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Snapchat has stopped working, with users instead seeing a "could not refresh" error.
Thousands of people complained about the problem, which left them unable to see their feed.
Huge numbers of users posted on Twitter to complain about the outage and the fact it had left them unable to talk to friends.
Others still worried whether the outage was actually happening. The error is the same one that shows when an internet connection is not working – but was showing even for people with fully functioning internet connections.
Snapchat, like many other social platforms, regularly goes offline because of problems with its systems.
Show all 12 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 most recent major outage came after large parts of the internet stopped working, this summer. A major problem with Google's services meant that the company's own apps went down, but also took down a variety of different apps including Snapchat .
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