How to Play Snapchat in the Background

Certain apps can drain your phone’s data and energy rather quickly. Even more so, if you use them all the time. You know how it is. You just finished scrolling through one social media app, only to go and do the same on a different one.

Snapchat users tend to use the platform actively. But, even when they are not using it, the app still runs in the background so you can easily access it later. Also, so that you can get all your notifications as they come. But what does it mean for any app, including Snapchat, to play in the background?

Play It in the Background

Most smartphones people use today can run multiple apps at the same time. And just because you don’t have Snapchat up on your screen at the moment, it doesn’t mean it isn’t running in the background. When you finish using Snapchat after sending a funny snap to your best friend, you usually press the Home button on your phone.

That takes you to the Home screen of your phone, but Snapchat keeps working in the background. This way, you can have everything as you left it the next time you launch the app. Perhaps you have something already cued up, just ready to send. It can be convenient.

Check If Snapchat Is Running in the Background

If you want to check whether Snapchat is playing in the background, this is what you need to do.

1. For iOS users – double press the “Home button” on your iPhone. You will see all the apps that are running in the background. Check if Snapchat is amongst them.
2. For Android users – This can vary from one model of the phone to another. But you should tap either the button to the left or the right of the Home button to get the list of active apps.

Force Quitting Snapchat

If you want to disable Snapchat from working in the background, you can force quit it. And you can do that by swiping it away from the list of active apps.

Force quitting Snapchat might be necessary if the app is glitching or your phone is getting too hot. The latter means that you’re using Snapchat too much, and it’s draining your battery. And Snapchat is a notorious battery hogger.

However, force quitting means that Snapchat will hog even more battery juice once you open the app again. Therefore, if you use Snapchat all the time, it’s probably best to leave it running in the background.

Snapchat Data Saver Mode

It doesn’t come as a surprise that Snapchat eats away your phone’s battery. But it’s also no stranger to taking big chunks of your data as well. A lot of users have noticed that the amount of data used in the foreground is sometimes lower than what Snapchat uses in the background. If you’re not careful, you can end up with no data before the month is over.

That is why Snapchat has the Data Saver Mode, or as it’s more commonly known, “Travel Mode.” This feature drastically reduces your data usage. It saves both data and battery. When you enable Travel Mode, Snaps and Stories won’t just load automatically. You will have to access them manually to load them.

To activate Travel Mode on iOS:

1. Click on the cog in the Profile screen to access Settings.
2. Click on “Manage” under “Additional Services.”
3. Turn on Data Saver.

To activate Travel Mode on Android:

1. Click on the cog in the Profile screen to access Settings.
2. Scroll till you find “Data Saver.”
3. Tap to turn it on.
   

To Play or Not to Play Snapchat in the Background

Keep Snapchat playing in the background if you have a habit of checking it every ten minutes. If, however, you use it every once in a while, maybe there’s no need for that. In any case, you always have Data Saver Mode to manage how much you of your data the app uses in the background.

A lot of the apps stay active in the background, and that can be incredibly useful. Think of the video you stopped watching. You’d want to continue when you relaunch the app. But it can also drain your phone’s battery and use up all your data if you’re not careful.

Let us know what you think about playing Snapchat in the background and the Travel Mode feature in the comments section below.