Some consider Snapchat to be the most user-friendly social media app. But while everyone can figure out how to use the basic functions of the app, there are also some hidden features that many users don’t know about.
Here are 5 things you can do with Snapchat to improve your experience while using the app.
1. Drawing with Hidden Colors
Why would anyone want to draw their Snaps? It’s a great thing Snapchat lets you do. Users can choose glasses, horns, fake mustache, handwritten text, etc. they draw. You certainly can’t do great graphic work, but doodles are a popular feature nonetheless.
With that in mind, did you know that you can use some hidden colors to make your drawing stand out even more?
When you want to draw on a Snap, you can use the standard palette available as a rainbow slider. It will be displayed on the right side of your Snap. Drawing in black, white, yellow, red and other colors can be done by tapping the slider and dragging the color to the bottom of the screen.
So how can you use hidden colors? Drag your finger from the slider to the left or bottom of the Snap. This will bring up color options that are not available in the standard interface.
You can click on the color wheel located below the slider to adjust your Snapchat colors. It will switch to pastels and even black, white, gray.
2. Geolocation Filters
Now everyone knows how to add geolocation filters to help showcase your traveling world lifestyle. But do you know how to fake locations?
Snapchat, like many other social media apps, uses your smartphone’s GPS and Wi-Fi data to pinpoint an accurate location. However, if you are willing to use third-party apps, there is a way to get around this.
The Phantom app lets you send a Snap from France with a geolocation filter if you’re taking a photo in Tokyo. It works almost like a VPN service because it lets you pretend you are somewhere else, even halfway around the world.
The Phantom is installed via a third-party app store called TweakBox. After installing the app, launch Snapchat and tap the Location button at the bottom of your screen.
This should make the world map appear. From there, you can select your desired location to get geolocation filters from that area. Touch and hold the desired location until the map disappears. Then you can make your choice.
To switch between unlocked filters, swipe right on the screen and add them to the photo or video you want to send.
3. Create Your Own Stickers
Tap the scissors instead of the pen using the menu you use to access the color wheel. This allows you to cut which part of the image you want to keep for future use.
The section will automatically show you a portion of the image. To access your cutouts, simply tap the ‘Stickers’ option in the left corner and swipe to the scissors icon. From here, you can see and reuse any cuts you’ve caught in the past.
Need to copy someone’s face into a funny animal head? With this feature you can do it!
4. Saving Messages
You probably know by now that Snapchat doesn’t come with a built-in archive that lets you save your messages indefinitely. This is because the main focus of the app is to upload image and video content.
By default, messages sent via Snapchat’s chat messages only stay saved until both the sender and receiver have a chance to read them. After that, they disappear forever.
But if you have received important information via Snapchat, you can save the individual message. Just tap and hold on it until three options appear on your screen: ‘Save in Chat’, ‘Copy’ or ‘Instant Reply’. Select ‘Save in Chat’ to keep the message, then the background of the message in question will be gray.
This saves your message to Chat. You can go back to it and review it for contact information, directions or whatever deserves a save. If for some reason you no longer need it, it can be deleted by removing the save first. Tap and hold the message and select ‘Unsave In Chat’ from the options. The message will be deleted automatically based on your ‘Delete Chats’ settings.
5. Update Friends’ Emojis
It can be annoying having to search for conversations in the message inbox or search for your friends in the contact list. You probably know that Snapchat organizes your friends and puts your eight best friends at the top of your messages. This option is enabled by default and places these eight names at the top of your list for easy access.
Your best friends list is private so only you can see it, but next to each layer is a specific identifier in the form of an emoji. For example, your Best Friend will have two hearts next to them, your BFF will only have one red heart, etc.
If you want to keep your anonymity or if your best friend is just a little hurt by your emoji status forever, you can update the emojis in the settings.
- You can do this by tapping your profile icon located in the upper left corner.
- Tap the gear (settings icon) in the top right corner
- Scroll down and search for ‘Customize Emojis’
- Click the one you want to change and tap the emoji you want to show instead
This can cause some confusion, especially if you’re really curious about the hidden meanings of Snapchat’s emojis. To reset the emojis, simply tap the ‘Reset to Default’ option at the bottom of this menu.
Thanks to Snapchat’s friend emoji algorithms (which in some cases are complex and rather mysterious) there have been many relationship woes. Many users have asked why they were downgraded from a BBF state to a lower BF state – updating the emojis in the settings might be the answer. Also, if you’ve found another user to interact with more and don’t want any hard feelings, it might be the solution.
Get the Most Out of Snapchat
Using these tricks, you can customize your snapshots and online experience. You can make more impressive edits, fool people with your geolocation filters, and save important information for navigating annoyingly limited IM settings.
