Crafting Your App with Snapchat Features: What Do You Need?
Did you know that over 60% of the world’s population uses social media apps and platforms? This basically means more than half of the planet. But have you ever wondered how long we get to use them per day? Statistics show that we spend an average of 2 hours and a half per day. Of course, this is an average; this number can be much higher, especially in younger generations. This shows a glimpse of how important social media apps have become to us and have altered many aspects of our lives. One of the social media apps that greatly contributed to this is none other than the renowned Snapchat. Want to know more about Snapchat and perhaps learn how to create an app like Snapchat?
Read this comprehensive guide to learn all about the exceptional success of Snapchat and the complete process of creating an app exactly like it!
What is Snapchat and What is the Story Behind It?
Remember sometime in 2012 or early 2013 when literally everyone was using Snapchat? It felt like the app came out of nowhere and took the whole world by storm. However, Snapchat didn’t come out of nowhere; it has passed through many stages of evolution to become the very famous app you know today.
The whole story started with three Stanford students who hoped to create a novel and advanced application. The idea of this application revolved around establishing a sort of social media platform that is entirely based on pictures and videos. However, the novel idea was that these photos and videos could disappear within moments. Their main aim was to create a space to be funny and honest without needing to perfect everything, just sharing moments.
This all happened around early 2011, and by July 2011, Picaboo was officially released for iOS. And yes, the initial name for Snapchat was Picaboo. The app didn’t render the outcomes that the founders expected as a result of technical problems that made the app nearly useless. But this didn’t stop the app’s founders, as by September 2011, they decided to take the app to the next level by rebranding it entirely and fixing all the flaws.
Snapchat expanded and launched in the Google Play Store in addition to the Apple App Store. And apparently, this was the first major milestone. In just one year, the app was able to attract over 1 million users, who were sending around 20 million snaps back and forth.
2014–15: The Years of Major Successes
2014 and 2015 were another highlight for Snapchat, as not only did they get to release many features, but they were also able to conquer all the top charts, becoming the most popular and used social media app. Throughout the two years, Snapchat released around five features, including the lenses that everyone was obsessed with (including the puppy filters that everyone used), geo-filters, chats, and more. During this time, both individuals and businesses were greatly relying on Snapchat and its nonstop advancements.
What Are the Top Features of Snapchat?
Now that we have had a glimpse (maybe more) of how Snapchat started and highlighted the years in its evolution journey, we need to discuss another important thing. Every app would have a success factor. Some apps’ success factor is the marketing campaigns and efforts that successfully set them on the right track. Another app’s success factor is appealing designs that elevate the user experience. However, in Snapchat's case, features were always the major success factor. So, how about we discuss the top features?
Snap Stories
Obviously, we can't go on to discuss Snapchat's top features without bringing up stories. Stories, a Snapchat feature, lets users share videos and pictures that expire after 24 hours. What makes this feature more special are the personalization options. To provide a unique and temporary story of their day, users may personalize their stories with text, drawings, stickers, and filters. This feature encourages users to share their unfiltered, casual experiences, as it removes the burden of creating lasting content.
Snap Map
Among Snapchat's many unique features is the interactive Snapchat Map. Snapchat Map is an interactive, real-time map that shows where friends who have enabled location sharing are. Users can track the whereabouts of their pals, browse Snaps captured at particular venues or activities like concerts or sports events, and even delve into carefully picked narratives from all around the globe. The Snapchat Map allows friends to connect and explore together. But as privacy is always prioritized, there are privacy options that let users decide who may view their exact location.
Snapchat Memories
Another highlight of Snapchat is the Snap Memories feature. Snaps and stories can be saved and organized using Snapchat's built-in memories that act like a full gallery. Using the feature, users may keep all of their treasured media files, including images and videos, in a secure vault. Users can also quickly access your saved Snaps, share them with friends, alter them with filters, and even make fresh stories out of your preserved media, all in Memories. Preserving important memories has never been easier, all while embracing the temporary nature of the app for regular conversations.
