Set Time Limits on Snapchat

This article teaches you how to control the amount of time a photo you send on Snapchat can be viewed before it disappears.

10 Second Summary

1. Open Snapchat.
2. Snap a photo.
3. Tap the Timer icon.
4. Select a duration.
5. Tap your photo.
6. Tap the Send to button.

Open Snapchat. It's a yellow app that contains a ghost logo.
- Enter your username and password if you're not automatically logged in.
Snap a photo. Tap the larger, open circle at the bottom center of the screen to do so.
- The length of videos are controlled by how long you hold down the button. Snapchat videos can be up to 10 seconds long.
Tap the Timer icon. It's in the lower-left corner of the screen.
Select a duration. Scroll through the selections, choosing a time between 1 and 10 seconds.
- The duration you choose is the length of time your photo will appear on screen to the recipient of your Snap or viewers of your Story.
Tap anywhere on your photo. Your chosen duration will appear in the center of the timer icon.
- Tap the editing tools in the upper right corner to add text, pictures, and other features to your image.
Tap the "Send to" button. It's in the lower-right corner of the screen. Now, whoever you send the picture to, whether it's a friend or your Story, will see it for the number of seconds you indicated on the timer.
- A Snap, the picture or short video you just took, can be sent to individuals, and will disappear after it's opened, or added to your Story.
- Your Story is a collection of the Snaps that you've taken and added to your Story over the last 24 hours.
- Snaps added to your Story disappear after 24 hours.