iPhone users with iOS 18 or later can now replace their Flashlight or native camera lock screen shortcuts with the Snapchat camera. When using a shortcut to take a photo or record a video, users must unlock their phone before sharing.
Snapchat says that on average more than 55,000 snaps are created every second, and this integration makes it easier for the app to capture moments as they happen.
To set up the integration, you need to long-press on your iPhone’s lock screen, select the “Customize” option, and tap “Lock Screen.” From there, tap the controls at the bottom of the screen to remove the default options before tapping the “Plus” option and selecting Snapchat camera.
The company also revealed that you can customize the iPhone 16’s camera control button to open and click Snapchat to quickly capture moments.
The changes announced today are Snapchat’s latest use of the iPhone’s new features. For example, the company released customizable lock screen and home screen widgets in iOS 16, and on iPhone 15 the option to customize the action button to instantly launch the Snapchat app.
Additionally, Snapchat has officially announced the launch of its new “Footsteps” feature after quietly rolling it out a few weeks ago. This new feature, previously only available to Snapchat+ subscribers, lets you see how much of the world you’ve explored and track where you’ve traveled using Snap Map.
Snapchat is also introducing more stickers and Halloween-themed AI lenses.