Snapchat, the i-to-one messaging app with more than 160 meg daily active users, has earned a reputation for fast growth and innovation.

Only despite its success, it isn't the most convenient app I've always played around with. Many of its best features are buried so deep in the app that a lot of people don't even know they exist. In July 2017, Snapchat added fifty-fifty more features in their release of a new version, and some of these features accept totally reshaped how people use the app in the kickoff place.

For example, did you lot know that you can use Snapchat to make a live video call? Or that yous can add emojis to your Snapchat videos -- and make information technology so they move and scale with specific objects? What nigh the trick where you can save data by turning the app on to "travel fashion"? Download our free Snapchat guide to learn how to use it for your business. 

There are a whole lot of cool things y'all can do with Snapchat that you may not have known about. Simply before we jump into them, it'southward of import that you know the nuts. For more on how to use the platform -- as well as a expect at how HubSpot uses Snapchat marketing -- bank check out this post.

Already have the basics downward? Read on for some more advanced tips and features.

Note: Earlier getting started, make sure you're operating on the latest version of Snapchat. At the fourth dimension of posting, the latest version is 10.12.5.0.

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xviii Hidden Snapchat Hacks & Features

ane) Use Snapchat for vocalisation and video calls.

One of the biggest changes Snapchat fabricated during an update in March 2022 was the improver of a vocalism and video conversation feature. There are two ways yous tin utilise voice and video chats: By sending x-2d recordings (of your vocalism or a video of y'all), or past "calling" them to start a live vocalization or video conversation lasting any corporeality of time.

The vocalization and video telephone call functionality is located inside Snapchat's chat characteristic, so you'll need to open up up a chat conversation with someone to begin. If you lot've updated your Snapchat app, you'll see the phone icon and a video icon below the chat box.

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To leave a ten-second voice or video bulletin, agree downwardly on the phonation or video telephone call icon and it will brainstorm recording immediately. When you release the button by picking your finger up from the screen, the recording will stop and send immediately with no do-overs. In other words, make certain you're ready to record and transport the voice or video message before you lot begin.

To start a live vocalism or video call, just tap the voice or video call icon and it'll brainstorm ringing the other person immediately. If they don't answer within a few seconds, you'll see a pop-up notification asking you if yous'd like to send a voice or video message instead. These voice and video messages are identical to the x-second vocalization and video messages described above.

Here's a GIF showing what it looks like to live video telephone call another user:

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Also, remember that there's no forewarning once you lot tap or hold downwards on one of the icons -- it'll outset ringing or recording correct away. (I learned this the difficult style when I tapped the video icon accidentally.) Otherwise, it's a very intuitive and piece of cake-to-utilise functionality.

2) Identify any song playing around you.

If you lot've still to download Shazam, the music recognition app, Snapchat'southward got you covered. That's right, y'all can Shazam songs in the Snapchat app.

When you want to identify a song playing around you, simply hold your finger down on the camera screen. After a few seconds, a Shazam window volition pop up with the vocal's name and creative person. From in that location, you can snap your Shazamed song to your friends and even add the artist equally a Snapchat friend.

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3) Search for stories all over the world.

Paw-curating an entire customs's snap submissions for a big event's story, like the Super Bowl, started overwhelming Snapchat. Then they implemented machine learning to select only the most relevant submissions for these large events.

The other submissions didn't go to waste, though. Their new technology curates them into entirely new customs stories, which allows users to search for over one 1000000 stories on the app and feel an effect like they're actually there.

To watch these stories, just tap the search bar on the photographic camera screen. Yous tin watch the superlative stories of the day, filter stories by topic, and search for a certain consequence or location's community story.

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4) Turn on two filters at once.

Can't cull between giving your photo a bluish hue and letting your friends know you're going 0 mph? Thankfully, y'all don't have to make that difficult decision. You can use both filters at the same time with a very simple flim-flam.

To add a second filter to a photo, all you take to practise is hold the screen with one finger and swipe left or right with another to observe your second filter. (To add that starting time filter, simply swipe your finger left or right over your photo to rotate among them until y'all settle on one.)

v) Add, resize, and rotate emojis and stickers to your photos.

If y'all're looking to dress upwards your Snapchats exterior of the text box, yous can add an emoji (or v) and identify them anywhere you want on your photograph or video.

In addition to the emojis you're probably familiar with, Snapchat added 200 new stickers in May 2022 that are similar to the stickers that are and then popular in other messaging apps like Facebook Messenger. These new stickers are super cute -- everything from cacti to snarky kittens to walruses celebrating Hump Solar day.

