How to Use Snapchat

Welcome to Snapchat! Here are the basics to get you started.

If you don't have Snapchat yet, learn how to download the app and make a Snapchat account.

You can also chat, call friends, and more from your desktop. Grab your computer and head to web.snapchat.com to try it out!

Chat ScreenSwipe right from the Camera to go to the Chat screen! Here, you’ll find your friends’ Snaps, Stories, and Chats — all in one place <ul> <li data-list-item-id="e4632481bc2b8aef8d9af8fb9eeed1e4b"> Friends List: Your friends show up based on who you keep in touch with the most and who’s reached out to you most recently.</li> <li data-list-item-id="e8e1f24854af667d6c32f398dfc1f7e36"> Watch a Story: If a friend has updated their Story, they’ll have a circular preview next to their name. To watch a Story, just tap it! If there’s no preview, you’re all up to date. You can also watch friends' Stories on the <a href="https://help.snapchat.com/hc/articles/7012302541588" target="_self" rel="undefined">Stories screen</a>.</li> <li data-list-item-id="ec0e0a4813cd158a0d2a7f907d89e1d9c"> Rewatch a Story: Tap a Bitmoji on the Chat screen to view their <a href="https://help.snapchat.com/hc/articles/7012292808596" target="_self" rel="undefined">Friendship Profile</a>, then tap their circular Story to watch.</li> <li data-list-item-id="e39135beb7da2785d99dad3b69c61a382"> Up Next: After you watch a friends story, you’ll see a preview of your next friend’s story! Tap the screen to watch the next Story, swipe to skip it, or swipe down to exit.</li> </ul> To get a handle on the different icons you’ll see around Snapchat, check out the <a href="https://help.snapchat.com/hc/articles/7012315702548" target="_self" rel="undefined">Chat Screen Icon Guide</a> <h3 id="h_01JT7CEB6FSPYE5BKBC8CXJCJK">Profile Screen</h3> Tap your Profile icon at the top to open My Account. Here, you can manage your Stories, add friends, update your settings, and more! <ul> <li data-list-item-id="eb815a136b287b12f4f3c4933d5dd612e"> Stories: This is where you can add Snaps to Stories, manage them, see who's viewed them, or delete Snaps from your Story. You can also view and manage all the active Snaps you've submitted to Snap Map— which can show up on Snap Map and elsewhere around Snapchat.</li> <li data-list-item-id="e16bde50a46adaaad431509b9c9496557"> Profile Notifications: See a yellow dot on your Profile icon? Tap it to see updates like new Story views, friend requests, and more!</li> </ul> <h3 id="h_01JT7CEB6F76FTAT1CKZQXC6QR">Send To Screen</h3> It's easy to send Snaps to your Best Friends, groups of friends, and newest friends! <ul> <li data-list-item-id="e195636cfcf1365b2985b4ad707e41ba1"> Best Friends: The people you Snap and Chat are front-and-center on the Send To screen. You can now have up to eight Best Friends at a time!</li> <li data-list-item-id="e5fe2f7b88fe4127dce635ca19243497a"> Stories: At the top of the Send To screen, you’ll see all the Stories you can add to — including My Story, Snap Map, and more!</li> </ul> <h3 id="h_01JT7CEB6FH3514SDNR57YMYKB">Stories Screen</h3> Swipe left from the Camera to open Stories. You’ll find Publisher content, and Snaps and Stories from people you follow, creators, and the community. It's all personalized for you! <ul> <li data-list-item-id="e917a7a771394a0d0616cd4ae90c0a571"> Stories from Friends: You can view friends’ Stories at the top of Stories! Just tap to view the next Snap in a Story, or swipe to skip to the next Story.</li> <li data-list-item-id="e9e0ed4da8723f0da2c6f5b521a1b32fe"> Subscribing: Really feeling something on Stories? Just press and hold on a Story tile, then tap ‘Subscribe’! Those Stories will show up near the top of your Stories screen, and you should see more content like it.</li> <li data-list-item-id="e0edabef67fbfad93f13c67b4f79825bd"> Public Stories: Stories can also feature Stories that Snapchatters you know have set to public, or Stories from Snapchatters you follow.</li> <li data-list-item-id="ea8b15c9eafa1df7ec12e92f18defe380"> Popular Stories: Trending Stories can now appear on the Stories screen. You can even subscribe to ones you really like!</li> <li data-list-item-id="ec10411c8c5051203bfd4abb9829b2f08"> Reporting: If you ever need to report a Snap found on the Stories screen, just press and hold on it and tap the flag icon or 'Report Snap.'</li> <li data-list-item-id="e0f395fa21f5f64dbb94d6ea2a08616b0"> Unsubscribing: If you don’t really vibe with a Story on Stories, just press and hold on it, then tap ‘See less like this.’ You should then see fewer Stories like this one on Stories!</li> </ul> <h3 id="h_01JT7CEB6F9FE5NJR71SXNZRAY">Spotlight</h3> Open Spotlight by tapping the right-facing triangle at the bottom of your screen. Here, you can discover the world of Snapchat in one place and see perspectives across our community! <ul> <li data-list-item-id="ebb5c3915b3e1fd50e73888a7508cea19">Explore by swiping up and down to move between content</li> <li data-list-item-id="e8c8a17b0beae45069c93611d796728bc">If you see something you want to see more of, tap the heart icon to Favorite it and personalize your feed!</li> <li data-list-item-id="ec570e7143e2ef5aef7c466052838779a">You can view your Favorites by going to your Profile and tapping 'My Favorites.'</li> <li data-list-item-id="ea0ebc908d205890eb57703cd1ab563c7">Learn how to <a href="https://help.snapchat.com/hc/articles/7012271311892" target="_self" rel="undefined">submit a Snap to Spotlight</a>!</li> </ul> You can also help catch bugs and may be able to test out Snapchat features before they're released with Snapchat's <a href="https://www.snapchat.com/beta">Beta Program</a>. Happy Snapping!

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