Snapchat

I tried signing up for Snapchat after I downloading it, and the sign up process is not accessible what so ever. You can enter your email address and choose a password, but you can't choose your birth date or accept the terms of service.

Does anyone know how accessible SnapChat is now? I think I've heard at least a few blind users now on there.

Also, I am very new to the idea of Snapchat and the current app description doesn't really say a whole lot about what it does. Is it still a pictures-only app, or can you now post text, video, etc.?

Thanks for the help.

According to what I hear you cannot get past the sign on screen. And it's pictures and video and get but it all goes away in 15 seconds, or maybe that's 15 seconds after one views it.

I have had the Snapchat app since last August. As far as I've been able to tell it still isn't accessible. Is there a work around or something I don't know about? I really want to use it and it's made me very angry that it doesn't seem to be accessible. It is now a huge communication app that is very very popular. We should not be left out! In your comment you said there are a lot of blind people on it now...is there a way to use it that I'm missing? When I open it Voiceover won't read any of the buttons...

The description on here says version 4.0...it is now up to version 9.32.3. Also, apparently you can now send pictures, 10 second videos, and text...it is now extremely popular and a huge app for communication and content. Most celebrities and athletes are on it now and post videos and pictures. That is why I am so angry it is not accessible...we are being left out of accessing a lot of content. A lot of sighted people say Snapchat is their favorite app. Many have even stopped using Periscope and instead use Snapchat. It isn't this little app anymore and their disregard for accessibility outrages me.

Well, since they are not making it accessible even with our feedback I'd say uninstall it. That phase will go away some time soon. Some of my sighted friends are not using it anymore in favor of what's app and fb messenger.

Does anyone think that this app should be a Campaign of the Month some time soon? After all, it is becoming very popular now, as has been pointed out and it is sad that the devs have made no effort, apparently, to make it accessible to us... Perhaps they need more pressure...

It's worth a try, however some devs just don't care, or don't want to, or can't make their app accessible due to the api they are using and the coding tools. If they have to do arewrite from the ground up don't expect to hear a yes.

Here is the thing though I worry about. Snapchat is so popular. I want to do something with sports media/journalism as a career. In that field, social media is huge. Is there anything we can do to put pressure on the developers? Because what I worry about is Snapchat is becoming so popular I worry (and this may sound silly) we might get turned down for jobs because it is inaccessible. Silly I know. But I know on one of the shows on ESPN Radio one day they were scheduled to have Dwuyane Wade on as a guest. Wade did not call in. Wondering what was up, the producers of the show checked Wade's snapchat (not kidding) and saw he was hanging out in Miami with Lebron James. They used Snapchat to get the info to find out why he never called in. There is also an organization called the Association for Women in Sports Media. They have a convention every year. Apparently one of the items at their convention this year is Using Snapchat. I worry I and other blind people who want to go into journalism/sports/media will be turned down for jobs or even will struggle in college in the Journalism school/department because of this app being inaccessible and the devs not caring. Is there anything more we can do? I hope Snapchat fades soon but it's literally beginning to be used in the field of sports journalism/media.

Several of us should contact the developer. Even if they don't add accessibility, they will at least know that we want it and that we are trying to get through to them. It's just a shame that it is not a snap to chat with them.

I agree with the comment several of us should contact them. What is the best way though? They have a FB page but it has not been updated since like 2013 so I don't think it is used. Twitter is only 140 characters and I have tried tweeting them and they haven't responded. What is the best way to contact them to get their attention? And, yes it is a true shame we can't contact them in a snap!! For this being a communication app it is sure hard to communicate with them.

I'm not sure if I have to be the one who submitted this app to change the usability rating of it so here is a comment. I've had my account for a while now so I'm not sure about the login screen, but all the buttons seem to be registered by voiceover. The only three buttons I found so far that don't have labels are the three at the bottom of the camera screen. But if you want them labeled you can just double tap and hold with two fingers until you hear the three beeps and the alert sound and then just label them yourself. From left to right they are chat, memories, and stories. Also for me I've had to label stories when there were new stories and when there weren't. I think it changes colors so it registers as a different button, but its the same.

OK, so, yes, it does appear that much more of this app is accessible.

However...

It tells me in the main screen to "tap the ghost" to add friends. However, my VoiceOver does not register any so-called ghost. So, how do I add friends?

I think there is an explore option, and if memory serves it will let you search for users.

The last time I tried snapchat, it wasn't accessable. now, it seems there are ways to use it, from the previous comments, is this still the case? I am a marketer, and snapchat, is huge in my endristry

It can be done, but it is not a friendly process. The camera button shows but does not indicate which camera it uses. I'm told it defaults to the rear camera when you first press it, but have not tried it out. The bottom 3 tabs are unlabeled. They do remain the same and could be labeled, or memorized, but if you're looking for it to tell you what they are, that's not happening. The only one I know for sure is the one on the right, which lets you see your stories and/or other feeds. Anyone else who wants can chime in, but this is my experience with it thus far.

I just wanted to let everyone know that in the latest version of Snapchat (I want to say it's 10 something) the three buttons after the take a snap button are now labeled. They are chat, stories, and share from memories. If you go to stories you can successfully double tap on your story or someone elses story. You can also double tap on chat and chat with someone. Unfortunately, Voiceover still does not read which camera is facing and it does not tell you whether flash is turned on or not. However, I thought labeling those three buttons is a huge improvement.

The only thing (that /I can find) that isn't accessible now is the filters and emojis after taking a snap. Could the rating be updated?

If "filters and images" remain inaccessible, then I believe the current accessibility rating should remain in effect. In order to be rated "fully accessible," every single feature should be fully nonvisually accessible. Thanks.

I am afraid that that is not the only thing that is inaccessible. After downloading the app for the first time over a year ago, and finding the sign up process not accessible, I deleted the app and forgot about it. Last night though, after hearing about it on a podcast, decided to revisit the app and try it again. This time, the sign up process was somewhat accessible, better then the last time I tried, when it came time to confirm I wasn't a robot, it asked me to select the images that had a specific number. Well VoiceOver did read the buttons but they did not have labels, so VoiceOver only read them as "Button". Now I do understand why these buttons were not labeled, but it would be nice if an alternate option to confirm we're not robots would be made available. Now I can't speak about the app's interface as I never reached that part on my own, but like last time, I have deleted the app and will wait a bit longer in the hopes that one day, the developer will be able to make their app fully accessible, or as close to it as possible.

Thanks for the information on the inaccessible signup process.

In that case, I would venture to say that, perhaps, the accessibility rating should go down?

Hi. I have been using this app over the last month and I have to say that there have been major improvements as I can now send snaps to my story and view other peoples stories. I can't describe photos but some people do post videos which are limited to 10 seconds only. I can also see who viewed my story by double tapping and holding on my story and I can see a list of people who have viewed my content. However below the list of stories from other people! There are recommended accounts to follow and Voiceover doesn't read the names of those accounts. I can also access my private messages and reply to them. Facebook Messenger is doing something similar called Shared Days which can be found within the Messenger app. I don't think it's taken off yet as I have only seen one post over the last 2 weeks. Just like Snapchat! The post will expire after 24 hours. WhatsApp are have a status tab where you can update your status by posting a pic but it's not a big hit. They are all trying to copy the same idea but it's not proving to be successful.

I will agree that there have been improvements. The buttons along the bottom are now labeled, (not the case before), and it does seem easier to navigate in many areas. However, there is one glaring obvious thing that one would think should be an easy fix. It is in instagram and the regular camera. And that is, camera chooser. It simply says "camera chooser," but you have no idea which camera is chosen. One can assume, (but shouldn't have to), that by default the back camera is the one chosen by default and by pressing the button it flips to front facing camera, but then what if you go back in later and don't recall which camera you were on last? It seems small in the grand scheme of things, but not really. What if you think you're snapping a pick of something in front of you and instead it's just a shot of your shirt? Just my 2 cents, for what it's worth.

Hey guys, I just downloaded this app to see where it was in terms of accessibility. Many things are labeled now and you can now see which camera you're using. However, as far as I can tell, there is still no way to add filters to the snaps...Does anyone have a work-around for this or another app that I can use to take pictures and add random filters?