How to add people on Snapchat

When Snapchat first came out, it took off like nobody could believe. It is now regarded as one of the most popular social networks in the world with millions of users and billions of dollars of theoretical value. That all happened despite it not being all that user friendly.

It was initially difficult to get to grips with, hard to add friends and find people to follow. Fortunately, the company addressed that earlier this year with an update that made it much easier to add people on Snapchat.

Before the update you would have to search for someone’s username or use their BooR code which was a pain. A quiet update in January 2016 introduced the ability to acquire a vanity URL that you could send to people so they could link to you. This went a lot way to making it easier to add people on Snapchat.

Let’s take a look at all the ways you can now add people within the social network.

Add people on Snapchat

There are several ways to add people on Snapchat. Here are four of the most popular.

Use the Snapchat URL

The new Snapchat URL function is very efficient. Tap Add Friends in the menu and select ‘share username’. This will generate your own URL which should look something like ‘http://snapchat.com/add/NAME’. Send this link to the person you want to connect with via SMS or email and you can link up.

Username

While cumbersome, finding someone’s username is a simple way to connect. You have to be in contact with the person first for them to share the name but it is a workable system. Just don’t get confused between the display name and the username. Display names can be changed depending on the situation, usernames cannot. You can only connect with usernames.

Tap the ghost button at the top of the camera screen and you will see your username. Tap Add Friends then Add by Username. Type the username into the search box and tap Add once they are found.

Using your smartphone contacts

Adding people you already know to Snapchat is simple. Tap the ghost button and the app will search for contacts on your phone who have their own number associated with their Snapchat account. That won’t be everyone though as not all users link their cell number with their account.

Tap My Friends, then Contacts. Allow the app to access your contacts and hit Continue. Select the friend you want to add and tap the Add button. You can also invite people to use Snapchat by tapping Invite.

Snapcode

Remember QR codes? No, most people don’t. Snapchat designed their own called Snapcode which are generated using a selfie and a unique code. If your contact has a Snapcode, line it up in your Snapchat camera and tap the center of the screen. Their details will appear on the screen and you can now press Add Friend to add them as a contact. Once they add you back you can chat and share media as you see fit.

There are a couple more ways to add people on Snapchat but these four are the easiest and most popular. It’s a shame that a social media app that depends on people being friends with each other cannot make becoming friends a little easier. While the January update has eased the burden a little, it is still way harder than it should be to find people you know.

At least now, if you do want to add people on Snapchat you can! If you’re looking for more help, check out our longer guide on how to use Snapchat.