to your followers every bit a "story" reel. They can tap through your story and watch every snap to feel your entire day. A reel can merely be played back for 24 hours, after which, it disappears for good, though you can ever save your entire story, or an individual snap from your story, to the Retention section - aka private storage - of your Snapchat to proceed forever.

Snapcode: A Snapcode is a scannable code that makes calculation new friends even easier. For instance, a friend can simply flash their Snapchat camera at your Snapcode, which will immediately add together you, without y'all having to manually look upwardly their handle and tap the "add together" push button. Your Snapcode, which is like to a QR code, can be located on the Profile screen. You lot can admission it by borer the ghost icon or your Bitmoji in the corner of the Camera screen.

Score: Ever notice that number side by side to a friend's handle in Snapchat? Information technology's a score - an equation combining the number of snaps they've sent and received, stories they've posted, and other factors. Yous can find a friend's score when yous hold downward on a friend's name in your contact list, story feed, or chat area. And y'all can notice yours nether your Snapcode located in the center of your Profile screen. The higher your score, the more yous probable use Snapchat.

Snapstreak: Some of your friends or the people y'all follow might have different emoji next to their Snapchat names in the Chat department of your Snapchat. That means they're on a streak, or Snapstreak, with you. In other words, you lot and that friend or friends have snapped each other (not including chat messaging) within 24 hours for more than one consecutive day. For a comprehensive list of what each friend emoji ways, get to Settings > Manage > Friend Emojis.

Trophy case: Snapchat might notify you of a new trophy you've earned, and tapping that notification will have you to your trophy case, which holds all the trophies for milestones you've achieved every bit a Snapchat user. From sending a snap with a filter to sending 50 snaps with five or more pen colours, trophies encourage user interaction and content creation.

Lenses: You tin brand snaps even more than fun by calculation augmented reality-based special effects and sounds, with a feature chosen Lenses. To activate lenses, go to the Camera screen in Snapchat, then long-printing on your face in the camera view, and lenses should appear in a row adjacent to the capture push button. Swipe around to select the lens you lot want, and then tap the capture push button to have a snap with information technology. Popular lenses include the 'rainbow puke' and 'dog with natural language'.

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3D World Lenses: Unlike Lenses, which are primarily applied to your confront - or a selfie shot - in real-fourth dimension, World Lenses affect the environs around yous. They announced in the aforementioned row equally Lenses, simply only when your photographic camera is facing outward. You lot might see one that features your Bitmoji avatar, even. For example, a current one shows our Bitmoji avatar mixing potions and chemicals while sitting at a desk. This animation is overlaid on the earth around us and can be captured and then shared with our friends in a chat or followers via our story. Both Lenses and World Lenses are ofttimes changed past Snapchat, though popular ones are recurring.

Filter: You can jazz upward your snap by adding a fun overlay with a filter. Later y'all take a snap, swipe right or left on the preview screen to add coloured filters, the current time, local weather, speed overlays, or geofilters to your photo or video. After taking your snap and applying your first filter, you can press and hold and and then swipe to add yet some other filter, likewise.

Geofilter: Like filters, you tin can use a geofilter to decorate snaps. Dissimilar filters, withal, geofilters are specific to your location or an event you're attending. They encourage other users to share their experiences with friends and followers. On-Demand geofilters may also be designed and purchased by individuals or smaller companies and only become available when a user enters a specified location, such as a wedding or graduation venue.

Conversation: This is a messaging feature within Snapchat that lets y'all directly conversation with other users. You can access the Chat section past swiping from left to right on the Camera screen. From here, y'all tin can also send Bitmoji stickers, start a live video call, send money, share snaps, and more

Memories: Since launch, Snapchat has added several features that allow you lot to screenshot or salvage snaps. The latest example is Memories. Information technology not only gives you lot another way to store snaps in Snapchat'south cloud but also introduces a section for accessing media locally stored on your device. When y'all take a snap, y'all'll encounter an option to relieve it to your Memories (it'south like a private storage locker), where you can organise, edit, search, lock, and share the snap afterward the fact.

Discover: This is a department, correct of the Camera screen, meant for brands and publishers, which tin circulate stories for all to see. On Detect, you can find branded content made past Vice, Cosmopolitan, Daily Mail service, ESPN, Tastemade, CNN, Buzzfeed, and more than.

Snap Map: With this feature, you can share your location with your friends or followers. It as well allows yous to whorl effectually an actual map to encounter where your friends are located. You can choose whether to share your location, of grade. To access Snap Map, go to your Camera screen, then pinch your fingers on the screen like you're zooming out from a photo, and the Snap Map should then appear. Y'all and friends will be represented past Bitmoji.

Bitmoji: If you have downloaded the Bitmoji app, created an avatar, and linked your account to Snapchat, you lot'll come across AR-based lenses featuring your avatar too as stickers in chat with your avatar. You might also run across "friendmoji" stickers in a chat, which characteristic both you and a friend. Like other features, Bitmoji are designed to encourage user interaction on Snapchat. Keep in heed that Bitmoji was its own, separate platform until Snapchat acquired it a couple years ago.

