Snapchat features everyone should know about
Do you love Snapchat? Millions of users every single day use the popular social media and messaging app, which is perhaps most famous for being one of the first to introduce playful photo filters and interactive AR lenses. But did you know there are new features being added to Snapchat all the time that you might not even know about?
Keep on reading to discover some of Snapchat's best, hidden features.
Identify a song
Everyone knows Shazam, the app that helps you identify what song is playing in just a few seconds. But were you aware you can do this while in Snapchat?
Whenever you hear a song, just make sure the camera is open on Snapchat and hold down your finger on the screen. Small music notes will appear as the app searches for the song name and artist, and a pop-up window will appear once identified. You can then dismiss the window or click on 'Song info' to find out more.
Send a voice message or start a voice call
Voice and video calls, alongside voice and video messages, were added to Snapchat back in 2016. However it's not an obvious feature of the app, and if you simply use Snapchat to send funny photos to your mates, you might not even be aware that Snapchat was capable of this.
To start a regular voice call, tap the voice icon (which looks like a telephone) and it'll ring your contact immediately. The same process applies for a video call, but you'll need to press the video icon (which looks like a camcorder) instead.
To send a 10 second voice or video message, all you need to do is open up a chat conversation with a contact. Then, hold down either the voice or video button and begin recording. Taking your finger off the button will end the message, and it will be sent instantly.
Add multiple filters at once
Can't make your mind up about which filter you want to add to your snap? Now you can add two, three or even four at the same time.
Just take a photo like normal, and swipe left or right to browse the available filters. Filters vary, from those that adjust the colour of the snap to location and event-based filters.
As you swipe left or right, you'll notice a new icon will appear on the right-hand side. It looks like three squares stacked on top of each other, with a plus sign to the right. Press it to apply your first filter, and swipe left or right again to add a second. Repeat the process to apply even more filters.
Love to take amazing photos? Check out our blog of best photo editing apps.
Pin emojis in a video
Let's say you've taken a video of your friend, but you'd love to add the sunglasses emoji to their face. By 'pinning' an emoji to an object in your Snapchat video, you can make sure those glasses stay firmly fixed in place. In fact, you can do this with any emoji or sticker on Snapchat, and it’ll automatically move with whatever object you've attached it to.
To pin an emoji, record your Snapchat video first. Tap the icon with the folded corner, choose your preferred sticker or emoji, then press and hold it down to pin.
View stories across the world
You're not just limited to the stories of friends and celebrities on Snapchat either, you can see what's happening all over the world too. Open Snapchat, 'pinch' the screen (just like you would to zoom out on a camera) and explore the Snapchat map.
Popular events will have their own story that'll appear in a small circle, while highly active areas will turn red on the map. Click on any of them to see what’s happening. Alternatively, you can search for a place using the search bar at the top of the main Snapchat screen.
Access more colours on the draw tool
If you like to doodle on your snaps, but feel restricted by the colours on offer when you click the pen tool, then you're in luck. Our latest hack will let you access an entire spectrum of different shades.
The process is super simple. Just tap on the pen tool after taking a photo, move the toggle up and down to find a colour you like and then keep your finger pressed down. Without lifting your finger, move it around the screen - you'll notice as you move up the colour will become more vibrant, and if you move down the shade will become less saturated. Moving to the left will deepen the colour, while moving to the right will offer more pastel hues.
Putting all this into practice, if you'd like to doodle in light purple, just head to purple on the normal colour spectrum, keep your finger pressed down and move towards the bottom right hand corner. Once you're happy, lift your finger and get drawing.
Save data using travel mode
Snapchat can be a data-heavy app, which can be an issue if you're short on GB. When not connected to Wi-Fi, make sure Travel Mode is enabled.
With Travel Mode turned on, snaps will no longer load automatically. You can then tap on individual snaps and stories you're interested in to watch them.
Enable Travel mode easily by tapping on your profile icon, opening Settings (the gear icon) and then Additional Services. Select Manage > Travel Mode and you're done.
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