What is Snapchat, how does it work and what is it for?

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(Pocket-lint) - Snapchat has changed a lot in recent years. Frequent updates mean the app no ​​longer looks and works like it used to.

Snap, the company behind Snapchat, is so aggressive in making changes to the app that it can be hard to keep track of how Snapchat actually works, even if you're a regular user. To make it easier for you and beginners, Pocket-lint has compiled this guide. At the end, you will know all the facets of the application. And when the next update comes, be sure to check back here.

What is Snapchat?

Snapchat is a mobile application for Android and iOS devices. Colloquially, the app is often referred to as Snap by its users.

Meanwhile, the developer of Snapchat is a public company also called Snap, which is confusing. The company itself claims to be a camera company. (As such, it creates other products, including hardware, like Snapchat Spectacles.) Whatever name you give it, Snap is led by co-founder Evan Spiegel.

One of the core concepts of the mobile app is that any image, video or message - aka snap - that you send by default is only made available to the recipient for a short period of time before it becomes unreachable. . 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 photo sharing, but now you can use it for a range of different tasks, including sending short videos, live video chat, messaging, creating cartoonish Bitmoji avatars and sharing a "story" that is broadcast to all your followers. There's even a designated "Discovery" area that features abridged content from major publishers like Buzzfeed. Snapchat even lets you store media in a private space.

Other features include the ability to add AR-based filters and lenses to snaps and show your live location on a world map. But the essential thing to realize about Snapchat is that it is about instant communication through your mobile phone. Before Snapchat, social media was very desktop-based. For example, you would post statuses, tweets, photos and you would have a record of all these things online, so your friends could comment on them and you would see them all forever.

Snapchat changed that. It has changed the way we communicate online. With Snapchat, you can quickly send a photo of yourself with a rainbow-spitting AR lens applied to a friend, and after you open it, it'll be gone forever. Technically, they can screenshot if they want and reply with their own photo or video response, which they can also post to their story for their friends and followers to see. There are so many uses for this app. It's hard not to see its value and why it's unique.

What does all the jargon mean?

Many reports and studies have claimed that the majority of Snapchat users are millennials and Gen-Zers.

Due to these younger users, the app has been given a number of different unique terms and names for its features, from "snaps" to "story". If you're confused by all this jargon, you really should read the Glossary section of this Snapchat guide before getting to how the app actually works.

Snapchatter: It's not as common anymore, but it means a Snapchat user.

Snap: When you take a photo or video, or receive a photo or video, it's called a "snap". So when someone asks you to take a picture of them, they're asking you to send them a photo or video through Snapchat, or even a message through the app's chat feature. The Snapchat app itself is also colloquially referred to as "Snap", as is the app's developer/public company.

Snapback: This term was more popular when Snapchat was launched, but has since faded away. Still, if you've heard it, just know that it's just a snap answer. So if you Snapback, you're simply responding to a private snapshot you received.

Story: You can link shots together and stream them as you capture them. They will appear to your followers as a "story" reel. They can browse your story and watch every snap to live through your whole day. A Reel can only be played for 24 hours, after which it disappears permanently, although you can always save your entire Story, or an individual snapshot of your Story, to the Memory section - aka Private Storage - of your Snapchat to keep forever. .

Snapcode: A Snapcode is a scannable code that makes adding new friends even easier. For example, a friend can simply flash their Snapchat camera to your Snapcode, which will immediately add you, without you having to manually find their handle and hit the "add" button. Your Snapcode, which is similar to a QR code, can be located on the Profile screen. You can access it by tapping the ghost icon or your Bitmoji in the corner of the Camera screen.

Score: Have you ever noticed this number next to a friend's handle in Snapchat? It's a score - an equation combining the number of snaps they've sent and received, the stories they've posted, and other factors. You can find a friend's score when you tap and hold a friend's name in your contact list, story feed, or chat area. And you can find yours under your Snapcode located in the center of your profile screen. The higher your score, the more likely you are to use Snapchat.

Snapstreak: Some of your friends or people you follow may have different emoji next to their Snapchat names in the Chat section of your Snapchat. This means they are on a streak, or Snapstreak, with you. In other words, you and that friend or friends photographed each other (not including instant messaging) within 24 hours for more than one consecutive day. For a full list of what each friend emoji means, go to Settings > Manage > Friend Emojis.

