Snapchat enthusiasts have a new way to access the social media app: you can now access it through your web browser if you sign up for a Snapchat Plus membership, meaning you can leave your phone at pocket or desk drawer and do all the things. your Snapchat using your mouse and keyboard. If you’re wondering if it’s worth switching, we’ll tell you what’s possible right now.
If you haven’t noticed the arrival of Snapchat Plus, for $4 a month, $22 every six months, or $40 a year, you can get some extras that regular users don’t get: as well as access to Snapchat on the web, there’s the option to pin one of your friends to the top of your chat list, a selection of exclusive Snapchat icons for your home screen, custom Bitmoji backgrounds, and a few more perks.
OK, it’s not the most attractive subscription package right now, but Snapchat promises to add more features over time, and if you spend a lot of time in the app (and want to be able to spend a lot of time in your browser too), you might find it worth it. You also get priority replies to celebrities on Snapchat, so your replies appear above everyone else’s.
Snapchat for Web lets you send snaps from your webcam. Screenshot: Snapchat
Web access is perhaps the most interesting of the Snapchat Plus features announced so far. As Instagram, another mobile app that now has a web interface, proves, being able to cover your social media duties while sitting at a computer can be much more convenient. You have a bigger screen to look at, you have a proper keyboard to type on, and you can more easily switch from other tasks.
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Once you’ve paid your dues for Snapchat Plus, you need to go to Snapchat for the web, sign in with your credentials, confirm your sign-in on your phone in the Snapchat app, and then you’re good to go ready. Click Turn on camera to send Snaps to give the site permission to use your computer’s webcam.
You’ll see that you can start composing a text message by just clicking on someone’s name in the chat list on the left, or by clicking the compose button in the top left corner (the blue and white one). This is actually one of the best uses of Snapchat for the web, especially if you have a lot to write to individual contacts or groups. You can send message reactions and save chat messages once you’re in a conversation.
You can make calls and send text snaps. Screenshot: Snapchat
Snapchat for web also lets you make audio and video calls: When you’re in a chat, you’ll see the buttons in the top right corner. You can also use the same compose button that’s available for text messages, only when you’ve chosen a contact, click Start Call instead of Chat.
What you can’t do at the moment, and we assume this will have to change very soon, to make the service worthwhile, is open the images and videos that have been sent to you. You have to use the mobile app to view these snapshots, and even after you’ve opened them, they don’t appear in the web interface (although there is a placeholder that shows whether or not they’ve been viewed ).
You can send photo snapshots from the web interface once you’ve granted access to your webcam, but again, you can’t see them in chat threads. Only text overlays are available, so no stickers or doodles, and unless you can only take a certain shot with your webcam, you’ll want to use the mobile app to compose and send snapshots. For now, it’s a pretty straightforward experience in that regard.
Snapchat for web is more useful for text-heavy conversations. Screenshot: Snapchat
The same can be said for Snapchat’s web settings, which you can open by clicking on your avatar at the top left of the interface. You can choose between a light and a dark theme, or you can follow the load of the operating system you’re using and… well, that’s about it.
Another interesting observation worth making: the web interface recognizes when you switch to a different browser window or tab, hiding whatever conversation you’re currently viewing. It’s a neat security feature that can help you protect your chats from being seen by someone else looking over your shoulder.
If you’re wondering if Snapchat for the web makes a Snapchat Plus subscription worth it right now, the answer is probably no, not unless you do a lot of texting through Snapchat, and not until there’s better integration in terms of photos and videos. the browser application. There’s no doubt that it will improve over time, though, and become more viable as an alternative to mobile apps.