Head back to the viewfinder and tap the screen. Once everything is enabled, you’re all ready to start filtering. Some filters require geolocation to be enabled, so go ahead and turn that on in your phone’s settings as well. From there, enable the camera permissions. Head to the app’s settings (from the main viewfinder, tap your profile pic in the upper-left corner, followed by the gear icon in the upper-right corner), and then select Permissions (under Privacy). Luckily, we’re here to show you! Give permissionįirst things first: In order to access all of Snapchat’s filters, you first need to enable them.
Filters are awesome, but they can seem confusing if you don’t know how to use them. The list of available filters goes on and on, with more added every day, especially now that users can create and upload their own. With Snapchat’s face-detecting lens technology, you can make yourself old, add beauty filters, or give yourself cat ears and whiskers. Snapchat’s most popular feature by far, though, is its filters. In addition to the drawing tool, users can apply a number of themed stickers to their snaps. Since 2014, the social media app, Snapchat, has been updating the app with new, fun features. The Snapchat app may need to be closed and re-opened for the changes to take effect, but once the appropriate permissions are enabled, it should be smooth sailing.
Regardless of using Snapchat on an Android or iOS device, once the permissions for the camera have been granted, users should find the “ Snapchat is a camera app” error message is removed, allowing full access to the camera features available within the app. For Android, providing it is a recent version of the operating system, the user can long-press on the Snapchat app icon, tap on the information (i) icon, and then tap 'Permissions.' Alternatively, users can access the general Settings menu, tap on 'Privacy,' and then tap 'Permissions' or 'Permissions Manager.' Similar to iOS, it is then just a matter of tapping on 'Camera' and then on Snapchat, before setting the appropriate level of access. Then tap on 'Privacy' and tap 'Camera' from the list of available permissions. Then find Snapchat in the app list and enable, if currently disabled. To enable permission to use the camera on an iOS device, open the Settings app on the device. Simply tap on the profile icon in the top left corner, followed by the Settings icon, and then the Permissions tab can be found under the Privacy section. Accessing this section on an Android device is largely the same, albeit the Permissions tab is located in a different section. From there, scroll down to the Additional Services section and tap on 'Manage.' Following which, a quick tap on the 'Permissions' tab will open the full list of permissions Snapchat wants. On an iOS device, open Snapchat, tap on the profile icon in the top left corner of the screen, and then on the Settings (cog) icon. How To Grant Snapchat Camera PermissionsĪt any time, a Snapchat user can check which permissions the app wants access to, as well as what they are used for, through the settings section of the app. If not seeing the message at the time, the same permissions can be enabled through the device’s settings, both on Android and iOS. The easiest way to do this is to simply tap on the 'Open Settings' (or 'Turn On') button that's presented with the message and then make sure the camera permissions are enabled.
Therefore, to remove the message and gain full functionality to the app, the user needs to grant camera permissions. Snapchat shows users a “ Snapchat is a camera” error message when the app doesn’t have permission to use the camera on a device. While it is good to manage these permissions, disabling some can result in limiting an app’s intended functionality. A prime example of this was seen through the launch of Apple's iOS Privacy Labels in December 2020 - requiring app developers to make clear how data is accessed before properly downloading and installing an app. Generally, fixing the issue is as straightforward as granting the right permission.Īpp permissions have become a major talking point in recent times, as Google and Apple ensure that Android and iOS users have greater control over what data an app has access to and how the data is used. Snapchat needs access to the camera on a device to perform multiple popular options, including taking Snaps, enabling video chats, and allowing the option to add a friend by using a Snapcode. Snapchat is a camera app - and unless the required permissions are granted - then users might be presented with an unwanted error message.