How Snugg Works: From Signup to Your First Post

A practical walkthrough of what actually happens when you join Snugg

You've heard about Snugg. Maybe you're tired of ads, algorithms, and endless scrolling. Maybe a friend invited you. Maybe you're just curious about an alternative.

Whatever brought you here, this guide shows you exactly what happens from the moment you sign up to sharing your first post with your people.

No overselling. No technical jargon. Just the actual experience.

Getting Started: The Signup

What You Need

An email address
2 minutes

What Happens

1. You get an invite link (or visit snugg.social directly) 2. Enter your email - That's it. No password to create or remember. 3. Check your inbox - You'll get a "magic link" to verify your email 4. Click the link - You're in

Why no password? Passwords are annoying. They get forgotten, stolen, or reused. Snugg uses magic links instead - you get a new secure link sent to your email each time you sign in. Your email inbox becomes your authentication.

Your 30-day trial starts the moment you verify your email. No credit card required.

Setting Up Your Profile

Once you're in, you'll set up the basics:

Profile Setup (Takes 2-3 minutes)

Name: What you want people to call you
Profile photo: Optional but recommended - it helps your people recognize you
Date of birth: For age verification (not shared publicly)

That's it. No lengthy forms. No "tell us about yourself" essays. No connecting other social accounts.

What's happening behind the scenes: Your device is generating encryption keys. You don't see this. You don't need to think about it. But it's important: these keys mean that only you and the people you choose can read what you post.

Finding Your People

This is where Snugg starts to feel different from other platforms.

Option 1: Import Your Contacts

Snugg can scan your phone contacts to show you who's already here. It's optional, but it makes finding friends easier.

See which contacts are already using Snugg
Invite the ones who aren't (one-tap bulk invite)
Snugg shows you: "12 of your contacts are already here!"

Option 2: Join via Invitation

If a friend invited you, you might already be added to their group. You'll see a notification showing which group you've been invited to.

Privacy note: When you import contacts, Snugg uses hashed phone numbers to match contacts without exposing your full address book to our servers.

Your First Group

Groups are the heart of Snugg. Unlike Facebook where everything is jumbled together, Snugg keeps different parts of your life separate.

Creating a Group

1. Tap "Create Group" 2. Name it (e.g., "Family," "College Friends," "Running Club") 3. Add a description (optional) 4. Invite people

Group size guidance:

Works with any number of members

Optimized for 5-50 people

Maximum 50 members per group

You can create up to 100 groups

Note: These limits (max members per group, max groups per user, max members in group chats) may increase in the future based on user demand and technical capabilities.

How Groups Work

Invite-only - No one can find or join without an invitation
You're the admin - As the creator, you control who's in the group
Private by default - Posts in one group aren't visible in another

Example groups our users create:

Immediate family (5-8 people)
Extended family (15-30 people)
Friend groups (8-15 people)
Hobby clubs (10-30 people)
Event coordination (Wedding planning, reunions, trips)

Inviting People

As the group admin, you can: 1. Generate an invite link - Share it however you want (text, email, etc.) 2. Set expiration - Links expire after 7 days or 20 uses 3. Track who joins - See when people accept invitations

When someone clicks your invite link, they're added to the group and can immediately see all posts (past and present).

Posting Your First Update

Now comes the fun part: sharing with your group.

Creating a Post

1. Select which group to post to 2. Write your update (up to 2,000 characters) 3. Add photos (up to 10) or video (up to 60 seconds) - optional 4. Tap "Post"

What you can share:

Text updates

Photos (birthday party pics, vacation shots, etc.)

Videos (that funny moment, the kids' dance recital)

Or just text (a thought, a question, an announcement)

What Happens When You Post

Your post appears at the top of your group's feed. Everyone in the group sees it in chronological order - newest posts first.

No algorithm decides what people see.
No ad inserted between your post and the next.
No analytics tracking who viewed what.

Your friends see your post. They react, comment, or start a conversation. That's it.

The "All Caught Up" Moment

Unlike other platforms that keep showing you more content forever, Snugg's feed has a bottom. When you've seen all the new posts, you'll see:

"You're all caught up!"

