Life

How To Snapchat Video Chat

Glory be to the Snapchat gods for releasing Snapchat 2.0 today, and unveiling six new Snapchat features for the app. If you've already heard tell of these magical changes, you are probably wondering how to Snapchat video chat, one of the brand-spanking new abilities of the app. Here's the first bit of advice I can give you: if you haven't figured out how to get Snapchat 2.0 yet, then you're going to want to make sure to update the Snapchat app before you proceed. In order to do this, go into the App Store on your phone. In the bottom right corner there will be a button for Updates. Once you hit it, scroll down until you see Snapchat, and click it so you're using the latest version. Otherwise when you log into a private chat with one of your friends, it won't give you any of the fancy new options — and trust me, you want the fancy new options.

After that, you should be raring to go. In order to video chat someone, swipe left onto your contacts page. From there you can select your victim I mean friend to video snap with. Select their name and entire the private chat stream the way you would usually — and if everything has gone peachy keen with your update, you should be able to see several new buttons on your chat screen that give you new options for communication.

Video calling through this platform is actually insanely easy. All you have to do is press the camera button next to the round button in the middle, at which point it will prompt you to answer whether or not you want to Snapchat video your friend. (In my case it was Bustle's brill TV Editor, Sam Rullo.) If they love you and don't ignore your call, you'll be able to start a private video feed with them.

Sorry that I'm not sorry about my face.

Important note: If the call still isn't working after you update Snapchat, make sure that your friend is using the latest update as well. The first time Sam and I tried to video chat each other on Snapchat, it didn't work because she hadn't gone into the App store yet. Less important note: for the love of all that is holy, don't Snapchat video talk your co-worker in a crowded office whilst standing right next to her, because it will get weird.

Once you're in the video call, you can still use all the features you can usually use in a private chat — as well as some of the new features. While in the call, you can send each other text and send each other stickers by clicking the new smiley face button on the bottom right corner. Suddenly your video chats just got MEGA CUTER.

This is what the text will look like during a video call. Here are also some of the stickers you'll be able to ~adorn~ yourself with mid-video:

There you go! Now you're a Snapchat video chatting pro. Just make sure that you've updated and remind your main squad to update too, and you'll be able to live stream your bad self all over town. Happy Snapping!

Want more social media content? Of course you do! Listen to Bustle's podcast The Chat Room, where we discuss everything Internet, from what's trending today, what we were up to in the '90s, and our experiences as women online.

Images: Pexels, Snapchat