Snapchat has become one of the most popular social media platforms, especially among younger users. A big part of Snapchat’s appeal is that it offers a more private messaging experience than other platforms. When you send a Snap, it is automatically deleted after the recipient views it once. This gives users the freedom to share spontaneous, casual moments without worrying about it living on permanently as it would on Facebook or Instagram.
However, there are some ways to save or share Snaps more permanently. One of those ways is by forwarding a Snap you receive to another friend on Snapchat. This raises the question – can people see when you forward their Snaps to someone else? Let’s take a look at how forwarding works and what the original sender can see.
What Does Forwarding a Snap Mean?
When you forward a Snap, you are taking the Snap that was originally sent to you and sending it on to one or more of your other Snapchat friends. It appears in your chat window with the original sender’s name on it, along with an icon indicating it has been forwarded.
The great thing about forwarding is it allows you to easily share fun Snaps with other friends who might enjoy them too. It saves you from screenshotting the Snap, saving it to your camera roll, going back into Snapchat to upload it, and sending it individually to each person.
However, forwarding does differ from simply screenshotting or screen-recording a Snap. With forwarding, the Snap remains ephemerial and will still expire after being viewed once by each recipient. Screenshotting or screen-recording saves a permanent copy of the Snap to your device’s storage.
Can the Original Sender See Forwarded Snaps?
When you forward a Snap, the original sender is notified that you did so. However, they won’t get details on who you forwarded it to or how many times you forwarded it.
The notification they receive simply says “[Your name] forwarded 1 snap.” If you were to forward the same Snap to 5 different people, they would still only be notified “forwarded 1 snap.”
The original sender does not have the ability to see who you forwarded their Snap to. The forwarded Snap also does not show up in their chat history – it only appears in the chat windows of the people you forwarded it to.
Does Forwarding Notify Recipients?
When you receive a forwarded Snap, you’ll get a notification saying “[Sender’s name] forwarded a Snap from [Original sender’s name].” This lets you know it wasn’t an original Snap sent just to you.
Beyond that notification, there is no indication to the recipients that the Snap has been forwarded or how many times. If five people receive the forwarded Snap, they’ll each just get the standard notification it came from the original sender via the forwarder.
Can You Tell if Someone Screenshots Your Forwarded Snap?
As mentioned earlier, forwarding a Snap maintains the ephemerality unlike taking a screenshot. However, there is still the possibility one of the recipients can screenshot or screen-record the forwarded Snap before it disappears.
Just like with any Snap you send, you’ll be notified if someone takes a screenshot or screen recording of your forwarded Snap. Snapchat’s screenshot detection applies to all Snaps, whether they originated from you or were forwarded on by someone else.
So if you want to maintain maximum privacy, it’s best to avoid sending content in a Snap that you wouldn’t want someone to be able to save. The screenshot notification can act as a deterrent, but there is no way to prevent someone from capturing an image or video of the screen.
Do Forward Receipts Expire?
When you forward a Snap, the notification the original sender receives does eventually expire just like a normal Snap would. If the original sender doesn’t open Snapchat for awhile, the forwarded receipt will disappear after 30 days.
If they open Snapchat but don’t view your chat conversation, the forwarded receipt will disappear after 24 hours. And if they open your chat, it will be removed as soon as they view it.
So while you can’t hide the fact that you forwarded their Snap, they won’t be reminded about it forever. The notice goes away on its own after a short period just like Snaps and chats do.
Is There Any Way to Forward Anonymously?
There is no way to forward a Snap without the original sender being notified in some way. Even using a third party app to save and re-upload the Snap will trigger Snapchat’s systems and send a notification.
Your best bet is to ask the sender for permission first before forwarding their Snap – or avoid forwarding altogether if you think they’d be upset by it. The notification may be brief, but it still indicates a certain level of trust was broken if they weren’t OK with the forwarding.
Can You Disable Snap Forwarding?
There is no setting in Snapchat to disable someone’s ability to forward your Snaps. By default, all Snaps can be forwarded and will trigger a notification to the original sender when this happens.
If you are really concerned about your Snaps being forwarded without your knowledge, the only option is to refrain from sending content you would not want forwarded. Or, have a conversation with your friends asking them to agree not to forward anything you send without checking with you first.
