If you’re anything like me, you might not know all the cool and fun things this Snapchat app for your phone has to offer. Honestly, I thought I was too old/too uninterested to bother. And I’d heard all the negative things about this app and was totally put off by it.
Thankfully a friend made me download it and started sending me fun Snaps! I was instantly intrigued, but actually still confused. Until just recently, I had no idea how to get the fun filters for your face and I wasn’t sold on the app. Cut to a quick Google search and a few minutes of practice and this app has definitely become my new favorite!
First and foremost – these filters are SO flattering. I’ve never felt so pretty! They do some kind of soft focus that smooths out your skin, makes you look thinner, and gives you bigger eyes. It’s great for the ego!
Besides that is the hours of fun and laughs for me and my kids. We were in the car waiting for a playdate to start and 15 minutes flew by with us making Snapchat videos and laughing at ourselves! Snapchat adds new filters every day – which makes it so interactive and fun!
The quick, easy nature of Snapchat takes the pressure off. With Snapchat you can take a picture or a 10 second video. Then you either post the Snap to your “Story” or send it to someone in your Snapchat contact list. If you send it to someone, they can view it once and then it disappears forever. No pressure to like or comment. If you post to your Story it stays there for 1 day and can be replayed by anyone who follows you until it disappears in 24 hours.
It’s a great way to post pictures of your kids with a little less worry. Now, it’s dangerous to think anything we post online is safe, but Snaps disappear by nature. So it is different then posting to Instagram or Facebook at least. A little.
You can also download your pictures and videos to your phone after you take them (Make sure to do this before you post or send them through Snapchat!) if you want to keep them or post them on Facebook or Instagram. Which we LOVE because the kids love watching and re-watching their videos!
Snapchat Tips and a Quick How-To
The biggest things (for me) is how to get the daily filters. All you need to do is go to the selfie screen and then touch your face on the screen and hold until you see a bunch of lines pop up on your face. Then the filter options show up on the bottom of the screen. Scroll through and start snapping or recording! (Hold down on the circle for a few seconds to begin recording. You’ll see a little red circle start moving like a timer.)
When you have a picture you like, tap the white circle.
Once you snap your picture, you have a bunch of options before you post to your story or send to friends.
I suggest playing around to learn them all. You can swipe left or right on screen for things like speeding up the video or slowing it down. You can add text just by tapping on the screen. And don’t forget to download to your phone before you send it, if you want to save it forever!
A few safety things to keep in mind – there are a ton of YouTube tutorials on how to “hack” Snapchat. So even though it disappears – the potential is there for pictures to be stolen. Nothing online is safe. And with that in mind, I’m still not sure this is the best app for kids or teens to use on their own. But using it on my phone with my help seems like a good option for now.
New apps are not always my favorite thing to learn and navigate. But this Snapchat thing is not going anywhere, so I think it’s better to learn what it’s about then be afraid of it and avoid it out of fear!
Any other fans of Snapchat out there? I’d love to follow you! Post your username and I’ll add you to my list! I’m Mandimv – so feel free to follow me for silly pictures of my kids that are sure to make you smile!
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