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To admission the emojis and stickers, start by taking your photograph in Snapchat. And so, tap on the folded paper icon on the height of your screen next to the "T" text icon. Scroll through the available stickers and emojis until you find the one you lot want. Tap on information technology to add together information technology to your photo, and and so use your finger to motion it effectually.

You can employ two fingers to rotate information technology or resize it by pinching and zooming. Add as many emojis and stickers as you'd similar.

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To delete a sticker or emoji, simply drag it to the trash icon, which appears when you agree your finger downward on the emoji and motility it around.

Another creative way to use emojis on Snapchat? Create your own filters using some of the more transparent emojis past enlarging them with your fingers until they cover the whole screen.

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6) "Pin" emojis to objects in your videos.

In addition to adding stationary emojis and stickers to your Snapchat videos, you tin also "pin" -- or attach -- emojis and stickers to unlike objects in your video. This allows the emoji to automatically motion, rotate, and scale with whatever object yous pinned it to.

To "pin" an emoji or sticker to an object in a video, beginning by recording your video in Snapchat kickoff. And so, tap on the folded paper icon on the top of your screen.

Scroll through the bachelor emojis and stickers until you lot notice the 1 you want. Tap on it to add it to your photo, and so use your finger to move it, and concord it in one place above an object to "pivot" information technology to that object.

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7) Make your videos get in fast-forward, wearisome motion, or rewind.

Snapchat recently added features for videos assuasive users to brand them get in fast forward, slow motion, or rewind. These features work just like a filter, and so to admission them, record the video first and then swipe sideways to find them.

Here'south how they work:

  • Snail icon = irksome motion
  • Rabbit = fast-forrad
  • Backward-facing arrows = rewind

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Image Credit: TechCrunch

8) Draw in black or white.

Yous may have noticed that the color palette in Snapchat'southward drawing tool doesn't offering blackness and white -- but that doesn't mean that you can't admission both of those colors. All it takes is a few quick finger maneuvers.

To access the available colors, you're used to holding your finger downwards on the colour palette and dragging it up or down. But to access black and white, yous'll need to drag it toward the upper left corner of your screen (black) or the bottom right corner of your screen (white).

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ix) Change the color, size, and orientation of your text.

Remember y'all're limited to white text? Turns out yous tin can actually change the color of your text to whatever yous want, including black (see previous tip).

To change the color of your text, start by taking your photo or video, type your message, then tap the "T" icon at the top of your screen to make the text larger and open up the color palette. Drag your finger along the palette to alter the text colour. Finally, tap the "T" icon twice to remove the shadowed background.

To alter the orientation and/or size of the text, utilize ii fingers to rotate it or resize information technology by pinching and zooming. You can motion the text effectually to wherever you desire on the screen simply past belongings your finger on the text and moving it around.

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ten) Make your text fit neatly in ane line.

If you're anything like me and hate when your text awkwardly goes just over one line, rest assured: Y'all tin can actually resize your text so information technology fits neatly into a single line (or withal many you'd like).

To resize your text, tap the "T" icon at the top of your screen, then tap on the text to get into text editing style. Next, use two fingers to pinch-and-zoom to resize it while it still spans the width of your screen.

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eleven) Plow on "travel mode" to relieve data.

When I first started using Snapchat on a regular basis, I noticed right away that it was draining my bombardment faster than any of my other social media apps. Thankfully, Snapchat actually has a built-in feature to help conserve your data, in the form of "travel style."

When you lot set your Snapchat app to travel mode, snaps and stories won't download automatically. Instead, yous can choose when you desire to load a snap or a story. It can also assist reduce video lagging while y'all're recording videos using the app.

To turn your Snapchat app to travel mode, go to settings, which you can access by opening Snapchat, borer the ghost icon in the acme center of the screen, then tapping the gear icon in the top correct-hand corner of the screen.

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Once you're on the settings folio, tap "Manage" nether "Additional Services" and toggle "Travel Mode" on.

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12) Create your own geofilter on a desktop or the app.

In February 2016, Snapchat started letting anyone -- whether you're a concern or an private -- create custom "on-demand geofilters." On-demand geofilters are filters users tin can add when they take photos and videos from specific locations.

There are two different kinds of geofilters: a personal geofilter and a business geofilter.

  • A personal geofilter promotes a personal event or location like a birthday party, hymeneals, graduation party, and so on, and you lot can set them for up to 30 days. They can't include marks, logos, branding, or businesses.
  • A business geofilter promotes a business or a brand, like for an upcoming auction, an advertizing for a sure location, or something along those lines. Business Geofilters need to meet Snapchat's Business concern Guidelines.