How does Snapchat piece of work?

Here's where this app guide gets actually tricky. Snapchat updates so often that it's a waste of fourth dimension to write a lengthy step-by-step instruction manual on how to operate the app, as Snapchat might await and work completely differently in just a few days, and then nosotros'll instead focus on pop, central features and how they piece of work on a general basis, but more importantly, the main screens you lot'll see when navigating Snapchat.

If you need more details well-nigh how to get around the app or exercise specific things, nosotros encourage you to visit Snapchat's support hub.

Camera screen

Tap the capture push button to take a snap, or printing-and-hold it to record a video snap up to x seconds long. If yous proceed holding it, it'll record a multi-snap.
Later you lot accept a snap, yous can use all kinds of creative tools. For example, tap the pencil tool to draw all over, tap the text tool to add a caption, tap the sticker tool to add a sticker or Bitmoji, etc.

From the moment you open Snapchat, y'all will see a view of whatsoever your device'south camera can see. This is the Camera screen.

Now, how information technology looks and what options it shows may change over fourth dimension, but generally, you will see a capture push at the bottom, with buttons to admission your Memories screen, Filters, Snap Map, Chat screen, Scanner, Stories, and Spotlight. At the top, y'all might also see options to access your Profile screen, Search screen, and mayhap even turn on the wink or switch your photographic camera view to front-facing. Anyhow, primarily, from this screen, you can capture snaps.

To do so, tap or hold down the capture button, for a photo or video, respectively, and then y'all'll meet options to save information technology to Memories/your photographic camera roll, add information technology to your story, or send it to a friend or a grouping of friends. But before you share it with anyone, exist sure to decorate the snap with text, a doodle, a sticker, a link, etc. You can even adjust the time information technology can be viewed from a few seconds to unlimited.

Also, recollect, when taking a snap, if you tap the Camera view, you lot volition see Lenses and Earth Lenses appear. Swipe through them and tap one to apply it. From at that place, you can decorate the snap and share it with others.

Snap Map screen

Only the people you choose can see your location, or you tin can even turn on ghost mode when yous want to get off the grid.
Your location on the Snap Map only updates when yous have Snapchat open.

When you open Snapchat and are confronted past the Photographic camera screen, wait for the pin-drop icon in the navigation bar at the bottom. You will then run into your Bitmoji avatar, if your Bitmoji business relationship is linked, on a live map. Tap the Settings button if you want to enter "ghost style" and become invisible. Either style, any user you follow who has not enabled ghost way will announced on the map and then that yous tin can see their exact location in real-time.

Snapchat may likewise serve up stories of users from around the globe so that y'all can quickly tap and see what's happening elsewhere.

Memories screen

On the Memories screen, you tin create new Stories, edit, and send snaps y'all've saved to Memories, and utilise smart search to find old snaps.
To open Memories, but swipe up from the Photographic camera screen or tap the circumvolve/cards underneath the Capture button.

Near the capture button, you should see an icon that looks like cards or a circle. Tap information technology to access your Memories, an area in Snapchat where you lot can non only store snaps to Snapchat but also access media locally stored on your device. Y'all can search memories, share memories, mark upwardly memories, and more than. On the Memories screen, y'all can also access your profile, capture a snap, and go to the Chat and Stories screens.

Chat screen

When you're chatting one-on-one with someone, a blue dot will appear at the bottom of your Chat screen, which means they're present in the chat. If they've fix up Bitmoji, their Bitmoji volition pop up instead.
When yous're chatting in a group chat, a Snapchatter's name will light up within a bubble in a higher place your keyboard. This lets you know they're present. Just tap on a name bubble to conversation with that Snapchatter one-on-1. Or, to come across who has read a chat, just tap on it.
Chats are deleted by default in one case you've both left the Chat.

When yous open up Snapchat and are confronted by the Camera screen, tap the Chat button in the navigation bar or swipe from left to correct to access the Chat screen. From in that location, you tin can first a new conversation, search chats, come across all your active chats, and even get to your Profile screen, capture a snap, quickly switch to stories, and more than. Once more, these options may change over fourth dimension. Merely the betoken of this section is to share one-on-i or in a group with friends.

You tin outset a conversation or tap on an existing thread to message, send a snap, send greenbacks, start a live video chat, send a Bitmoji sticker, and more. Y'all tin likewise long-press on friends' names to meet their Snapcode, Snapstreak, and other options for interacting with them on Snapchat. To edit a friend's name, or fifty-fifty block or remove them, tap on their chat thread, so tap the hamburger (bill of fare) icon, and you'll come across the additional options for managing that friendship.

