Snapchat is a popular social media app that allows users to send photos, videos, and messages that disappear after being viewed. One of Snapchat’s key features is the ability to make video calls with friends. This raises an important question – can the other person see your face during a Snapchat video call?
The short answer
Yes, the other person can see your face during a Snapchat video call. When you make a video call on Snapchat, your phone’s front-facing camera is activated, allowing the other person to see a live video feed of you. There is no way to make a Snapchat video call without showing your face.
How Snapchat video calls work
To understand why your face is visible during Snapchat video calls, it helps to know how the feature works:
- To initiate a video call, tap the video icon in the top right corner of a Snapchat chat. This will send a video call invite to the other person.
- When the other person accepts the invite, the front-facing cameras on both devices activate.
- This creates a real-time, face-to-face video call between the two people.
- The video streams utilize the camera and internet connection on each device.
- No separate account or login is required – the video call happens directly within the Snapchat app.
So in summary, Snapchat accesses your device’s front-facing camera when making a video call. This automatically turns on video of your face. There is no setting to hide your face and make a video call at the same time.
Why your face is always shown
There are a few reasons why Snapchat is designed this way:
- It creates a more personal, face-to-face call experience – seeing facial expressions is a key part of video chat.
- Showing your face helps confirm your identity to the other caller.
- The ephemeral nature of Snapchat calls reduces concerns about face recording.
- Allowing hiding faces could increase harmful anonymous behavior.
Essentially, Snapchat wants video calls to mimic in-person conversations as closely as possible. Showing user’s faces achieves that goal while balancing privacy and identity considerations.
When your face is not shown
There are a couple specific scenarios where your face may not be visible during a Snapchat video call:
- Poor connection: With a slow internet connection, video quality may degrade and faces may be pixelated or blurry.
- Background app usage: If Snapchat is running in the background, your video may pause and display a frozen image instead of a live feed.
- Device issues: Problems with the camera or hardware could cause black screens or failed video transmission.
- App glitches: As with any app, occasional software bugs may also disrupt video calling.
However, in these cases the goal is still to show your live face feed. The exceptions are due to technical limitations, not intentional hiding by Snapchat.
Can you hide your face?
There is no built-in setting in Snapchat to hide or blur your face while making video calls. The only way to hide your face is to manually cover the front camera with your hand or an object during the call.
A couple tips for covering your camera during a Snapchat video call:
- Use a small sticky note to cover the camera lens. This will block your video feed.
- Put your phone face down on a surface so the camera is obscured.
- Cover the camera with your fingers when you need to hide your face temporarily.
However, keep in mind the other caller may ask to see your face or end the call if you consistently hide your face. Video calls are meant to be face-to-face conversations.
Third-party apps that can hide your face
While Snapchat itself has no face hiding features, there are some third-party apps that can help:
- Snap Camera: This app offers lenses that blur or replace your face, like putting a pumpkin over your head.
- Masquerade: Includes filter effects like masks and helmets to obscure your real face.
- VV Cam: Uses AR filters to mutate or replace your face during video calls.
However, the other caller will still see that you are using visual effects. Your real face remains visible even if obscured by the filters.
Snapchat’s face tracking features
It’s also worth noting that some Snapchat features actually rely on tracking your face:
- Lenses add virtual effects and objects that move when you move your face.
- Filters change based on identifying facial features and expressions.
- Bitmoji uses your facial movements to animate your personalized avatar.
These capabilities require a clear view of your face. Hiding your face would break the illusions applied by these features.
Conclusion
In summary – yes, the other person can see your real face during a Snapchat video call. Snapchat intentionally makes your front-facing camera video feed visible to provide an authentic face-to-face call experience. There are no built-in settings to hide your face, only third-party apps that obscure your face with effects. Manual camera blocking is the only way to fully hide your face. But keep in mind hidden faces reduce Snapchat’s video call functionality.
| Scenario | Is Your Face Shown? |
|---|---|
| Normal video call | Yes |
| Poor connection | Partially/blurry |
| Background app usage | Frozen image |
| Device issues | No |
| App glitches | No |
| Manual camera blocking | No |
| Third-party filter apps | Obscured |
In most normal situations, your face will be visible to the other caller during a Snapchat video call. Only technical issues or intentional blocking will prevent your face from being seen. The app is designed to create face-to-face video chats.
Covering the camera, using filters, and other workarounds may seem like good ways to hide your face. But these approaches disrupt Snapchat’s intended video call functionality. The only way to reliably hide your face is to not make Snapchat video calls at all.
Instead of hiding your face, be selective about who you call and avoid unwanted video chats. With close friends, embrace the face-to-face nature of Snapchat video calls. The ability to see facial cues makes conversations more natural and intimate.
Snapchat’s developer policies prohibit any apps that undermine core functionality. So don’t expect alternative apps that allow hiding faces during Snapchat video calls. Maintaining the integrity of ephemeral video communications is central to the platform’s value.
Going forward, advances in camera hardware and facial tracking technology will likely make face hiding even more difficult. Front cameras are becoming higher resolution while machine learning can replicate faces realistically.
Rather than a cat-and-mouse game of blocking cameras, we should thoughtfully examine the social impacts of persistent face visibility online. There may be reasonable situations where hiding your face maintains safety or prevents misuse. As video calling advances, ensuring user autonomy will require rethinking social norms, regulations, and technical capabilities.
In summary, Snapchat has prioritized authentic face-to-face communication with video calls. The desire for hiding faces must be balanced carefully against impacts to visual communication. With mindful use and ongoing reassessment, Snapchat can uphold safe and consensual video chatting for all users over time.