Conclusion
Forwarding Snaps on Snapchat comes with a notification, so you can’t assume what you send will be kept completely private. The original sender is alerted when their Snap is forwarded, but they aren’t shown who it was sent to or how many times.
Recipients of a forwarded Snap are told it came via the forwarder, but get no other details. And there is no way to hide the fact a Snap was forwarded or disable the forwarding feature entirely.
Overall, Think carefully before forwarding someone’s Snap without their permission. While your actions aren’t totally transparent, it still involves sharing content in a way the original sender did not intend. For the best experience, only forward Snaps with the sender’s knowledge and consent.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Can the original sender see who you forwarded to? | No |
| Do forward recipients know it’s forwarded? | Yes, there is a notification |
| Can senders stop Snaps being forwarded? | No |
| Can you forward anonymously? | No |
| Does the forwarded notice expire? | Yes, after 24 hours/30 days |
Forwarding Snaps on Snapchat comes with a notification, so you can’t assume what you send will be kept completely private. The original sender is alerted when their Snap is forwarded, but they aren’t shown who it was sent to or how many times.
Recipients of a forwarded Snap are told it came via the forwarder, but get no other details. And there is no way to hide the fact a Snap was forwarded or disable the forwarding feature entirely.
Overall, Think carefully before forwarding someone’s Snap without their permission. While your actions aren’t totally transparent, it still involves sharing content in a way the original sender did not intend. For the best experience, only forward Snaps with the sender’s knowledge and consent.
Snapchat’s screenshot notification system applies to forwarded Snaps too. So if someone takes a screenshot of a forwarded Snap you sent, you’ll be notified just like with any normal Snap.
The notification the original sender gets simply says “[Your name] forwarded 1 snap.” It does not give any indication of who it was forwarded to or how many times. Even if the same Snap is forwarded to multiple people, the notice will still just say “forwarded 1 snap.”
When you receive a forwarded Snap, you’ll see a notification that it came from the original sender via the account that forwarded it to you. But you won’t know if that Snap was forwarded to multiple recipients or just you.
There is no way to disable the forwarding feature or prevent someone from forwarding your Snaps without your consent. The only option is to avoid sending Snaps with content you would not be okay with other people seeing.
Or, you can specifically ask your friends not to forward your Snaps as a courtesy, even though Snapchat doesn’t give users a way to disable forwarding. Most people will respect that request if you explain you only feel comfortable sharing certain Snaps directly with them.
In summary:
- Original sender is notified of forwarding but not shown recipients
- Recipients know Snaps are forwarded
- No way to disable forwarding
- No anonymous forwarding
- Notifications expire after 24 hours/30 days
So while Snapchat doesn’t offer total forwarding privacy, you do get notified if your Snaps are forwarded without consent. Just be mindful of sharing Snaps with very sensitive content if you are concerned about potential forwarding.
More on Snapchat Forwarding
A few additional points about forwarding Snaps:
- You can forward the same Snap multiple times – the original sender will only get one notice
- Forwarded Snaps still expire after being viewed once by each recipient
- You can add captions/text when forwarding
- Original audio and visuals cannot be edited or modified
- Forwarding only available on iOS and Android apps, not Snapchat web
So in summary, think twice before forwarding someone’s Snap without their permission. There are limited controls around forwarding so you have to rely on trust and consent for privacy. Only share Snaps that you’d be comfortable with others potentially seeing.
Snapchat has grown to be one of the largest social platforms, especially among younger audiences. Users love the spontaneity and ephemerality of sharing photos, videos, and messages that disappear after being viewed.
However, Snapchat does have features like forwarding that allow some Snaps to be shared more widely than originally intended. Still, it comes with notifications to maintain a degree of transparency and awareness.
As with all online activity, it’s important to keep best privacy practices in mind. Avoid sharing anything on Snapchat that you would not want to be forwarded or screenshotted against your wishes. And always get consent from friends before forwarding their Snaps to maintain trust and comfort.
With over 250 million daily active Snapchatters, Snaps are being shared by the billions every day. The platform continues to evolve with new creative tools and ways to communicate visually. Understanding how forwarding works is key to having the best, most comfortable Snapchat experience.