This is by design. You're not supposed to spend hours scrolling. You check in, catch up with your people, and get on with your life.

Staying Connected: How People Interact

Reactions

See something you like? React with an emoji. Tap the reaction button, pick your emoji, done.

One reaction per person per post
Change your reaction anytime
See who reacted with what

Simple. No complex "engagement algorithm" trying to manipulate what you see.

Comments

Want to say more? Leave a comment.

Up to 1,000 characters
Chronological order (oldest first)
Edit or delete your comments
@mention people to notify them

The Magic Transition: Comment to Private Message

Here's something clever: Sometimes a comment thread needs to go private. Maybe you're discussing logistics, or the conversation is getting personal.

When you're commenting on a post, you have two options:

"Comment" - Public, visible to everyone in the group

"Message [Author]" - Starts a private 1-1 conversation

This lets you naturally move from public discussion to private chat without losing context.

Direct Messaging

Beyond group posts, Snugg has full private messaging.

1-1 Conversations

Message any Snugg user directly
Send text, photos (up to 10), or video (up to 60s)
React to messages with emojis
Real-time delivery when both people are online

Group Chats

Need to coordinate with a few people without posting to the whole group?

Create a group chat (up to 20 people)
Separate from your social groups
Same privacy and encryption as 1-1 messages

Message Privacy

Messages are separate from posts. They're in their own section, clearly distinct. No confusion about what's public and what's private.

Status indicators:

Sent

Delivered

Read receipts (optional - you can turn them off)

Features That Respect Your Time

Snugg includes several features designed to help you use it healthily, not addictively.

Quiet Hours

Set times when notifications are silenced (e.g., 10pm - 8am). Notifications queue up and deliver after quiet hours end.

Exception: You can allow specific groups or people to break through quiet hours for emergencies.

Notification Batching

Instead of pinging you constantly, Snugg can batch notifications:

Every 5 minutes (default)
Every 15 minutes
Every 30 minutes
Every hour

Less anxiety. Fewer interruptions. Still stay connected.

Usage Dashboard (Optional)

Want to see how much time you're spending on Snugg?

Turn on the usage dashboard to see:

Daily time spent

Weekly time spent

Posts created

Messages sent

No gamification. No streaks. No badges. Just transparent information so you can make informed choices about your digital life.

The "All Caught Up" Encouragement

When you've seen all new content, Snugg gently suggests:

"You've seen everything new. Time to live life!"

You can keep scrolling through older posts if you want. But the app isn't going to manufacture more content to keep you hooked.

Managing Your Groups

As you use Snugg, you'll manage your groups:

Admin Controls

Invite new members - Generate and share invite links
Remove members - If someone needs to leave
Edit group info - Change name or description
Delete the group - Permanent deletion if the group is no longer needed

Member Actions

Leave a group - Remove yourself anytime
View members - See who's in the group
Mute notifications - Stay in the group but silence notifications

The Collaborative Post Feature

Here's something unique: Sometimes posts are better together.

What It Is

A collaborative post lets multiple people contribute to a single post.

Example use cases:

Family vacation: Everyone adds their favorite photos

Wedding: Guests contribute pictures from the ceremony

Team project: Members share progress updates

Birthday tribute: Friends add memories and photos

How It Works

1. Create a post and enable "Collaborative"
2. Group members can add their photos
3. Everyone's contributions appear in the same post
4. Credit is given to each contributor

This keeps related content together instead of scattered across separate posts.

Your Trial: What's Included

For 30 days, you get full access to everything:

Unlimited groups

Unlimited posts and messages

All photos and videos

Full encryption and privacy

Direct messaging

Group chats

All wellbeing features

No credit card required. Try it, decide if it's for you, then choose whether to subscribe.

After the Trial: Founding Member Pricing

At the end of your 30 days, you'll get a choice:

Founding Member Offer (First 1,000 subscribers)

EUR 3/month or EUR 30/year, locked in forever

If you're one of the first 1,000 people to subscribe, you'll never pay more than EUR 3/month (or EUR 30/year). Even when regular pricing goes to EUR 5/month for new users later.

