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The 12 Best Snapchat Tips of 2022

Have more fun with this powerful social tool

By Brad Puet Brad Puet Writer Washington State University. Brad Puet has written for the Huffington Post and other outlets about music and photography. His commercial photography has appeared in the Washington Post, VICE, and Slate. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on January 3, 2022 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Snapchat The Ultimate Guide to Snapchat Snapchat is one of the most popular mobile messaging and social apps around, allowing users to connect with others both inside and outside their networks. Chat, send snaps, stay in touch with friends, and discover new content from celebrities and other influencers. Once you add a few friends and start sharing, you'll be sending out bunny-eared updates in no time. If you're new to Snapchat or want to get more out of the app, we gathered the top Snapchat tips to help you get comfortable with this fun, powerful social platform. The Snapchat app is available to download on iOS and Android devices. 01 of 12

Find Your Friends

You can't send Snapchat messages, photos, and videos to yourself, so add some friends to communicate with them. It's easy to sync your contacts to Snapchat. Once you do, those who connected their phone numbers to their Snapchat accounts appear at the top along with their name, username, and profile picture or Bitmoji. Select Add to add them to your list. If you know someone's unique Snapchat username, it's easy to search for it and add them to your friends list. Or, add someone in person by scanning their Snapchat code with your phone. 02 of 12

Create Your Bitmoji

Lifewire / Daniel Fishel Bitmojis are cartoon versions of yourself that you create. These serve as a digital avatar, representing you in a variety of web-based services from Snapchat to Gmail and beyond. While this isn't a productivity feature, creating your Bitmoji is fun and will help you get into the Snapchat universe. 03 of 12

Use Filters

With Snapchat, you're not sending boring messages. Snapchat filters enhance colors, add graphics or animations, change the background, and tell recipients information about when and where you're snapping. Filters are fun and powerful, adding more expression and personality to your snaps. You can also create Snapchat filters. Select Explore to find more filters. 04 of 12

Use Snapchat Lenses

Snapchat lenses and filters are often confused, but these are different tools. Lenses add 3-D effects, objects, characters, and transformation, so when you see celebrities with puppy dog faces, they're using lenses, not filters. The app uses face-detecting technology to automatically find your facial features like your eyes and your mouth to apply the effects properly. Using this feature is addicting and fun, and soon you'll be creating your own lenses. 05 of 12

Location Location Location

The Snapchat location tools add a new element to social communication. Snapchat Snap Map is an interactive map where you share your location with friends. When they share their location, you can see their Bitmoji on the map, along with whomever they're hanging out with. Another cool feature on the Snap Map is the ability to view stories from around the world. Tap a heatmap to view snaps people have submitted from that area. Blue heatmaps mean there were a few snaps taken there, while red means there were a ton taken. You can also use the Places tab in the app to see popular spots nearby (based on people tagging them), your favorites, and places you've visited. 06 of 12

Use Snapchat' s Story Feature

Unsplash Snapchat's story feature lets you send snaps in a narrative style. The idea is that users can tell a story about their day, sharing the interesting things they did in the past 24 hours. Post your story and view your friends' stories. Make a story private if you want only certain friends to see it, or send a story to a few people. If you'd rather not see a friend's story, mute it to temporarily prevent it from appearing at the top of your list, or tap the screen to jump to the next story. Make sure to save a special story or snap to your Memories, and in a year, you'll see a reminder of what was going on. 07 of 12

Start a Snapchat Streak

bsd555 / Getty Images To add more fun to your Snapchat experience, start some streaks with friends. A streak, or snapstreak, is a representation of how many days in a row you managed to send photo or video snaps back and forth with a specific friend. Once you get a streak going, you won't want to stop. 08 of 12

Discover the Discover Page

The Snapchat Discover feature keeps you in the loop on pop culture, current events, breaking news, celebrity gossip, and much more. Discover displays your friends' stories and publisher stories, including content from media partners. Discover also delivers shows, which are video segments from network partners, and Our Stories, which are snapchats submitted from different users around the Snapchat community. You'll also find For You content, which is curated content Snapchat thinks you'll enjoy based on your history and usage. 09 of 12

Add Text Doodles and Emojis to Your Snap

Enhance your snap with text and doodles. Add captions and formatting of all sizes and styles, or tap the Paper Clip tool to doodle on your snap. Draw hearts, underline, add arrows, or customize the snap any way you want. You can even draw with an Emoji button for more fun. 10 of 12

Use Scissors to Make Your Own Sticker

Snapchat stickers are fun images you can add to your photo or video snaps to convey a range of emotions. It's even more fun to create your own sticker using the Snapchat Scissors tool. Take a snap, tap the Scissors tool, and outline the image you want as a sticker with your finger. 11 of 12

Attach a Link to Your Snap

Use the Paper Clip tool to attach a link to your snap or story to share a news article, your TikTok video, or anything else you want a friend to see. Point friends to your blog, your latest YouTube video, a fundraiser link, a sign-up form, and more. 12 of 12

Open a Snapchat in Stealth Mode

Chesnot / Getty Images When you open a snap, the sender will see an Opened label underneath your name in your conversation. If you're feeling stealth and would rather read the message without the sender knowing, there's an easy way to stay under the radar using Airplane Mode. How to Get Dark Mode on Snapchat Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire What Streaks Are on Snapchat (and What to Know About Them) How to Get a Snapchat Streak Back How to Upload Saved Photos or Videos to Snapchat How to Make Your Snapchat Score Go Up a Lot How to Send Someone's Snap Back to Them How to Add a Link on Snapchat How to Make a Public Profile on Snapchat How to Use Snapchat Maps How to Remove Multiple Friends on Snapchat 10 Essential Snapchat Privacy Tips How to Do a Boomerang on Snapchat 10 Snapchat Ideas That Will Make All Your Friends LOL How to Unblock Someone on Snapchat How to Add People on Snapchat The Quick Guide to Snapchat Emoji Meanings How to Open a Snapchat Without It Saying 'Opened' Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies