Snapchat’s Spotlight feature allows users to view short-form videos from the Snapchat community. Many Snapchatters put a lot of creativity into making funny or entertaining Spotlight videos. As a Snapchat user, you may come across Spotlight videos that you want to save to your camera roll so you can watch them again later. Unfortunately, Snapchat does not have a built-in way to save Spotlight videos.
Can you save Snapchat Spotlight videos directly on Snapchat?
No, there is no option to save Spotlight videos within the Snapchat app itself. Snapchat intentionally designs their apps so that content disappears or is temporary. Allowing users to save Spotlight videos would go against Snapchat’s ephemeral nature.
So if you want to save a Spotlight video on Snapchat, you’ll need to use a workaround that involves screen recording the video as you’re watching it. The screen recording then gets saved to your camera roll and acts as a downloaded version of the Snapchat Spotlight video that you can keep.
How to screen record a Snapchat Spotlight video on iPhone
To screen record a Snapchat Spotlight video on an iPhone, follow these steps:
- Open the Snapchat app and find the Spotlight video you want to save.
- While the Spotlight video is playing, quickly swipe down from the top right corner of your iPhone screen to open Control Center.
- In Control Center, long press the Screen Recording icon (it looks like a circle inside a circle).
- This will start recording your iPhone screen. Make sure the Spotlight video is visible.
- Let the screen recording capture the entire Spotlight video, or just the portion you want to save.
- To stop recording, open Control Center again and tap the Screen Recording icon.
- The screen recording will be automatically saved to your Photos app.
- You can trim the start/end of the video in Photos if needed.
And that’s it! Following those steps will allow you to screen record any Spotlight video on Snapchat and save it to your camera roll on an iPhone. The video quality may not be quite as high as the original, but it creates a downloadable version of the Spotlight video that you can keep.
How to screen record Snapchat Spotlight videos on Android
The process is similar for Android phones:
- Open the Spotlight video in the Snapchat app that you want to record.
- Swipe down from the top of your Android’s screen to open Quick Settings.
- Tap the Screen Record icon (it looks like a circle inside a circle).
- Screen recording will begin. Make sure the Spotlight video is on screen.
- Let the recording capture the full video, or just the clip you want.
- To stop recording, swipe down again and tap the Screen Record icon.
- The screen recording will be saved to your phone’s Photos/Gallery app.
- If needed, you can trim the start/end of the video to get just the Spotlight clip.
This method will successfully record Spotlight videos on Android phones. Just be sure to enable screen recording in your Quick Settings first if you don’t see the icon.
Third party apps to save Snapchat Spotlight videos
In addition to using your iPhone or Android’s built-in screen recording capability, there are also third party apps you can use to save Snapchat Spotlight videos:
AZ Screen Recorder (Android only)
AZ Screen Recorder is a popular Android app specifically for recording videos, games, and apps on your device’s screen. To use it to record a Snapchat Spotlight video:
- Download and install AZ Screen Recorder from the Google Play Store
- Open the Spotlight video in the Snapchat app that you want to record
- Open AZ Screen Recorder and tap the record button
- Let the video record the entire Spotlight clip or just the portion you want
- Stop the recording and it will be saved to your device’s storage
- You can trim the start/end points if needed before saving
iRec Screen Recorder (iPhone only)
iRec Screen Recorder works similarly to AZ Screen Recorder, but is designed for iPhone instead of Android. To use iRec to record a Snapchat Spotlight video:
- Install iRec Screen Recorder from the App Store
- Open Snapchat and start playing the Spotlight video
- Open iRec and tap the record button
- Let iRec capture the full Spotlight video or just a clip
- Stop recording and the video will save to your Photos app
- Trim the start/end if needed before saving
SnapSave (Android)
SnapSave is an Android app specifically designed to help save Snapchat videos, photos, and stories. To use it for Spotlight videos:
- Install SnapSave from the Google Play Store
- Open Snapchat and start playing the Spotlight video
- Open SnapSave, allow permissions if prompted
- Tap “Record Snapcode” in SnapSave to start recording
- Let the recording capture the full Spotlight video or just a clip
- Tap “Stop Recording” when finished
- The video will be saved to your device storage
- Edit the start/end points if needed before saving
How to save Spotlight videos without screen recording
If you don’t want to use screen recording to save Snapchat Spotlight videos, there are a couple other options:
Use a Google Chrome Extension
There are Chrome extensions like Video DownloadHelper that allow you to download videos from websites. To use this method:
- Install the Video DownloadHelper extension in Chrome
- Go to Snapchat.com on your computer and find the Spotlight video
- Play the video and the extension will detect it
- Click the extension icon and download the Spotlight video file
This avoids any screen recording, but requires you to view the video on a desktop browser instead of mobile.
Use a Snapchat Downloading Service
Some websites exist solely to help people download and save Snapchat videos. They work by you providing the URL of the Snapchat video, then they download it and give you a link to the saved file. Just be cautious of spam and make sure to use reputable services.
Why saving Snapchat Spotlight videos is controversial
Although there are ways to download Spotlight videos, it is a bit of a controversial topic among Snapchat users. Here are some key reasons why:
- Snapchat intends videos to be temporary. Saving them goes against this mission.
- Snapchat creators don’t always want their videos saved or shared outside Snapchat.
- There are copyright concerns around sharing videos outside their original platform.
- Saved videos lose some quality from the original Spotlight version.
- Some users exploit saving videos by stealing content or reposting it.
Essentially, saving Spotlight videos is in a gray area ethically. The methods make it possible, but go against Snapchat’s intentions. Users should be cautious of reposting videos they download without permission from the creator.
What type of content is on Snapchat Spotlight?
Snapchat Spotlight features all sorts of entertaining and funny short videos created by Snapchatters from around the world. Here are some of the common types of content you’ll find:
- Comedy Sketches – Short funny scripted videos and skits.
- Pranks – Practical joke style videos.
- Dance Videos – People dancing to popular songs.
- Lip Sync – Videos with people lip syncing over music/dialogue.
- Talent – Impressive talents like singing, parkour, magic, etc.
- Animals & Pets – Cute or funny animal videos.
- Reaction – People reacting to viral internet content.
- Anime – Clips related to anime and manga.
- Gaming – Funny gaming clips and gameplay moments.
- Art & DIY – Impressive art, crafts, recipes, etc.
Spotlight showcases the most entertaining videos from these categories in a TikTok-like feed. The variety of content makes it fun to scroll through for Snapchat users of all interests.
Some popular examples of Spotlight video contents
To give you an even better idea of the type of viral Spotlight content, here are some specific video examples users have created and uploaded:
- Performing a comedy sketch of working in fast food
- Trying weird food combinations and rating them
- Showing off solving a Rubik’s cube quickly
- Doing an impression of a celebrity like Arnold Schwarzenegger
- Recording their pet cat doing silly antics
- Filming impressive dance choreography to the latest hits
- Pranking friends and family members in funny ways
- Lip syncing over clips from popular movies or songs
- Reacting dramatically to crazy online content
- Showcasing video game trick shots or highlights
As you can see, Snapchat Spotlight hosts all sorts of creative, funny, entertaining short videos and clips. The variety of content makes it fun for users to scroll through the Spotlight feed and discover new viral videos.
Conclusion
Although Snapchat doesn’t offer native downloading of Spotlight videos, they can be screen recorded or saved using third party apps and extensions. However, saving Spotlight clips does go against Snapchat’s ephemeral ethos. Users should be mindful of copyright and only share videos for personal archival use. Overall though, Spotlight offers a fun way to discover entertaining short-form vertical videos from the Snapchat community.