How To Use Snapchat: The Complete Guide For Beginners

Snapchat has become one of the most popular social media apps, especially among young people. With over 300 million daily active users, Snapchat allows you to share fun, spontaneous moments with friends through photos, videos, and messages that disappear after being viewed.

If you‘re new to Snapchat, learning how to use all of its features can be a bit overwhelming at first. But with this complete guide, you‘ll become a Snapchat pro in no time! Here‘s everything you need to know about how to use Snapchat.

Getting Started with Snapchat

To start using Snapchat, the first step is to download the app from the App Store (iPhone) or Google Play Store (Android). It‘s completely free to download.

Once you‘ve downloaded and opened the app, you can either log in with your existing account if you already have one, or tap "Sign Up" to create a new account.

You‘ll need to enter your email address and birthday (you must be at least 13 years old to sign up) and create a password. Snapchat will then help you find friends by accessing your phone contacts.

After setting up your account, you can start adding friends. The fastest way is to allow Snapchat access to your phone contacts so it can show you which of your contacts are already using Snapchat. You can also search for friends by username or snapcode.

Using the Snapchat Camera

The main camera is the key to using Snapchat. Opening the camera is the first thing you‘ll see when you open the app. From here, you can take a Snap to send to friends or add to your Story.

To take a photo, just tap the large circular capture button at the bottom of the screen. To take a video instead, press and hold the button to record up to 60 seconds of footage.

There are a few other things you can do from the camera screen:

Switch between front and rear cameras by tapping the camera icon in the top right.
Access filters and lenses by swiping right or left.
View global public Stories by swiping right.
View your friends‘ Stories by swiping left.

Once you‘ve taken a photo or video, you can edit it by adding filters, stickers, text and more before sending or posting.

Sending Snaps

After taking a Snap, sending it to your friends is easy. At the bottom of the screen after capturing your Snap, you‘ll see icons for editing along with a send arrow icon.

Tap the arrow icon, then select the friend or group of friends you want to send it to from the list. You can also add a caption if you want. Then simply hit send and your Snap will be on its way!

An important thing to know about sending Snaps is that they will only be visible to recipients for 1-10 seconds before disappearing forever. Recipients can replay a Snap once, but it will still be automatically deleted. This creates spontaneity and lets you share daily moments without worrying about them staying online forever.

Using Filters and Lenses

Filters and Lenses make Snapchat even more fun and engaging. Filters add an overlay to your photos and videos, while Lenses use augmented reality to remix your selfies with hilarious or beautiful effects.

To use Filters, take a photo or video first. Then swipe horizontally across the preview screen to browse and select different filter options like color tones, geofilters based on location, temperate, time and more.

For Lenses, start from the main camera screen then tap the smiley face icon to the right of the capture button. This will open your camera in selfie mode with Lenses selections along the bottom. Tap a Lens to apply its effect to your selfie as long as you‘re holding down on the screen.

There are tons of wacky Lenses to explore, from flower crowns and vomiting rainbows to swapping faces with a friend. You can even create your own custom Lenses through Lens Studio.

Posting to Your Story

In addition to sending Snaps directly to friends, you can also post Snaps and videos to your Story where all your friends can view them. Think of Stories as a compilation of Snaps that let you share what you’re up to throughout the day.

To post a Snap to your Story, simply tap “My Story” instead of selecting individual friends after taking a Snap or video. Add any extra effects or captions you want, then tap the arrow icon to post it.

Anything posted to your Story will be visible to your Snapchat friends for 24 hours before disappearing. Friends can view your Story as many times as they want within that 24-hour period.

You can also post multiple Snaps to your Story throughout the day to compile what you’re up to. They‘ll appear in chronological order so it‘s like a visual narrative of your day!

Using Chat

In addition to sharing photos and videos, you can also use Snapchat to chat with friends. To access Chat, tap the chat icon in the bottom left corner of the camera screen.

This will bring up your recent conversations first. Tap a friend‘s name to open your chat with them or tap the pencil icon in the top right to start a new chat.

Within a chat, you can send text messages, voice notes, audio calls, stickers, Bitmojis and of course, Snaps and videos. To add visuals to a chat, just tap the capture button within the chat screen as if you were taking a regular Snap, then select the friend(s) to send it to.

Chats are saved within Snapchat so you can scroll back through past conversations at any time. You can also chat in groups by starting a group conversation or adding multiple friends to an existing chat.

So if you just want to have a quick text conversation with friends in addition to sharing Snaps, Chat makes it easy.

Using Snap Map

The Snap Map lets you see where your friends are and what they‘re up to by showing their location on a map interface. To access it, pinch the camera screen to open Snap Map.

You‘ll see color-coded Actionmojis of your friends overlaid on a map if they have their location sharing enabled. You can tap any friend‘s Actionmoji to see their public Story snaps from that area.

If you don‘t want your location visible to anyone, you can always enter Ghost Mode. To enable Ghost Mode, open Snap Map and tap the ⚙️ button, then select Ghost Mode.

Snap Map also includes Our Story, which is a compilation of public Snaps submitted by Snapchatters from various locations and events around the world. It‘s super cool for discovering events and trends happening live in cities and venues near you!

Making Video Calls

Snapchat also allows you to video chat with up to 16 friends at once using the group video call feature Chat 2.0.

To start a video call with a friend, open your chat with them first, then tap the video icon in the top right. You can switch between front and rear cameras during the call by tapping the rotate icon.

When video chatting with a group, you‘ll see smaller windows showing each person on the call. You can resize and rearrange these windows using drag and drop gestures to focus on whoever‘s talking.

Video calls are a handy way to visually communicate with friends when text or photo Snaps just won‘t cut it.

Customizing Your Profile

Part of the fun of Snapchat is customizing your profile and Bitmoji avatar. To access your profile screen, tap the Bitmoji icon or ghost icon in the top left corner of the camera screen.

From here, you can change your display name, add a custom Snapcode, change your Bitmoji avatar or background, add a description, link your website, and more.

Your profile shows up for any friends who view your Snaps or tap to see who you are from their contacts list. So take a few minutes to spice it up and make it your own!

Final Tips for Using Snapchat

Here are some final tips for getting the most out of Snapchat:

Edit your privacy settings for who can contact you, view stories and see your location.
Be mindful of what you snap and share, as some content disappears forever after being viewed.
Shake your phone to access Lenses or enable Travel Mode to unlock geofilters abroad.
Press and hold on faces or objects when taking a Snap to identify stickers or Shoppable AR experiences.
Use Snapchat on desktop by going to snapchat.com/web. You can only view stories and chat, not take Snaps.
Subscribe to publishers in Discover like Buzzfeed, ESPN and more to view daily custom Stories.

Have fun with Snapchat and all of its quirky features! Taking Snaps, applying creative filters and video calling friends has never been more entertaining.

Now that you know how to use Snapchat like a pro, go ahead and start snapping, editing, posting and chatting!