Snapchat Review

Snapchat is an interactive mobile-only social media app that allows sharing snap photos, brief videos, and instant texts with your trusted contacts. The app that has traditionally been very Apple-friendly, while sluggish on Android devices, has finally been redesigned to provide its Android users with faster and smoother Snapchat experience.

Design and Usability 7/10

Navigating the app is easy: you swipe left, right, or down to access your contacts, stories, and your user information. If swiping is not your thing, try tapping on the corresponding buttons to get what you want and to go where you need to be. 

Although the design of the interface looks uncomplicated, it takes a while to understand what’s what within the app. Most of the time, you will just have to go on a hunch. I consider myself to be tech-savvy and it took me a while to figure everything out.

Key Functions 9/10

Snapchat offers an innovative way to communicate via texts, photos, or videos. Tap the shutter button to take a snap photo, or tap and hold it to film a short snap video. Another tapping will send the snap to your friends. You can also specify how long you want your snap to live after your contact has viewed it.

You can do quite a lot of snap customization within the app: add and edit stickers, use captions, draw over your snap photo, apply filters, and use geotags. When your snap is polished and ready for the world to see it, share it with your contacts or add it to Stories.

Another popular feature is its instant messenger. You can send a message from Chat Contacts or Stories. Like snap photos and videos, these texts will soon disappear; however, if you need to keep them, save these messages in your Memories. You can also use Snapchat to make voice-only calls or video calls to your friends.

Security 9/10

Snapchat is one of the safest social media apps I know. All and any content that you post on it does not stay there for very long, so in 24 hours max, it will be hard to trace it back to you. However, any content, no matter how short-lived it is, can be copied or photographed by other users and saved to their phones. So while it can prevent nosy parents or siblings from reading your texts, be mindful of who you’re sending your pics to.

Compatibility 

Snapchat was specifically designed for iOS and Android smartphones and tablets and, unfortunately, has no desktop version.

A Great App that Can Teach Us to Appreciate Life’s Every Moment

Snapchat is a unique, creativity-inspiring app. I love it because it helps to better appreciate every fleeting moment. Knowing that a photo or video is only here for a short while makes me look at it differently and with greater attention.