Snapchat is an app that lets you send media files and messages to your friends. Content appears temporary before disappearing, and users are notified when someone makes a screenshot. Snapchat has almost 200 million daily active users who spend 30+ minutes with the app every day.
No Guidance Whatsoever
Snapchat can be confusing at first. It opens to the camera screen and video only requires a press of the record button. If you hold your own image in a camera, you will add animated overlays. You automatically get a mailbox where you can find all messages and files. You can also call your contacts and add notes in chats.
If you tap on a friend, you will open a recent activity page. This is where you can chat with your friends.
Messages disappear when you leave the conversation or close the app. We've used Snapchat for a while and found this design frustrating.
More than Just a Photo Sharing App
Snapchat was originally focused on photo sharing, but now you can use it for many different things. The app keeps you up to date on events and news, but ads can feature inappropriate language. The Discovery page shows content from Buzzfeed and other publishers.
The filters can be a lot of fun, and there is even a learning potential within the app. For example, children can record snaps as fictional characters or tell stories of snaps. The app even has six original games, and it's only the beginning.
Snapchat was one of the first apps to offer instant mobile communication. With the app, you can send a photo of yourself that your friends can see only once, and then it disappears forever. Technically, people can screenshot a photo, but you will be immediately notified.
Snap Map
Snap Map is a feature that lets you see where your friends are located. You have control over how your location is shared, but things can get tricky when someone posts this data to their story. Stories let users contribute to the public feed. Users don't have to know each other to browse stories. Anyone can find anyone here. So if you share your location and it gets to the public feed, it can be seen by everyone.
Conclusion
Even though Snapchat tries to get adults interested in the app, it is mostly used by teenagers. It seems like Snapchat will never grow up from there. Still, it is a useful tool that sends self-destructing content to your friends and lets you quickly video-chat with them.
Highlights
- Unique self-destruct feature;
- Quickly send and receive photos;
- A fun way to share videos;
- Keep track of sent snaps.