Snap Spotlight
At the time that TikTok started soaring with exceptional success, Snapchat decided to take advantage of the situation. In response to TikTok and other short-form video sites, Snapchat has introduced Spotlight. From funny videos to how-to guides and motivational movies, there's a unique feed where users can find user-generated content. This gives individuals a chance to earn recognition for their innovation by gaining millions of views and revenues in many cases as well.
AR Lenses
Saving the best for last, with the best being one of the greatest and latest technologies. Snapchat was an early adopter of AR in the field of social media with its AR-powered lenses, which users could interact with. Instantaneously adding animations, effects, and interactive components to users'' faces or the environment, these filters enhance the viewing experience. With augmented reality lenses, Snapchat users can have a more imaginative and entertaining experience, whether it's a brand promotion, an instructional tool, or just the addition of funny faces.
What Does It Take to Create an App Like Snapchat?
This handful of features must call for many requirements to be met effectively. Well, we are starting with the “how to create an app like Snapchat” part of the article. Let us discuss some of the requirements that creating an app like Snapchat would require.
1.) Thorough Market Research
In Snapchat’s case, the first thing you would need is thorough market research. When starting to create an app like Snapchat, you have to expect that you are not the only one attempting to do so. That is why conducting comprehensive market research allows you to get detailed insights about competitors, the latest trends and technologies, and users’ needs that you can tackle.
2.) Advanced Design Tools
One of the most important things that you would need to create an app like Snapchat is advanced design tools. Snapchat is naturally an appealing and easy-to-use application, which is one of the major competitive advantages of the app. By having an appealing and modernized design, you can accomplish great outcomes, just like Snapchat’s. It may seem like an impossible mission; however, choosing advanced design and prototyping tools can make matters easier and more effective.
3.) Reliable Database
How do you think an app as enormous as Snapchat can hold this amount of user data? The answer is a reliable database. All user data—account details, media files, conversation histories, friend lists, analytics, and geolocation details—are stored and managed by the app's database infrastructure. However, they must be scalable, secure, and compliant with privacy regulations to store and retrieve massive amounts of organized and unstructured data efficiently. Making use of caching systems to enhance performance, relational databases for structured data, and NoSQL databases for unstructured data can guarantee the creation of the best app, like Snapchat.
4.) APIs and Integrations
Another thing that is very fundamental in the development process of apps like Snapchat is APIs and integrations. Most of the Snapchat features are heavily based on integrations such as the Bitmoji avatars, lenses, and filters. The map feature also relies on the Mapbox API, which integrates this fun and interactive map. So, I guess it is pretty much settled that to create an app like Snapchat, APIs, and integrations are a must.
5.) A Budget
The last thing that the app development process of an app like Snapchat needs is a budget. With all these requirements, features, and demands, you can’t expect to create such an enormous app like Snapchat with a small budget. Every bit of the process needs a certain budget; you would need one for design, one for the backend, one for the database, and so on. Many estimates of the cost of this app don’t go below $90,000, which could be a burden for small businesses or sole developers as they may not be able to afford it.
Is There a Better and More Affordable Way to Create an App Like Snapchat?
Time for a better question! Do you think there is a better and more affordable way that could enable someone to create an app like Snapchat? As we established, many small businesses and developers won’t be able to afford the amount of requirements and the budget needed to create an app like Snapchat. So, there has to be a way. Luckily, there is one. No-code development is now the most effective and affordable way of developing that everyone seeks. It is one of the major advantages of the democratization of technology that we get to enjoy and utilize effectively. Many no-code app builders, like the nandbox app builder, have enough or even more than enough capabilities to create an app like Snapchat. So, for instance, the nandbox app builder can include stories and short-form video features. Adalo has amazing features in terms of APIs and integrations. The list goes on for app-building platforms that could make the process of creating an app like Snapchat as easy as pie. What is left for you to do to create an app like Snapchat is to seize the chance and start developing!