I’m not a very digitally active person. I like to meet face-to-face rather chat on my smartphone, I guess I’m an old soul trapped in an obese body. However, I have seen a ton of people Snapchatting with each other on a daily basis. Let’s be honest here, a lot of young couples are the reason this app is so popular. There is a pretty great reason behind that popularity as well. So without further ado, here is what Snapchat has to offer.
Downloading and Signup
Snapchat took a bit more time than I originally anticipated. The app was downloaded and installed on my device in around 3 minutes; which is a long time, especially on a Wi-Fi connection. Launching the app is the standard affair, locate it in the app drawer or simply use the notification to activate the app.
The log in/sign up screen is the first one you will see. If you are new to the app, you can sign up quite easily. I was surprised to see how smooth the app was.
Unlike other apps, my email ID was already filled in to the email section, and all I needed to do was set a password and a username. That Snapchat ID will be used a lot in future steps, so be sure not to make it something utterly stupid like xXNoScope420Xx. Please don’t do that. It may seem cool right now, but later on you’ll regret it. I promise you.
I also didn’t want to give my phone number to the app, so I chose the image verification method. It took me at least 7 tries to find all the images containing a ghost. Apparently a starfish silhouette is not considered a starfish ghost in this app.
After that, the app politely asked for my contacts. I allowed that because I wanted to see who was already using Snapchat. To my surprise, a ton of my friends and family were already on Snapchat. I was a little nervous and only added one of my friends for testing purposes. I’m the kind of guy who keeps his phone in airplane mode while working.
Main Screen and Interface
After the initial hold up, Snapchat took me to the main screen that looked remarkably like any other camera app for Android. This is actually very practical if you are in a hurry to send some fresh selfies to people. The main screen comes with a big capture button right on the bottom-mid side of the screen. You can press it once to get a picture or long press it to start capturing a video.
There is a flash button that turns the flash on, or you can keep it off. The ghost button on the top side will take you to your profile. The rotate camera option can be used to interchange between front and back cameras. The app has a clean viewfinder that provides you ample space to judge a shot well. There are not many options when it comes to the basic camera; it is certainly not on the same level as the best selfie apps for Android.
Post-Capture Goodies
Now that you have taken an image you can put some text on it as well. The text can then be edited to suit your needs. This is a great way to send a cute message with the picture.
There are a lot of emoticons that can be inserted in the image, giving it a different impact.
The text font can be changed, but that is random. However, any option at this option is a good option.You can also change the color of the text if you feel like it. I have seen a ton of people use white text on a bright photo making it really hard to read. This option will make the text easier to read. Another great feature of Snapchat are the filters. Unfortunately, there are only around 5 available at this moment. I can picture the developers adding more as time goes by. I really wish they would expand the filter list to rival Instagram. After the picture is captured, you can easily apply a filter by swiping to the left of the screen. You can scroll through all the available filters with this intuitive action. One of the best filters is the time stamp one. This comes in really handy when sending snaps to someone in another time zone.
The Main Feature
The major feature that makes Snapchat unique is the automatic message deletion. For example, you send an embarrassing image to your friend and only want her to see it, this app will help you do that. You can even set a timer for self-destruction on the image.
The length of time you can set is 3 to 10 seconds. This amount of time is quite enough for one viewing. If the other user takes a screenshot of the picture, you will even get a notification for that. This is a great way to send some personal pictures and keep them for one person’s eyes only. On this note, I would advise you to use better judgment while sending pictures. There is no way to delete a screenshot the other person took of your Snapchat.
It is wise to use caution while sending embarrassing pictures of yourself. I have one really ugly picture of my friend that he sent me a while back. Now I show it to everyone any chance I get. Suffice to say, he is not happy about it.
The main feature is also one of the best features of the app. You see, uploading a picture on Facebook or Instagram requires certain parameters. You generally pause and evaluate a selfie before uploading it to Facebook. This is because the picture is going to stay there for a while, and your evil friends can easily save it on their own devices.
Snapchat released some of that pressure by allowing you the freedom to upload whatever you want. I certainly tend to send a lot more Snapchats than Facebook photos. The reason is simple; the Snapchats are going to be deleted anyway. This psychological advantage plays a huge part in your dating life and can help both of you ease into the relationship.
There is another mode that can be used to display pictures for 24 hours. That is called My Story. This is a good way to share your vacation pictures with friends and really let loose. After you have taken the picture, simply tap on the story button displayed at the bottom of the screen, and you are ready to go. Keep in mind that the Story pictures will remain visible for 24 hours, so make up your mind beforehand.
The Other Features
You can add your friends to your Snapchat with ease. The process is very simple and intuitive. The app can even make a list of potential friends for you.
There is a Story mode that allows you to display a particular Snap for 24 hours. This is a good way to show your holiday pictures to the people you care about without the worry of them ending up somewhere you don’t want.
You can also follow Snapchat accounts of big networks like IGN and MTV, as well and check out updates as they arrive.
If you are more of a live action person, you can also make videos with the app that follow the same principles of deletion. One thing I liked about Snapchat is the urgency of the received snaps. There is a certain limit on how you can tackle the incoming snaps. The app sends you a notification like a text message, and it really adds up to the fun. I saw myself replying to Snapchats with alarming frequency. I’m not a chatting person myself but this app got me hooked. Granted I only send snaps to only two persons, Snapchat made it easier to play the digital ping pong with pictures as the ball.
Conclusion
Snapchat is a great app if you use it responsibly. The interface and design of the app are made to work on almost every smartphone. The way the app handles the whole process is admirable. In all honesty, this is a very addictive app especially if you love taking pictures and sharing moments with others. I found myself using the app a lot more after a few of my buddies joined in the fun. I didn’t have any trouble using the app, and I’m sure you will have a great time sharing pictures and videos as well. Do you have any questions about the app? Feel free to comment below.
