Snapchat might not be in the same limelight as it was before, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that it’s one of the most innovative social media platforms on the market. Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and more keep copying its headlining features such as destructive messaging, disappearing stories, and more. Apart from its prominent features, Snapchat also brings a ton of hidden features. In this article, we are going to take a look at cool hidden Snapchat features and tell you how to get the most use out of them. Here are the 25 best Snapchat tricks that you should learn in 2020.
We also publish similar cool tips and tricks articles for other social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and more. If you use them click on the links below to check them out. So if you ever want to learn them, click on the links to read our articles on cool WhatsApp tricks, Instagram tricks, Facebook Messenger tricks, and Telegram tricks among others.
Snapchat recently introduced a new feature for the beta version of its Android app which allows users to use face lenses even after clicking a photo. Once you’ve clicked a photograph, Snapchat will show you a ‘Smiley’ icon below the ‘Paperclip’ link icon. Tap it to access the complete range of face lenses as you do when you are applying them before taking the picture. Do remember that the feature will only work if your full face is visible. If your photo doesn’t show your face clearly, the app will not show the Smiley icon which gives you access to the face lenses.
2. Get Acquainted with the New Snapchat Interface
If there’s one thing that a lot of Snapchatters find annoying in the app, it’s got to be the discover page. No, don’t get me wrong. It’s not always filled with useless pieces of information, but the page is mostly populated with gossips and rumors or some other pop culture topics. But guess what? You can flip a couple of switches and make it better. First, on Snapchat’s viewfinder page, tap your profile and hit the settings cog. Now, look for an option called ‘Manage’, inside which you’ll see two other options called ‘Advert Preferences’ and ‘Lifestyle & Interests’.“Advert preferences” is where you can toggle some options to see ads that are relevant to you. “Lifestyle & Interests” is where you will see a ton of options ranging from “Action & Thriller Genre Fans” to “Meme Watchers” and more. Here you can flip the toggles for the topics you find are relevant to you and hopefully, Snapchat will show you less of the Kardashian & Jenner stories in the Discover page and more of what you want to see.
Although it’s not really a new feature, still not many people know about this. So tell me, did you know that you can use Snapchat’s Shazam integration to identify the songs that are playing? If you didn’t know, don’t worry as I am going to tell you how to do just that. All you need to do is launch the app and press and hold on the camera’s viewfinder until the app recognizes the song.
With the new update, now Snapchat also allows you to share stories outside the app. To share a story outside Snapchat, instead of tapping on a story to see it, tap and hold to bring options. Here, you will also find the option to share the story outside the app.
Just a few months back, Snapchat launched a Snapcash feature which allows users to send money to their friends. That said, sadly, currently, the feature is only available in the US for now. If you are living in the US and want to use this feature, first you will have to set up your payment. To do that, first, tap on the profile icon present on the camera app and then tap on the gear icon. Here, scroll down to find Snapcash option and tap on to set it up.
Remember, that you need to be above 18 years of age to use this feature. To set it up you will have to first enter your credit/debit card details and then add it to your account. Once you do that, open the chat of the person you want to send money to and type in the amount you want to send. For example, if you want to send 5 dollars to type in “$5”. Once, you type it, the send button will instantly turn into a Snapcash button. Tap on the Snapchash button or the Send button on the keyboard, and then confirm your transaction. Since the feature is only available in the US, we can’t show you the whole process, however, if you follow the steps you will be just fine.
A few months ago, Snapchat introduced a new Snap Map feature which allows your friends to see where you are so that they can join you or vice versa. That said, this feature had freaked out a lot of people who value their privacy.
8. Find Celebrities on Snapchat Easily
If you want to find celebrities to follow on Snapchat but you don’t want to enter their username one by one, there is an easy way to find celebrities on Snapchat. Just tap on the Search button inside the Snapchat app and search for the word “official”. Snapchat will list out all the official accounts starting with official celebrities. Of course, not all the celebrities can be found this way, still, it’s an easy way to find lots of celebrities without having to enter their username one by one.
If you have been using Snapchat for a long time and want to see what type of data Snapchat is keeping on you, you can do that easily by asking Snapchat to share that data with you. To do that, first, visit the accounts.snapchat.com page and log in with your username and password.
Snapchat finally released a feature called Snapchat Insights for creators which allows them to see Story Views and View Time broken down by week, month, and year. To access your analytics panel, first tap on bitmoji in the upper-left corner of the camera screen. Now, tap on the Insights button. Here Snapchat will provide two different analytics parameters.
Recently Snapchat also introduced a new feature called Context Cards which allows users to get contextual information on Snapchat stories by swiping up on them. The Context Cards can feature information like reviews from critics and customers, directions to the venue, hours of operation, phone numbers to contact, rides from ride-sharing services, and more. Currently, the feature is live only in select countries, however, the company has promised that they will expand this feature to more countries very soon. Remember if a story has an attached context card, it will show an upward arrow with the word “more” written below it.
12. Buy Merchandise from Snap Store
Snapchat is known for selling its own merchandise through its platform and the company recently expanded its selection by launching its official Snap Store in the US. Users can easily find the Snap Store by visiting the Discover section of the app (swipe right to left on the snap camera screen).