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Image Credit: Snapchat

To create them, you'll need to upload an prototype with a transparent background (or use one of Snapchat's premade templates), upload it to http://geofilters.snapchat.com, choice a date, time, and location for it, and submit it to Snapchat along with your payment. The Snapchat team promises to review submissions within one concern day.

This feature is available in the U.S., U.Grand., Australia, Brazil, Canada, United Arab Emirates, and Saudi arabia. You can larn more about how to apply them on Snapchat's website here.

If you're a Snapchat user in the U.S., you tin can create on-demand geofilters in the app. Only go to your camera screen and tap the ghost icon in the top left corner. Then tap the settings icon in the peak right corner and cull On-Demand filters.

You'll be asked to select your geofilter's theme, a premade template, its date and time, and its location. The price volition depend on your geofence'due south size.

xiii) Add music to your videos.

Here's a minor tip that can make a big difference in your Snapchat videos. Later on all, the folks at Snapchat merits that sound is a big part of what makes Snapchat videos then appealing. In June 2016, they claimed that ii-thirds of Snapchat's 10 billion daily video views are watched with the sound on.

Adding music can add together a unique affect to your Snapchat videos, and it's simple to practise. All you take to do is play the song you want through your favorite music actor app (similar Spotify or iTunes), and then tape the video on Snapchat while the vocal is playing. The video recorder on Snapchat volition pick up the music and it'll automatically go part of your video.

fourteen) Turn the sound off in your videos.

If you don't want sound in your video, it'south helpful to know that there is a way of turning information technology off. This might be best if y'all're recording a video that has unnecessary, loud, or jarring noises that don't add to the video in a way that you desire them to.

To plough sound off on your video, first record your video like yous would normally for a Snapchat video. Then, tap the microphone icon on the lesser left-mitt side of your screen in one case so that the audio waves are replaced with an X.

Before:

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Afterward:

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15) Salvage a Story every bit a video prune by downloading information technology.

Anyone might desire to salve a Snapchat Story to view subsequently, but this is peculiarly true if you lot're working on Snapchat content for your business organisation then you can show your team the Stories you've put together and view them after to see what styles worked well. You can save Stories past downloading them to your device. (From in that location, I'd recommend emailing it to yourself so you don't accidentally lose it.)

To save an entire Story every bit a video prune, open Snapchat and go to the "Stories" view, which you can do past swiping right from the default camera view. Your Story volition appear at the top.

Adjacent, tap the download button to relieve the entire story.

To salve 1 Snap on your Story equally a video clip, open up Snapchat and go to the "Stories" view, which you can do by swiping right from the default photographic camera view. Your Story will appear at the top.

So, tap on your Story and swipe up on the Snap yous want and hit the download button at the elevation of the screen.

16) Delete single snaps from a Story.

If you've published a snap to your Story, you can still go dorsum to information technology and delete it at any time -- fifty-fifty if you've published other snaps after it.

To delete a snap form a Story, simply open upward Snapchat and go to the "Stories" view, which you tin do past swiping right from the default photographic camera view. Your Story will appear at the superlative. Swipe up on the Snap you want to delete and hit the delete button.

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Image Credit: Snapchat

17) Tape up to six x-second videos in a row.

Recording only one 10-second snap at a time tin can produce some awkward transitions in your visitor'due south snap story. But y'all tin say cheerio to those ungraceful snap stories because you at present tin record six x-2d snaps in a row, which is basically like recording a minute long video

Simply hold record for upwards to 60 seconds. There will be a seamless transition between each ten-second video.

You can even edit each private video or delete the ones you don't want to share. All your recorded videos volition exist at the bottom of your screen.

18) Add a link to your story.

Snapchat answered every marketer'south prayers past letting users link webpages into their stories. Marketers tin can now utilize their snap stories to spark interest in their content and, if their viewers swipe up, they tin then seamlessly deliver a video or article to them.

To add a link to your story, just take a picture or video, tap the paperclip on the sidebar, and enter your URL. All shared links must follow Snapchat'southward terms of service, community guidelines, and privacy policy.

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There you have information technology. We hope these tricks and features help y'all apply Snapchat to connect with your friends, fans, and fifty-fifty customers in a mode that's low-cost, but highly personal and engaging. Happy snapping!

Want more than Snapchat marketing communication? Bank check out what each Snapchat emoji means and when to use them.

free guide: how to use snapchat for business

Snapchat for Marketing Guide

Originally published Jul 31, 2022 8:00:00 AM, updated Dec 06 2019