If you take a picture, and no one is around to see it, does it really exist? For those inclined to share photos and videos as soon as humanly possible, you can now replace your iPhone’s Camera shortcut with Snapchat.
Customize Your Lock Screen With a Snapchat Shortcut
iOS 18 introduced the ability to add third-party apps to Control Center, as well as replace the two controls on the Lock Screen. Snapchat is taking advantage of those convenience features with its latest update. As announced on Snapchat’s Newsroom today, you can now replace the Camera control on your iPhone’s Lock Screen with a fast-track to Snapchat, as long as you’re using iOS 18 or later.
Snapchat isn’t the first app to offer this option. Others like ChatGPT, Google Maps, and Instagram have also added a Lock Screen control capability. How you choose to assign your two Lock Screen shortcuts, which default to the built-in Flashlight and Camera apps, depends on what you need access to most often—or most quickly.
Alongside this update, Snapchat also released new Bitmoji Stickers, Halloween-themed lenses, and a feature called Footsteps, which produces a map of your travels.
How to Set Up a Snapchat Shortcut
Adding a new Lock Screen control for Snapchat is easy:
- From your Lock Screen, tap and hold anywhere on the screen until options appear.
- Tap Customize > Lock Screen.
- At the bottom of your Lock Screen, you’ll see your two current controls. Tap the – button to delete a shortcut, and then tap the + button to add a new shortcut.
- From a list of Controls, scroll down to the Capture category and select Snapchat.
Now, whichever shortcut you choose to replace will feature the beloved ghost icon of Snapchat.
If you’re having trouble finding the described customization options, check to make sure you’re on iOS 18 or later.
Snap Security
One of the perks of the iPhone’s Camera shortcut is the ability for someone without your passcode to use your phone to take a photo. So, you might be thinking: with a shortcut to Snapchat, wouldn’t that person wield a lot of power with access to your entire Snapchat contact list?
Snapchat can quell those fears. With the update, you can only use Snapchat’s camera from the Lock Screen. You would need to unlock the phone with your passcode in order to share any footage.
At the risk of exposing my own age, I’ve always been amazed by the way that Gen-Z is able to capture and share moments as they happen. Sometimes catching something on camera is a result of pure luck, but having fast access to an image-sharing platform could increase those chances tenfold.