Discover screen

Keep upwardly-to-date on breaking news with Discover! Watch Publishers' stories and shows.
To employ Discover: Swipe right to left on the Photographic camera screen to open up Observe. Tap on a Story that sparks your interest
Tap the correct side of the screen to become to the next Snap in this story, or tap the left side of the screen to go dorsum and rewatch the last snap. You tin also swipe down to exit a story.

Swipe from right to left on the Camera screen to access your Stories and Observe screen. Below your stories, you'll see Detect, a section that showcases branded stories from publishers similar Daily Mail and MTV. Yous can't command what type of content is served upward to you, but you can subscribe to sure publishers by long-pressing on a thumbnail for a publisher'south story and so pressing the subscribe button. To view a story from a publisher, tap the thumbnail for their story.

Like other stories, you can skip through, and when watching, you lot can long-press on any snap to mark information technology upwardly and and so transport it to a friend or group of friends. You lot tin do this to both photos and videos.

Stories

To post a snap to your Story, have a snap, then tap the arrow on the bottom of the screen to add your snap to your Story (and if it is your first time creating a Story tap 'Add' to confirm yous want to post to your Story).
Go to the Discovery screen to view your friends' stories.

When you open Snapchat and are confronted past the Camera screen, swipe from right to left to access the Stories and Discoveries screen. From there, you can view all your friends' broadcasted snaps in a reel that plays for upwardly to 24 hours. Recent friend updates are at the superlative, followed by publishers' stories at the bottom. Merely tap a friend'southward name to begin viewing their story, and and then tap on individual snaps within the reel itself to skip forward

You tin likewise swipe up from a snap in a story to send a chat to that person. Anyhow, from the Discover screen, you might run into options to add to your story, search stories, find friends, quickly add together suggested contacts, access your contour and audience settings, capture a snap, and render to chat. Snapchat as well highlights content from Discover on this screen.

Search screen

Search is the fastest way to find a friend, a grouping you're in, and more than. Only tap the magnifying glass at the top of the screen to start searching.
Blazon in something yous're trying to notice, or browse through suggested friends and topics.

When you open up Snapchat and are confronted past the Camera screen, tap the Search button at the elevation. From there, you lot can search for other users by their Snapchat name. Verified users will have an emoji appear side by side to their name. The Search screen that pops up will besides recommend related users, bear witness you summit stories, and permit you to view other users and their stories by criteria like music, sports, fashion, and animals.

Contour screen

There are a few unlike ways to add other Snapchatters. Hither's the easiest way: from the Camera screen, swipe downwards or tap the Bitmoji in the upper left-paw corner of the screen. This will take you to your Profile screen, where you will see options to detect and add friends.
Also, from your Profile screen, y'all can create a Snapcode. With a Snapcode, friends and followers can visit a link by but scanning it in Snapchat.

From most screens in Snapchat, you will see a ghost or your Bitmoji in the corner.

Tap it to access your Contour screen, where you will notice your Snapcode, Snapstreak, and options to view your Trophy Case, who has added y'all, your friends, and a style to add more friends. You can also capture a new snap from here, access Chat and Stories, and even find additional Settings or search Snapchat, though these options may change over time.

Settings screen

Alter your privacy settings, Snap Map location settings, birthday settings, Memories settings, Snapcash settings, and more from Settings.
Just tap the Gear icon in the corner of your Contour screen.

When you meet the gear icon on your Contour screen, tap it to access your Snapchat business relationship settings, where you tin link your Bitmoji business relationship, manage on-demand geofilters, create or scan a Snapcode, add two gene, adjust your Memories, Glasses, and Shazam preferences, change your countersign and phone number, and then much more.

Spotlight screen

Spotlight is the newest way to discover the earth of Snapchat in one place and come across perspectives from across its customs.
To access Spotlight: Swipe from correct to left on the Stories screen, or tap the play button icon in the navigation bar.

Spotlight shines a light on the most entertaining Snaps, no affair who created them. Think of it as a TikTok clone, considering y'all tin can start exploring snaps by swiping upward and down. You tin can even tap on the trending button at the top of the screen to browse Trending Sounds, Lenses, and Topics.

Y'all can as well view and upload Spotlight content on the web! Head towww.snapchat.com/spotlight to check it out.

What do the chat icons mean?

When you lot await at your Chat screen, you might see a dissimilar arrow or icon side by side to each conversation thread. These hateful different things:

Snapchat

Desire to know more?

Bank check out our other Snapchat-related guides:

Snapchat: How to add 3D animated Bitmoji lenses to your snap
Snapchat: How to multi-snap record and modify the color of whatsoever object
Snapchat links: How practice you link a website to your snap?
Snapchat just added 3D earth lenses - see how they wait and work here
Snapchat Groups: Hither's how to use the new group chat feature
Snapchat World Lenses aren't for your face: Here'southward how they piece of work

Writing by Maggie Tillman.

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Source: https://www.pocket-lint.com/apps/news/snapchat/131313-what-is-snapchat-how-does-it-work-and-what-is-it-used-for