Snap recently introduced a major change to its visual messaging app, Snapchat. Universal search, the feature at the center of its latest update, is a marked improvement in terms of both layout and usability.
The complaint you hear the most in regards to Snapchat is that it makes life hard for new users due to its lack of guidance. The app has always lacked discovery options in the vein of a Twitter or Instagram’s Explore tab, not to mention Facebook’s apt-titled News Feed. With the introduction of universal search, however, navigation issues are a thing of the past — it’s just a shame the app remains restricted when it comes to other departments.
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The good news is that universal search is as self-explanatory as it gets. The feature amounts to a single search bar that runs the top of the app, allowing you to find great content in seconds. The bad news is that it doesn’t recommend any users to follow outside of your contacts, nor will it let you search through your chats or your media library in Memories. Hopefully, these features will be introduced in later updates.
With that in mind, here’s a detailed guide to all the things universal search can do. From finding Discover content from top publishers to adding friends, the new tool houses it all in a single — if not convenient — location.
Accessing Snapchat universal search
If you launch Snapchat as you would normally, you should see “search” in the upper-left corner. It will be positioned next to either a ghost (the iconic Snapchat logo) or your personal Bitmoji, if you’ve created one. The feature can also be accessed from the “chat” and “stories” sections of the app. Tap “search” and you’re good to go. Simple, right? Now, let’s get to the good stuff.