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Snapchat can identify what users are taking pictures of

The app will suggest relevant filters based on any objects it recognises

Aatif Sulleyman

Tuesday 28 November 2017 14:56 GMT

The logo of messaging app Snapchat is seen at a booth at TechFair LA, a technology job fair, in Los Angeles, California, U.S., January 26, 2017 (REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson)

Snapchat can now identify what you’re taking Snaps of.

When the app successfully recognises an object in an image you capture, it will unlock relevant filters and stickers.

It’s a clever update, which should make it easier for you to edit your Snaps.

12 useful Snapchat features you didn't know existed

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1/1212 useful Snapchat features you didn't know existed

12 useful Snapchat features you didn't know existed

Shoot 60-second Snaps

Android and iOS users can record up to 60 seconds of Snapchat footage with Multi-Snap (the previous limit was 10 seconds). All you need to do is tap and hold the circular Record button, and keep holding it for up to 60 seconds. Snapchat will split the footage into 10-second segments, which you can edit individually, though your recording will play continuously when you send it to your friends or add it to your Story.

12 useful Snapchat features you didn't know existed

Draw with emoji

You can draw with emoji rather than regular digital brushstrokes by tapping the pen icon after you’ve shot a snap and then hitting the symbol under the colour palette.

12 useful Snapchat features you didn't know existed

Create your own Geofilter

You can create your own Geofilters, for occasions like weddings and birthdays, or even for places that are special to you. Go to Settings, hit On-Demand Geofilters and choose when and where you’d like it to appear.

12 useful Snapchat features you didn't know existed

Use multiple filters

Once you’ve applied a filter to your snap, tap and hold the screen with one finger and swipe with another to layer another filter on top of it.

12 useful Snapchat features you didn't know existed

Save data

You can reduce the amount of data Snapchat munches through by enabling Travel Mode. Find it by swiping down from the main camera screen, going to Settings and scrolling down to Manage Preferences.

12 useful Snapchat features you didn't know existed

Understand emoji

From here, you can also learn what those emoji that appear next to your friends’ names mean. Change the ones you want to change by tapping on them.

12 useful Snapchat features you didn't know existed

Message symbols

It’s also useful to understand what Snapchat’s different-coloured arrows and squares mean, so you’ll no longer be unsure whether you can open a message in public or not.

12 useful Snapchat features you didn't know existed

Snapcodes

Create your own Snapcode GIF by swiping down from the main camera screen and hitting the Snapchat icon and then the camera button.

12 useful Snapchat features you didn't know existed

Collect trophies

You can find out how many Snapchat trophies you’ve earned by tapping the trophy icon above your Snapcode. You can unlock more by trying out new things with the app.

12 useful Snapchat features you didn't know existed

Hide things you don't like

The Featured section is definitely one of the worst Snapchat features. Fortunately, you can hide stories you have no interest in seeing by tapping and holding it, then selecting Hide Story.

12 useful Snapchat features you didn't know existed

Snap Map

Snap Map caused a huge amount of controversy when it launched, with people afraid that the feature could expose children to danger. You can access it by pinching the camera screen, and hide yourself from fellow Snapchat users by tapping the Settings icon and enabling Ghost Mode.

12 useful Snapchat features you didn't know existed

Share music

You can Shazam a song within Snapchat by tapping and holding the camera screen. Once it identifies it, you can share the song with your friends.

The contextually relevant filters and stickers automatically appear in the filter carousel – which you can browse by swiping left or right – when you take a photo Snap of something that falls into one of several categories, reports Mashable.

These categories include animals, food, sports, beaches and concerts.

When it identifies food in one of your Snaps, Snapchat can suggest a sticker saying “What diet?” or “Nomz”, for instance.

The app uses object recognition to allow users to search for public Stories too.

Snapchat has also removed its data filters, which told you things like the temperature, speed and time, from the filter carousel.

You can now find them in the stickers section.

Snapchat is set to undergo a drastic redesign in the coming weeks, which should make it easier to navigate.

The company is facing fierce competition from Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, which have all cloned its Stories feature, and it needs to find new ways to attract a bigger base of users.

“We are going to make it easier to discover the vast quantity of content on our platform that goes undiscovered or unseen every day,” Snapchat chief Evan Spiegel told analysts earlier this month.

He added that the company had been looking at the evolution of mobile content feeds, such as the Twitter stream and Facebook News Feed, and saw room for a “personalised content service”.

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