13. Use the Magic Eraser tool on Snapchat
Although this one is not as new as some of the others on this list, surprisingly not many people know about it. The magic eraser tool on Snapchat allows users to delete unwanted things that they have caught in the camera frame. To use the tool, once you have captured a snap, tap on the scissors icon.
A few weeks back, Snapchat introduced the new Bitmoji Deluxe edition which adds a ton of new skin tones, hairstyles, hair colors, facial features, accessories, and more to the Bitmoji app. If you take time to create your bitmoji, you can make it look like almost as your replica.
Another US-centric feature that Snapchat introduced recently is the ability to create filers and lenses directly from your Snapchat app. The filters and lenses that you create will be geotagged and will be available only for a pre-specified time period. The idea here is that users can create custom filters for different occasions such as birthday parties or weddings. To create a filter, go to profile -> settings -> and tap on Filters & Lenses option.
Now choose whether you want to create filters or lenses and then create your custom lens or filter.
Emojis are a fun way to interact with your friends and family. You can spice up even the dullest of messages with some fun emojis. If you are someone who uses a lot of emojis and if you happen to have a skin tone preference for them, then you can set a default skin tone. I bet you didn’t know that. To set the default skin tone for emoji, first, navigate to Snapchat’s viewfinder page and tap your profile page and tap on settings cog. Once you are in the settings page, look for an option called ‘Manage’, inside which you’ll find the option called ‘Emoji Skin Tone’. Here, simply tap on your preferred skin tone, and all of your emojis will show up in the same color going forward. It’s a simple tip, but a lot of users don’t really know about it. It can save you a ton of time if there is a specific skin that you always use.
17. Control When Chats Should Be Deleted
Once the chats have been viewed by both the sender and receivers, they are deleted automatically. The chats in group chats are wiped out after 24 hours. However, you have the option to control the automatic deletion of your chat. For instance, you can configure your chats to get deleted right after you have viewed them or 24 hours after viewing them. To do so, swipe right from the camera screen to access the Friends Screen. After that, press and hold on a friend’s name and hit More. Now, tap on Delete Chats and choose either After Viewing or 24 Hours after Viewing.
While I like to share my location with loved ones and friends, at times I completely disable location sharing to enjoy some special moments with a bit more privacy. And that’s when I disallow everyone to request my location. If you also belong to the same school of thought, you would appreciate this privacy-centric feature. To do so, tap on your profile -> Settings -> See My Location -> Now, turn off the switch next to the “Allow friends to request my location.”
Do you often find Snapchat struggling to run smoothly or crash out unexpectedly? Chances are pretty high that the social networking app could be completely cluttered. If you are looking at this scenario, clearing all the cache could help the app get rid of sluggishness. Aside from letting you recover some precious space on your device, it can also keep your privacy intact. Tap on your profile -> Settings -> Clear Cache. Now, clear all the Snapchat history at one go or remove the specific history like browse cache, memories cache, stories cache, and more.
In an era where sensational hacking and data tracking has become the order of the day, an extra layer of safeguard is the way to go. So, if you haven’t yet shielded your Snapchat chat account against hacking, now is perfect to do so. To get it done, head over to Snapchat settings -> Two-Factor Authentication -> Continue. Now, follow the instructions to enable the 2FA for your Snapchat chat account.
Snapchat comes with a super handy feature called “Smart Backup” which lets you back up your memories over mobile data when Wi-Fi is unavailable. Considering how important memories are, you may want to make the most of this feature so that all of your special moments will remain secure. To enable it, tap on your profile -> settings -> Memories. Now, turn on the switch next to Smart Backup.
If you are like me, you would love to join the Snapchat beta to try out all the cool upcoming features in advance. Granted, those yet-to-be rolled out features may not work properly and therefore, you may have to deal with some unexpected tantrums. However, the joy to go hands-on with the latest features is worth the pain. To get going, head into Snapchat settings -> Join Snapchat Beta. Now, install the TestFlight app and then follow a link to install the most recent version of the app.
By default, your snaps are saved in the Memories. However, you can choose to save it in your photo library or both in the photo library and memories. If you wish to control where your memories are saved, tap on profile -> settings -> Memories -> Save Button. Now, choose the preferred option as per your needs.
Though Snapchat makes your stories viewable to only your friends, you can remove this restriction and allow anyone to take a glance at your stories. Just in case you want your cool snaps to get plenty of traction on the social networking app, let everyone view your story. But if you want to offer a bit more privacy to your snaps, you can customize the settings to allow only selected friends to view them. To get it done, head into Snapchat settings -> View My Story. Now, choose the desired option.
Did you know that you could manage the story notifications? If you haven’t yet tried out this super handy feature, let me tell you that it lets you receive notifications when selected friends and subscriptions post a new story. From what I can tell it can be very helpful for the folks who don’t want to miss out on the stories of their friends and favorite subscriptions. To get going, head into Snapchat Settings -> Notifications -> Manage Story Notifications. Now, search for your friend and hit Done to confirm.
