Guide: How to use Snapchat for beginners

Are you on every other social media platform but Snapchat? Did you decide that it’s now time to join the app? According to Snapchat Demographic Stats by backlinko.com published on the 1^st May 2022, Snapchat has more than 293 million daily active users around the globe. If you thought about joining for your influencer profile or for your business, then now is the best time to do so.

We give a full breakdown of everything you need to know about Snapchat from what it is and how to create a Snap, to saving Snaps and trending stories.

What is Snapchat?

To put it simply, Snapchat is a social media platform to talk to each other. Adults are more likely to use Facebook to communicate with one another, whereas, the younger generation is using Snapchat to give updates about their day through images and videos called ‘Snaps.’

How to download Snapchat on iPhone?

Open the app store
Type Snapchat in the search bar
Click the iCloud to download – you may have to enter your Apple ID and password to continue
After the download has finished, it will show up on your home screen

Creating a Snapchat Account

Click on the app which is downloaded on your home screen
Click Sign-up
‘Push turn on Notifications’ will appear – click OK
Enter your name
Enter your birthday
Create Your Username – once you choose your username, you cannot change it so pick one you like
Set password
Add your mobile phone number for security reasons
You’re in!

Find Friends

You can quickly find people on your Snapchat by seeing which of your contacts are on the app already. It will then ask “Snapchat” Would Like to Access Your Contacts, and you can choose ‘Don’t Allow or OK. If you click OK, a contact list will appear of who is on the app, and you can then add who you like to your profile.

Camera

Snapchat will then ask if it can access your camera, so click OK otherwise you will not be able to send pictures or videos which is the main reason you would have downloaded the app!

It will then ask to access your microphone so click ok so everyone can hear your video.

How to send a Snap

Press the center button on your camera to take a picture or record a video
Snap will ask to use your location – you can choose Allow or Don’t Allow. There are different reasons why Snapchat would want to access your location involving features and Snap Map which will talk about later in this article
When you take your Snap, you will see a lot of features on the right-hand side to edit text, gifs, draw or crop your image
You can then click on the blue arrow at the bottom when you are ready to send
A list will appear of who you want to send your Snap too

What are Snapchat Stories?

Your Snapchat Stories will allow you to take pictures and videos in the same way as above and instead of sending them to a friend, you can allow everyone to see them. Similarly, to Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

Based on your location, you can also make it a public story and it will add onto the Snap Map which is a feature for everyone to view what stories are in that location.

What is the Snap Map?

Again, Snap Map is a map of where all of your friends are. It is a feature that you can switch off or on at any time.

How to see a Snap on your phone?

Click on the app
Swipe right on the camera screen
You will find a friend request
You can then view the story that has been sent to you

Once you click on the app on the screen, the story that someone has sent to you will disappear forever.

Security and Privacy

This is the reason why younger generations use the app as they don’t want the content to stay around for a long time. The post can easily be removed within seconds as the user is finished watching the Snap.

People can, however, save your Snaps or screenshot them and even do screen records so you have to be careful about what you are sending. All of your Snaps are also backed up into the Snapchat database. You will be notified if someone has screen recorded your Snap or if they have screenshot it as Snapchat is trying to create transparency on their app.

Swipes and Taps

Everything you do on the app includes swipes and taps so play around with the different functions and just see what you find.

How to use colour filters

Filters are one of the best things that are on Snapchat.

Once you have taken a picture or video you can swipe left to right to pick the Snapchat basic filters that are available to change the colour of your Snap
Swiping will also give you other filters like frames and text like ‘My first Snap’ frame

How to use face filters

Center your face on the camera
Hold down on your face
At the bottom filters will appear
You can swipe left to right and choose the filter that you want to take your picture with or create a video

How to see if your friend has viewed your Snap

It will say on the chat if your friend is viewing the Snap
It will also tell you if your friend is responding as it will say ‘typing’

You can also do phone calls and video calls when you are on chat

How to use the Snap Map

Go to the main camera screen
Swipe down on the screen
It will show you where you are on the Snap Map
You can also see where all of your friends are around the world

Viewing public stories

Zoom into the map and you will see heat zones
If you click on one of the heat zones you can see Snaps in that area

These Snaps have been taken and uploaded to be viewed by everyone around the world. They would not necessarily be your friend, but Snaps uploaded to be seen by the public.

NOTE: Snapchat will approve what goes on the public story so make sure you don’t upload anything inappropriate.

How to save a Snap

Take a picture
Hit the bottom left corner ‘Save’ button
You can either save it to ‘Memories’ or ‘Memories & Camera Roll’

You don’t have to save every picture on Snapchat but if you did, then you have the option of saving it on the app or on your camera roll.

What is My Eyes Only?

My Eyes Only is a place that is password protected and where you can access posts using a password. If there are images that you want to show friends and family in your memory folder that you don’t want people to see, then this can easily be saved in your My Eyes Only folder.

Choose a passcode to access My Eyes Only

To access it

From Snap you just Swipe left twice
When you’re off the page, it will automatically be locked