Snapchat

User Guide

Abdulaziz Alsiyabi
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About Snapchat

Snapchat is the latest social network that has gained a massive audience. It currently has

about 150 million active subscribers (Frier, 2016, p1). Many other companies and brands are

joining the network to reach out to their audience. Unfortunately, some people have still not

explored how the application works. The paper provides basic guidelines for first-time users.

Common vocabularies on Snapchat

1. Snap- refer to a picture taken through the Snapchat camera and is shared with the

intended friends. It generally vanishes after a duration of 10 seconds.

2. Snap score- the total number of snaps a user has sent out or received from friends.
3. Snapstreak- refers to a person who sends photos to a particular person frequently

How to open a Snapchat account

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1. Download Snapchat from Playstore on Android or App store on either iPad or iPhone.
2. Open Snapchat on the phone and click sign up. On the dialogue box, type your email, the

preferred password, and your birthday respectively.

3. Click sign up to complete the application process.
4. Click on agree with terms and conditions to complete the sign-up process.

Figure 1: The first page, enter the sign up details

Note: Snapchat users should be above 13years of age. Children below this age can freely sign-up

on Snapkidz

Account verification

1. Enter your mobile to on the dialogue box to get the code.

2. A code with six digits will be sent to the provided number.
3. Verify your account by providing the requested code.

4. Enter the code on the verification dialogue box to complete the application procedure.

The aim is to provide privacy by reducing chances of a user's number being shared by

another user on Snapchat.

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Figure 2: Enter verification code

How to make friends on Snapchat

Snapchat is more exciting with friends.

1. Snapchat collects the numbers saved on the phonebook and transfers them to the user's

account.
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2. A dialogue box appears requesting the user to either allow or deny Snapchat permission

to transfer the phone numbers.

3. The list of friends with Snapchat shows on screen.
4. Click on the plus sign of each person to add the preferred people.
5. Consecutively, other Snapchat users who have your number can view you on their

contacts too.

Figure 3: Snapchat accessing contacts from user's phonebook

6. On the list of friends, there is a dialogue box, where a user can search for other friends by

entering their username.

7. By tapping on the magnifying glass, users with similar names appear, and the user should

choose the person they intended to add.

8. Alternatively, use Snapcode to add new friends.

How to add friends with Snapcode

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Get a friend's Snapcode by taking its picture or a screenshot. Or point your camera

towards the friends Snapcode

Swipe the screen of the camera and click on the dialogue box titled, "add friends."
Click on the box, "add by Snapcode".
On the picture lists, select the picture that has the Snapcode

Figure 4: snap code

How to create content on Snapchat

Snapchat operates by swiping up, right, left or down. Each swipe takes a user to a different

screen.

1. If your phone has both front and the rear camera, select the preferred camera by clicking

on the arrows located on the upper right of the screen.

2. A large circle appears on the screen, click on the bigger circle at the bottom to snap a still

picture.
3. The camera captures on the displayed content.
4. To take a video, hold the circle button for long. The length of the photo is determined by

the duration the user holds the button.

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5. If the picture is not appealing, click on the discard button to delete it. Repeat the

procedure until you get the desired image.

6. Use the SnapRoll application to upload already existing photos on the device. The app

can be downloaded from play store or the app store.

Figure 5: User's profile

Editing pictures with emoji, stickers, and text captions

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1. How to add emoji

Tap on the button at the upper right of the screen which resembles a note with a folded

corner
Click on the preferred emoji
Drag the emoji to place it on the desired part of the picture.
Make the picture big or small by pinching it.
In case you want to discard the sticker, tap and drag towards the trash.

Figure 6: Snapchat page displaying emojis, on upper right are icons for sticker, text, and
pencil
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2. How to add texts

On the upper right click the icon marked by T.
To align it on the left, click it once and twice to place it in the center
To return it to its default place, click on it thrice.
Drag it around the picture to a preferred place.
Enlarge or reduce the size by pinching it.
Draw sketches by using the pencil icon on the upper right.

Figure 7: How to edit pictures on Snapchat (Kroy et al. u.d)

3. How to add filters to snaps

On the Snapchat settings, activate the filters. Locate the settings by swiping the camera

down.
On the upper right corner, click on the button labeled additional services. On the filter

button, slide on it and click on the button marked on. It will change to green

How to send a snap

Maintain pictures you post to Snapchat by first saving them.

On the lower side of the Snapchat app, click on the save button.
If the editing satisfies you, share with the preferred list of friends by tapping the blue

button.
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References

Frier,S.(2016). Snapchat Passes Twitter in Daily Usage. Retrieved 4 March 2017, from

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-06-02/snapchat-passes-twitter-in-daily-

usage.

How to Create a Snapchat Account. CCM. Retrieved 28 February 2017, from

http://ccm.net/faq/41711-how-to-create-a-snapchat-account

How to Use Snapchat - dummies. (2015). dummies. Retrieved 28 February 2017, from

http://www.dummies.com/consumer-electronics/smartphones/droid/how-to-use-snapchat/

Murphy, M. (2016). Snapchat finallyinadvertentlyreleased the manual users have been

waiting for. Quartz. Retrieved 28 February 2017, from https://qz.com/902010/how-to-

use-snapchat-an-excellent-walkthrough-from-snaps-snap-own-ipo-filing/