Regular Pricing (After first 1,000)

EUR 5/month or EUR 50/year

What You're Paying For

Zero ads, forever
Continued development and maintenance
Server costs for your encrypted data
Email support
Future feature updates

What you're NOT paying for: We're not selling your data. We're not inserting ads. Your EUR 3-5/month is the entire business model.

What Snugg Doesn't Do

To be completely transparent, here's what Snugg intentionally doesn't have:

No Algorithmic Feed

Posts appear in chronological order. No algorithm decides what you see or when you see it.

Why: Algorithms are designed to maximize engagement (addiction), not your happiness.

No Ads

Zero advertisements. Ever.

Why: Ad-supported social media requires tracking and data collection. That's incompatible with real privacy.

No Public Discovery

You can't search for people or groups. Everything is invite-only.

Why: Snugg is for your existing relationships, not for building an audience or growing followers.

No Infinite Scroll

Feeds have a bottom. When you've seen everything new, you're done.

Why: The goal is connection, not consumption.

No Analytics

We don't track who viewed your post, how long they looked, or what device they used.

Why: That data isn't necessary for you to share with friends. It's only valuable for advertising.

Common Questions About Using Snugg

"Can I use Snugg on multiple devices?"

Yes. Sign in on your phone, tablet, or computer. Your messages and posts sync across all devices.

"What happens if I lose my device?"

Your data is encrypted and backed up. Sign in from a new device using your email magic link, and everything's there.

"Can I export my data?"

Yes. You own your content. Export all your posts, messages, and photos anytime.

"What if I want to delete my account?"

You can delete your account anytime. There's a 7-day grace period in case you change your mind, then everything is permanently deleted.

"Do I have to invite people, or can they find me?"

You have to invite them. There's no search or discovery. This is intentional - Snugg is for people you already know.

"Can I create groups with different privacy levels?"

All Snugg groups are private and encrypted. The only privacy control is who you invite.

"Is there a desktop app?"

Snugg works in any web browser and functions like a desktop app (Progressive Web App). You can also use it on mobile.

The Honest Reality of Switching

Let's be realistic about what moving to Snugg means:

The Network Effect Challenge

Snugg is only useful if your people are here. You can't use it alone.

The solution: Start with one small group. Invite your closest family or friends. If they're also frustrated with current platforms, they'll join you.

The Transition Period

For the first few weeks, you'll probably use both Snugg and your old platforms in parallel.

That's normal. Eventually, you'll find yourself checking Snugg first and the other stuff less.

What You Gain

Actual privacy
No ads
No algorithm
Chronological feed
Time back in your life
Better conversations

What You Give Up

Large networks (for now)
Public posting
Viral potential
Endless scroll
Discovery features

The trade-off: You're exchanging breadth for depth. Fewer people, better connections.

Ready to Try It?

Here's what happens next:

1. Sign up - Visit snugg.social or click your invite link
2. Set up your profile - Takes 2 minutes
3. Create or join your first group - Start with your closest people
4. Post something - Share an update, a photo, a question
5. See how it feels - Use it for a week, see if it's different

30 days free. No credit card. Cancel anytime.

If your people join you, if the vibe feels better, if you find yourself less anxious and more connected - that's when you'll know it's working.

The Bottom Line

Snugg isn't trying to replace Instagram or Facebook for everyone. It's not trying to be the next billion-user platform.

Snugg is for people who want something different:

Smaller groups

Real privacy

No ads

Chronological posts

Finite feeds

Better mental health

If that sounds like you, come try it.

If not, that's okay too. Snugg isn't for everyone. And that's by design.

[Create Account - 30 Day Free Trial]

EUR 3/month or EUR 30/year for founding members (first 1,000 subscribers)

One More Thing

You made it to the end of a 2,000+ word blog post. That probably took you 8-10 minutes to read.

On Instagram, you'd scroll through 100+ posts in that same time, see 20 ads, and feel vaguely anxious.

That's the difference.