What is Snapchat? How Do You Use It?

Snapchat, one of the hottest mobile messaging apps, has become a convenient and fun way to send photos and videos to friends and family without eating up your phone's memory. Launched in 2011, Snapchat allows users to add captions, drawings and filters to their photos and videos (also known as "snaps"). Unlike other messaging apps, you can view snaps for a maximum of 10 seconds, and then it's gone for good. Anything shared through the service self-destructs, leaving no evidence that it existed. (However, just like everything else online, privacy isn't guaranteed.) To learn how to use Snapchat, click on the link. Snapchat is the messaging app that’s taken smartphones by storm and when you see what it can do, you’ll understand why. It’s a chat app, a photo sharing app and a video sharing app all in one, and it’s a great way to stay in touch with groups of friends. If you’ve yet to share a Snap or a Story, read on to find out how to use Snapchat. How to get started with Snapchat You’ll need to install the Snapchat app from the Google Play Store. Once you’ve done that, tap on Sign Up from the welcome screen (assuming you don’t already have a Snapchat account; if you do, sign in with your username and password). You’ll need to provide your email address and a password and choose a username. The username is what people will use to contact you and can’t be changed later, so choose wisely. Once you’ve signed in, tap on the ghost icon to bring up the settings and friends options. How to find friends on Snapchat There are several ways to add your friends on Snapchat. The program can access your contacts if you give it permission, and use them to find any of your friends who have a Snapchat account. You can also search for usernames by tapping Add Friends, or you can use the handy Add Nearby feature. That last one’s great for adding a group of people while you’re with them: get everybody to open Snapchat and tap Add Friends > Add Nearby and you’ll all see a list of each other’s usernames. Just tap each name to add them. As you use Snapchat, its algorithm will help it decide who your best friends are. They'll then be displayed with a white star in a gold box, visible only to you.