Trophy Box: Snapchat may notify you of a new trophy you've earned, and tapping that notification will take you to your Trophy Box, which contains all of the trophies for milestones you've achieved as a Snapchat user . From submitting one snap with a filter to submitting 50 snaps with five or more pen colors, trophies encourage user interaction and content creation.

Lenses: You can make snaps even more fun by adding augmented reality-based special effects and sounds, with a feature called Lenses. To enable Lenses, go to the camera screen in Snapchat, then long-press your face in the camera view. Objectives should appear in a row next to the capture button. Swipe to select the lens you want, then tap the capture button to take a photo with it. Popular lenses include 'rainbow vomit' and 'dog with tongue'.

This awesome system will save you time and effort every time you pay.

3D World Lenses: Unlike lenses, which are primarily applied to your face - or a selfie photo - in real time, World Lenses affect the environment around you. They appear on the same row as lenses, but only when your camera is facing outward. You might even see one that features your Bitmoji avatar. For example, a current one shows our Bitmoji avatar mixing potions and chemicals while sitting at a desk. This animation is superimposed on the world around us and can be captured and then shared with our friends in a chat or followers via our story. Lenses and world lenses are frequently changed by Snapchat, although the most popular ones are recurring.

Filter: You can brighten up your shot by adding a fun overlay with a filter. After taking a photo, swipe right or left on the preview screen to add color filters, current time, local weather, speed overlays or geofilters to your photo or video. After you've taken your snap and applied your first filter, you can tap and hold then swipe to add yet another filter.

Geofilter: Like filters, you can use a geofilter to decorate shots. Unlike filters, however, 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 can also be designed and purchased by individuals or small businesses and only become available when a user enters a specified location, such as a wedding or graduation venue.

Chat: This is a messaging feature in Snapchat that allows you to chat directly with other users. You can access the Chat section by swiping from left to right on the Camera screen. From here, you can also send Bitmoji stickers, start a live video call, send money, share snaps, and more.

Memories: Since its launch, Snapchat has added several features that allow you to capture or save snaps. The latest example is Memories. This not only gives you another way to store snaps in Snapchat's cloud, but also introduces a section to access media stored locally on your device. When you take a snap, you'll see an option to save it to your memories (it's like a private storage locker), where you can organize, edit, search, lock, and share the snap afterwards.

Discover: This is a section, to the right of the camera screen, for brands and publishers to broadcast stories for all to see. On Discover, you can find branded content created by Vice, Cosmopolitan, Daily Mail, ESPN, Tastemade, CNN, Buzzfeed, and more.

Snap Map: With this feature, you can share your location with your friends or followers. It also lets you scroll through an actual map to see where your friends are. You can choose whether or not to share your location, of course. To access Snap Map, go to your camera screen, then pinch your fingers on the screen as if you were zooming out on a photo, and Snap Map should then appear. You and your friends will be represented by Bitmoji.

Bitmoji: If you've downloaded the Bitmoji app, created an avatar, and linked your account to Snapchat, you'll see augmented reality-based lenses with your avatar as well as in-chat stickers with your avatar. You may also see "friendmoji" stickers in a chat, which feature both you and a friend. Like other features, Bitmoji is designed to encourage user interaction on Snapchat. Keep in mind that Bitmoji was its own separate platform until Snapchat acquired it a few years ago.

How does Snapchat work?

Here's where this application guide gets really tricky. Snapchat updates so often that it's a waste of time to write a long step-by-step instruction manual on how to use the app, because Snapchat can look and work completely different in just a few days, so we will focus on popular apps. , the main features and how they generally work, but more importantly, the main screens you'll see when browsing Snapchat.

If you need more details on how to get around the app or do specific things, we encourage you to visit Snapchat's Help Center.

Camera screen

From the moment you open Snapchat, you'll see a view of everything your device's camera can see. This is the Camera screen.

Now its appearance and the options it displays may change over time, but typically you will see a capture button at the bottom, with buttons to access your Memories screen, Filters, Snap Map, Chat screen, Scanner, Stories and Spotlight. At the top, you can also see options to access your profile screen, your search screen, and maybe even turn on the flash or toggle your camera view to the front. Anyway, mainly from this screen you can capture snaps.

To do this, tap or hold the capture button, for a photo or video, respectively, then you'll see options to save it to Memories/your camera roll, add it to your story, or send it to a friend or a group of friends. But before you share it with anyone, make sure to decorate the snap with text, doodle, sticker, link, etc. You can even set the viewing time from a few seconds to unlimited.

