What Is Snapchat Face Swap?

Face swapping is the latest (and mildly horrifying) chosen pastime for smartphone users everywhere, with an app called Face Swap Live becoming all the rage late in 2015. But in case you hadn't heard, Snapchat jumped on the bandwagon recently, too, with a Face Swap lens of its own. What is Snapchat Face Swap, anyway, though, and why should you take advantage of this incredibly entertaining lens? To demystify the feature, here's everything you need ot know about it.

People are getting creative with their face swapping, and it's no longer about simply replacing your own features with someone else's — that's for amateurs. People are swapping faces with pets and inanimate objects, and one woman even swapped "faces" with a boob. (I'm going to let you Google that one on your own, although be warned that it is incredibly NSFW). Now that you're up to speed on the recent closing of the Snapchat store, and the fact that lenses will come and go with no sense of permanence, you know that you need to enjoy the Face Swap lens while it lasts — because it could be nothing but a memory in the very near future.

Using the lens is super simple. First, make sure you have the latest version of Snapchat. Then press and hold on your face until the recognition software recognizes you. Simply scroll through the lens options until you find Face Swap, line your face up with... basically anything else (it certainly doesn't have to be another face, as we've seen), and viola: You've officially swapped faces with your BFF, a teddy bear, your favorite Kardashian, an Avengers mug, you name it.

Lining the faces up might take a little practice; but once you get the hang of things, the floodgates will open and ideas start gushing forth. You might start to think that your Snapchat Face Swap game is on point... but have you swapped with a banana? A telephone pole?

How about your own tie?

Your favorite childhood doll?

With Snapchat's Face Swap lens, anything is possible. Take advantage of this bad boy now, before it disappears into the big lens store in the sky.

For Bustle conversations on everything from face swapping to being a woman online, check out our podcast, The Chat Room. You can find more on our Soundcloud page.

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