Snapchat facts for kids
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| Developer(s) | Snap Inc. | ||||
| Initial release | September 2011 | ||||
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| Preview release(s) [±] | |||||
| Operating system | Android 5.0 or later iOS 12 or later |
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| Size | 64 MB (Android) 258 MB (iOS) |
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| Available in | 37 languages | ||||
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List of languages
English, Arabic, Bengali, Danish, Dutch, Filipino, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Gujarati, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Kannada, Korean, Malay, Malayalam, Marathi, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Swedish, Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Traditional Chinese, Turkish, Urdu, Vietnamese
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| License | Proprietary software | ||||
Snapchat is a popular American app for sending messages and sharing photos and videos. It was created by Snap Inc.. A main part of Snapchat is that pictures and messages usually disappear soon after you see them.
The app started with just sharing photos between friends. Now, it also has "Stories" where users can share what they're doing for 24 hours. There's also "Discover," which lets brands show short videos with ads. Snapchat also lets you save photos in a secret area called "My Eyes Only" that needs a password.
Snapchat was made by Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy, and Reggie Brown. They were students at Stanford University. Snapchat is known for being one of the first social media apps made just for phones. It uses lots of fun features like virtual stickers and augmented reality (AR) objects. In July 2021, Snapchat had 293 million people using it every day. On average, over four billion "Snaps" are sent each day. Snapchat is very popular with younger people.
How Snapchat Started
Early Ideas
Reggie Brown had the idea for an app where pictures would disappear. He shared this idea with Evan Spiegel, who had some business experience. Then, they asked Bobby Murphy to join, as he knew how to code. The three worked together and launched the app called "Picaboo" on iOS (for iPhones) on July 8, 2011.
The app was relaunched as Snapchat in September 2011. The team focused on making it easy to use and fixing technical things. They kept a mascot designed by Brown, called "Ghostface Chillah."
Later, Reggie Brown was recognized as one of the original creators of Snapchat.
In their first blog post, on May 9, 2012, CEO Evan Spiegel explained the app's goal. He said Snapchat isn't about taking perfect photos like old cameras. It's about sharing all kinds of feelings. He saw Snapchat as a way to avoid the stress of keeping personal information online forever.
Growing Popularity
By May 2012, 25 Snapchat pictures were being sent every second. By November 2012, users had shared over one billion photos on the iPhone app. About 20 million photos were shared each day. Snapchat also became available for Android phones on October 29, 2012.
In June 2013, Snapchat released a new version for iOS called "Banquo." This update made the app faster and look better. It added new ways to move around the app and find friends. Also in June 2013, Snapchat launched Snapkidz for users under 13. This allowed kids to take snaps and draw on them, but they couldn't send them to others. They could only save them on their device.
By May 2015, Snapchat users were sending 2 billion videos every day. This number grew to 6 billion by November of that year. By 2016, Snapchat reached 10 billion daily video views. In May 2016, Snapchat raised a lot of money, showing that investors believed in the company. By February 2017, Snapchat had 160 million daily active users.
In September 2016, Snapchat Inc. changed its name to Snap Inc.. This happened when they launched their first hardware product, Spectacles. These are smartglasses with a camera built in. They can record 10-second videos. Spectacles became available to buy online in February 2017.
Snapchat changed its design in November 2017. Many users didn't like this update. Sending a snap and re-watching stories became harder. Stories and new snaps were on the same page. The Discover page also had more ads. A tweet from Kylie Jenner in February 2018, criticizing the new design, reportedly made Snap Inc. lose a lot of money. Over 1.2 million people signed a petition asking the company to remove the update.
In December 2019, Snapchat was named the 5th most downloaded mobile app of the past decade. In November 2020, Snapchat said it would pay users who post popular videos. This program, called Snapchat Spotlight, still runs today.
In June 2022, Snapchat announced Snapchat Plus, a paid version of the app. This subscription gives users early access to new features. It also lets them change the app icon and see who rewatches their stories. By July 2022, the company had 347 million daily active users. In August 2022, Snapchat Plus had over 1 million subscribers.
What Snapchat Can Do
Main Features
Snapchat is mostly used to create messages called "snaps." Snaps can be a photo or a short video. You can add filters, effects, text, and drawings to them. You can send snaps privately to friends. Or you can add them to your "Story" for all your friends to see, or to a public "Our Story."
You could start sending video snaps in December 2012. You can record a video up to ten seconds long by holding down the photo button. Later, you could record up to 60 seconds, but it was still in 10-second parts. Videos disappear after one viewing by default. In May 2014, Snapchat added video chat. You could also send quick text messages to friends. These messages disappear too, but you can save important parts by tapping them.
Private photo snaps can be seen for a time you choose (1 to 10 seconds). After that, they disappear. Snapchat doesn't stop people from taking screenshots of snaps. But it can tell the sender if a screenshot has been taken. You can replay one snap per day for free.
You can add friends using their usernames or phone contacts. You can also use special "Snapcodes" or the "Add Nearby" feature. This feature finds users close to you who are also using "Add Nearby." Evan Spiegel said Snapchat helps people avoid feeling like they have to create a perfect online image.
In November 2014, Snapchat added "Snapcash." This feature let users send and receive money through private messages.
In July 2016, Snapchat added "Memories." This lets you save snaps and story posts in a private area. You can see them there along with other photos on your phone. You can also edit and share them again later. You can put snaps from Memories into a "My Eyes Only" area, which is locked with a Personal identification number (PIN).
In May 2017, an update allowed sending snaps with no time limit. The content would disappear only when the person viewing it closed it. New tools were also added, like drawing with emojis and videos that play in a loop.
In July 2017, Snapchat started letting users add links to snaps. This means you can send people to websites. This feature was only for brands before.
In June 2020, Snap announced "Minis." These are small apps that work inside the main Snapchat app.
In August 2022, Snap launched "Family Center." This feature lets parents check on what their children (ages 13–18) are doing in the app.
In February 2023, Snapchat launched "My AI." This is a special chatbot for Snapchat+ users, like a mobile version of ChatGPT. Later, it became available to all users and could be used in group chats.
Fun Filters, Lenses, and Stickers
You can make your snaps unique with different visual effects and stickers.
- Geofilters are special designs that appear if you are in a certain place, like a city or event. You can even create your own geofilters for parties or events for a fee.
- Bitmoji are stickers that look like personalized cartoon avatars of you. You can use them in snaps and messages.
- The "Lens" feature, added in September 2015, lets you add real-time effects to your face using face detection. You just press and hold on a face in the camera view.
- In April 2017, Snapchat added "World Lenses." These use augmented reality to put 3D objects and animated characters into your real-world view.
In October 2018, Snap launched the Snap Camera app for computers. This lets you use Snapchat lenses in video calls and live streams on apps like Skype and Zoom.
In August 2020, Snapchat worked with TikTok influencers to create new AR lenses. These lenses use your body movements to create effects around you. Many companies now use AR lenses for Advertising. For example, Coca-Cola and Taco Bell use them to make users part of their ads.
In March 2022, Snapchat added a way to share YouTube videos as stickers. These stickers are clickable links that take users to the YouTube app or a browser.
Friend Emojis
Snapchat uses emojis next to your friends' names to show how often you interact. You can change these emojis if you want.
Your "Snapscore" shows how many snaps you have sent and received. Your friends can see it. If you tap your own score, it shows how many snaps you sent (on the right) and received (on the left). These numbers together make your Snapchat score.
| Emoji | Name | What it means on Snapchat |
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| 💕 | Super BFF | You and this friend have been each other's #1 Best Friend for two months in a row. |
| ❤️ | BFF | (Best Friend Forever) You and this friend have been each other's #1 Best Friend for two weeks in a row. |
| 💛 | Besties | This friend is your #1 Best Friend. |
| 😊 | BFs | This friend is one of your Best Friends. |
| 😬 | Mutual Besties | Your #1 Best Friend is also this person's #1 Best Friend. |
| 😎 | Mutual BFs | You share a best friend with this person. |
| 🔥 | Snapstreak | Shows how many days you and a friend have sent snaps to each other. If you both don't send a snap within 24 hours, the streak ends. |
| ✨ | Group Chat | Appears next to all your group chats. |
| ⌛️ | Hourglass | Appears next to someone's name if your Snapstreak is about to end. |
| 🎂 | Birthday Cake | Appears next to someone when it's their birthday. |
Stories and Discover
In October 2013, Snapchat added "My Story." This lets users put snaps together in order, and all their friends can see them. By June 2014, people were watching over one billion stories a day.
In June 2014, the story feature grew to include "Our Stories" (later called "Live Stories"). This lets users at special events, like music festivals, add snaps to a story that everyone can see. This shows the event from many different points of view.
In November 2015, "Official Stories" were added for famous people and celebrities. This is like the "Verified account" program on Twitter.
In January 2015, Snapchat launched "Discover." This area has channels with short videos and content from big companies like BuzzFeed and CNN. These channels have ads. To help with data usage, a "Travel Mode" was added in August 2015. When it's on, snaps won't download automatically until you tap them.
In October 2016, the app changed how stories played. Instead of automatically going from one story to the next, you could choose which stories to watch.
In January 2017, Snapchat updated its design. It added a search function and a new global "Our Story" feature that anyone could add to.
In May 2017, Snapchat introduced "Custom Stories." This lets users work together to create stories by combining their snaps.
In June 2017, "Snap Map" was added. This lets users share their location with friends if they want to. A map shows where stories are happening based on location. You can also use your Bitmoji as a marker on the map. If you go into "Ghost Mode," your friends can't see you on the map.
In February 2020, Snapchat released a cartoon series on Discover called Bitmoji TV. It stars users' avatars.
Original Videos
Snapchat has also worked with companies like NBCUniversal and BBC to create original shows. These shows are short, usually three to five minutes long. Snap hoped to have new shows available every day.
In 2018, Snapchat and Vertical Networks made a show called My Ex-BFF Court. It's a funny show where two ex-friends try to solve their problems. Judge Matteo Lane hosts each episode.
In 2018, Snapchat also made a TV version of the dating reality show Phone Swap with Fox.
In August 2022, Snap Inc. announced that it would stop making all its original scripted shows.
Messaging
Snapchat's messaging is designed to feel like a real conversation. It's not like sending a formal message.
When your friend is looking at your chat, a blue "here" button appears. If you hold this button down, a video chat starts right away. Messages disappear after they are read. You only get a notification when your friend starts typing. You can also reply to snaps in a story using messages.
On March 29, 2016, Snapchat updated its messaging to "Chat 2.0." This added stickers, easier video and audio calls, and the ability to share recent photos. These features let users easily switch between text, audio, and video chat. In June 2018, Snapchat added a feature to delete a sent message (audio, video, or text) before it's read. In August 2018, users could send Musical GIFs called TuneMojis.
Security and Privacy
In January 2018, Snapchat started using special encryption for snaps (pictures and videos). This makes it harder for others to see your snaps. Snapchat plans to add this encryption to text messages and group chats in the future.
Who Uses Snapchat?
Snapchat is mostly used by young people, especially those in Generation Z. On app stores, it's rated for ages 12 and up.
In 2014, researchers studied why people use Snapchat. They thought it might be mainly for private things because messages disappear. But they found that Snapchat is used for many creative reasons that aren't always about privacy.
The most common use for Snapchat was sending funny content, like "stupid faces." Most users don't send things like documents or mean messages.
The study also found that Snapchat is popular because it's fun, not just because of its security. Most users know that snaps can sometimes be recovered. But this doesn't stop them from using the app. Many users set a random time limit for their snaps, no matter what the content is. Others change the time based on who they are sending it to or what the snap is about.
How Snapchat Makes Money
Snapchat makes money in different ways.
On October 17, 2014, Snapchat announced it would start showing ads. The company wanted to make ads that were fun and helpful, not "creepy and targeted." Snapchat's first ad was a 20-second movie trailer for the film Ouija.
In January 2015, Snapchat started focusing more on making money. It launched its "Discover" feature, which allowed for paid ads by showing short content from publishers. Early partners included CNN and Comedy Central. In June 2015, Snapchat allowed advertisers to buy sponsored geofilters for snaps. For example, McDonald's paid for a branded geofilter for its restaurants in the United States.
Snapchat also earns money from its "Live Stories" feature. Ads can be sold within a live story. Live stories can reach about 20 million viewers in a day.
Campaigns and Partnerships
In September 2015, Snapchat partnered with the National Football League (NFL). They showed live stories from selected games. Both Snapchat and the NFL added content and sold ads.
In 2016, Gatorade created an animated filter for the Super Bowl ads. This filter was seen 165 million times on Snapchat.
In April 2016, NBC Olympics made a deal with Snapchat to feature stories from the 2016 Summer Olympics in the United States. This content included behind-the-scenes views and stories from athletes. NBC sold ads and shared the money. This was the first time NBC allowed Olympics footage on another platform.
In May 2016, to promote the movie X-Men: Apocalypse, 20th Century Fox paid to replace all the lenses with X-Men characters for one day.
In April 2017, Snapchat launched a way for companies to manage their own ads on the platform. Also in 2017, Snapchat added a "Snap to Store" tool. This helps companies see if users buy their products or visit their stores after seeing a geosticker. On November 13, 2018, Snapchat launched the Snap Store. Here, they sell items like shirts and mugs with personalized Bitmoji avatars.
Snap Kit and Snap Originals
In June 2018, Snapchat announced "Snap Kit." This is a way for other apps to connect with Snapchat. For example, "Login Kit" lets you use your Snapchat account to sign into other apps. "Creative Kit" lets apps create their own stickers for Snapchat posts. "Story Kit" can show public stories from other apps, and "Bitmoji Kit" lets you use Bitmoji stickers in other apps.
In late 2018, Snapchat started "Snap Originals." These are shows and documentaries made just for Snapchat.
In June 2020, Snapchat announced its first "shoppable" original show called The Drop. This show focused on special streetwear. Viewers could learn about an item and then "swipe up to buy" it directly from the episode.
All shows related to original programming ended in August 2022.
See also
In Spanish: Snapchat para niños
