There’s no doubt that social media has become an important part of everyone’s lives, for better or worse. A great number of people today use social media, which is not surprising given the number of apps and platforms there are out there, such as Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, TikTok, Snapchat, and more.

Snapchat is an app that focuses on multimedia instant messaging. The platform is known for representing a different approach to social media, having a mobile-first direction, and having an emphasis on the interaction among users involving visual material like stickers and augmented reality objects.

Its principal function is the making and distribution of multimedia messages named “Snaps”, which can be photos or short videos and they can also be edited by adding filters, stickers, drawings, and texts. It’s also quite popular for being one of the first apps that implemented Stories. This feature is about posting Snaps on a public dashboard in which all of the user’s contacts might be able to see it. However, these snaps can only be seen once, and can also be sent privately to specific contacts.

It also includes other useful features like video chat, direct messaging, notifications when someone screenshots a snap, adding friends through phone numbers, usernames, “Add nearby” or “Snapcodes”, and in 2016 the “Snapcash” function was added, which let others send and receive money through private messaging.

Another feature used a lot by Snapchat users is the use of filters, stickers, or lenses. Snapchat has a great variety of these, like geofilters, which are graphical overlays available depending on geographical location. Bitmoji is another user favorite, which is an option that allows users to create a personalized cartoon avatar.

Snapchat also has a chart that links snapscores and emojis. Snapscores are basically the number of snaps sent and received from one user to another. Snapchat links this number to emojis that appear near the user’s chat. These emojis can mean various things, for example, a heart means the users are “BFF” and a birthday cake emoji means it is the user’s birthday.

Although Snapchat is a well-established social media platform with 293 million active users by 2021, and more than 4 billion snaps sent every day, it has its downsides. Unfortunately, most of them revolve around privacy issues. In 2013, Snapchat was a victim of a hack, in which hackers revealed about 4.6 million usernames and phone numbers on a website called “SnapchatDB.info”. They also sent a statement saying that the hack was made to put pressure on Snapchat to fix vulnerabilities.

A little bit after in 2014, the US federal trade commission alleged that images and information sent on Snapchat might not completely disappear as this platform states in its privacy policy. Due to this, Snapchat upgraded its terms in which the company states that it “can’t guarantee that messages will be deleted within a specefic timeframe”.

The release of the “Snap Map” feature in 2017 brought alongside it some concerns. The Snap Map can work by having the app open tracking and showing the exact location of users, which can attract stalkers and can become a risk for especially younger audiences that might not know how the feature works. Due to this concern, Snapchat allowed the habilitation of “Ghost Mode” or to select which friends the user wants to share their location with.

And, probably most notably, in 2019 it was revealed that a few Snapchat employees spied on users, using a tool called SnapLion made originally to collect data as requested by law enforcement.

After knowing these controversies, some users might feel reluctant to use the app. Some questions like “What if I get my data stolen?” might cruise your mind at the moment; however, we’ve got a solution for you: virtual numbers. More commonly known as temporary numbers or Non VoIP numbers, they are very useful for using the app without putting your privacy at risk, which is why having one of them might be the best option for you.

In the following guide, we’ll tell you how you can create a Snapchat account without using your real phone number in 3 simple steps with a US Non VoIP number.

Step 1: download Snapchat

First, you need to type “Snapchat” on your device’s app store.

The first app that pops up should be the one, click on “Install”.

Once the app is installed on your device, open it and click on “Sign up”.

Enable app permissions and click on “Continue”.

After that, enter your name and agree to the terms of service. Click on “Sign Up & Accept”.

Now, confirm your username or change it if you don’t like the one provided. Click on “Continue”.

Set your password and hit the “Continue” button.

Now, you’ll be asked to enter your email to sign up, so click on “Sign up with phone instead” to use a virtual number.

Now, you’ll be asked for your mobile number, which is why you’ll need to get a temporary number.

Step 2: get a Non VoIP number

Sign in on our website, if you don’t have an account yet you can create one by signing up. Both options are available at the top menu of our homepage.

Now, make sure the top tab says “United States”. After that, click on “Services” and then on “Short-term numbers”. These last two options are located at the left section of the page.

Type “Snapchat” on the search tab and click on the blue “Purchase” button.

Mark the checkbox to confirm your purchase and hit “Next”.

After that, you should be receiving your number.

Type it on “Snapchat” and click on “Continue”.

Now you’ll be asked to provide the code sent.

Step 3: get the verification code

Click on “Next” on our website to receive your code.

Now you should be seeing your verification code.

Type it on Snapchat.

Lastly, you’ll be asked to sync your contacts and allow Snapchat to take videos and photos.

And that’s it!

Welcome to Snapchat! you’ve created your account without giving your real number away, just by using US temporary numbers provided by us, Major Phones. We hope you enjoy this app, happy Snapchatting!