Also keep in mind that when you take a photo, if you tap on the Camera view, you'll see the World Lenses and Lenses appear. Swipe them and tap on one to apply. From there, you can decorate the snap and share it with others.

Snap Map screen

When you open Snapchat and face the camera screen, look for the pin icon in the navigation bar at the bottom. You will then see your Bitmoji avatar, if your Bitmoji account is linked, on a live map. Tap the Settings button if you want to enter "ghost mode" and become invisible. Either way, any user you follow who hasn't turned on ghost mode will appear on the map so you can see their exact location in real time.

Snapchat can also feature stories from users around the world so you can quickly type in and see what's happening elsewhere.

Memories screen

Near the capture button, you should see an icon that looks like cards or a circle. Tap it to access your Memories, an area of ​​Snapchat where you can not only store snaps on Snapchat, but also access media stored locally on your device. You can search memories, share memories, annotate memories, etc. On the Memories screen, you can also access your profile, take a snapshot, and access the Chat and Stories screens.

Chat screen

When you open Snapchat and face the Camera screen, tap the Chat button in the navigation bar or swipe left to right to access the Chat screen. From here, you can start a new chat, search for chats, see all of your active chats, and even go to your profile screen, capture a snapshot, quickly jump to stories, and more. Again, these options may change over time. But the purpose of this section is to share one-on-one or in a group with friends.

You can start a conversation or tap on an existing thread to send a message, wink, send money, start a live video chat, send a Bitmoji sticker, and more. You can also long-press on friends' names to see their Snapcode, Snapstreak, and other options for interacting with them on Snapchat. To edit a friend's name, or even block or delete them, tap their conversation thread, then tap the hamburger icon (menu), and you'll see the additional options for managing that friendship.

Discover the screen

Swipe from right to left on the Camera screen to access your Stories & Discovery screen. Under your stories, you'll see Discover, a section that features branded stories from publishers like Daily Mail and MTV. You can't control what kind of content is offered to you, but you can subscribe to some publishers by long-pressing on a publisher's story thumbnail and then pressing the subscribe button. To view a story from a publisher, tap their story thumbnail.

Like other stories, you can skip through, and while watching, you can long-press on any snap to tag it, then send it to a friend or group of friends. You can do this for both photos and videos.

stories

When you open Snapchat and are faced with the Camera screen, swipe from right to left to access the Stories & Discoveries screen. From there, you can see all the snaps streamed by your friends in a reel that plays for up to 24 hours. Recent updates from friends are at the top, followed by stories from editors at the bottom. Simply tap on a friend's name to start seeing their story, then tap on individual snaps in the reel itself to move forward.

You can also swipe up from a snap in a story to send a conversation to that person. Anyway, from the Discover screen, you can see options to add to your story, search for stories, find friends, quickly add suggested contacts, access your profile and settings. audience, capture a snapshot, and return to the chat. Snapchat also highlights content from Discover on this screen.

Search screen

When you open Snapchat and face the Camera screen, tap the Search button at the top. From here, you can search for other users by their Snapchat name. Verified users will see an emoji appear next to their name. The search screen that appears will also recommend related users, show you top stories, and allow you to view other users and their stories by criteria such as music, sports, fashion, and animals.

Profile screen

On most Snapchat screens, you'll see a ghost button or your Bitmoji avatar in the corner.

Tap it to access your profile screen, where you'll find your Snapcode, Snapstreak, and options to view your Trophy Case, who added you, your friends, and a way to add more friends. You can also capture a new snap from here, access chat and stories, and even find additional settings or search for Snapchat, though these options may change over time.

Settings screen

When you see the gear icon on your profile screen, tap it to access your Snapchat account settings, where you can link your Bitmoji account, manage on-demand geofilters, create or scan a Snapcode, add two factors , adjust your memories, glasses, and Shazam preferences, change your password and phone number, and much more.

projector screen

Spotlight shines a light on the most entertaining Snaps, no matter who created them. Think of it as a TikTok clone, as you can start exploring snaps by swiping up and down. You can even tap the trending button at the top of the screen to cycle through trending sounds, lenses, and topics.

You can also view and download Spotlight content from the web! Go to www.snapchat.com/spotlight to check it out.

What do the chat icons mean?

When you look at your chat screen, you may see a different arrow or icon next to each conversation thread. These mean different things:

Want to know more?

Check out our other Snapchat-related guides: