Snapchat 4.0.20 - app

Snapchat is the instant photo-sharing app that lets you take photos and send them to friends, who can see them for a maximum of 10 seconds before they're gone forever! With no way to save the photos or view them for longer than the allotted time, Snapchat is the perfect way to share quick snaps with your friends!

Now you see me, now you don't

The concept of Snapchat is really simple: you take a photo with the in-app camera, add up to 40 characters of text or use the pencil to draw in the odd mustache or devil horns, choose how long you want your friends to see the photo (anywhere from 1 to 10 seconds), choose which friends you want to receive it, and hit send.

When you receive a snap, you press and hold the message to view the photo. The timer starts as soon as you click the message, and counts down on the screen even if you're not holding down to view the photo. 

The newest features in Snapchat include the option to share videos, as well as Snapchat Stories, which lets your friends view photos an unlimited number of times for up to 24 hours.

Be careful what you share

When you start Snapchat, you use your phone number as an ID and can add friends through your phone contacts or using your Facebook and Twitter accounts. The Snapchat home screen is the camera itself. You can navigate to your notification feed and your contact list using buttons at the bottom left and right of the screen, but you must return to the camera to access one from the other.You can access the settings through the notifications section. It's not obvious at first, but because there are so few options, it's easy to get the hang of quickly.

Snapchat keep images secure by deleting them immediately, but there is no way of knowing if the images are archived somewhere else. There is also the danger of inappropriate images being shared (Snapchat has gotten the reputation of being the perfect 'sexting' app).

A new social network?

What used to be considered a 'sexting' app is now evolving into a social network with its newest feature Snapchat Stories. Regardless, Snapchat is still a good app for sending quick photo messages to friends as a hybrid between a messaging app and a social network.