Snapchat is a popular social media app that allows users to send photos, videos, and messages that disappear after being viewed. One of Snapchat’s key features is that it notifies users when someone takes a screenshot of their snaps. However, many Snapchat users wonder if the app also notifies others when they change their Snapchat settings.
Does Snapchat notify others when you change settings?
The short answer is no, Snapchat does not send out notifications when you change your settings. The app only alerts users if someone takes a screenshot of their snap. Changing settings like toggling who can view your story, see your location, or view you as a suggested friend does not trigger any notification to other users.
This makes sense when you consider the purpose behind Snapchat’s screenshot notification. The app wants to protect user privacy by letting them know if someone saves one of their disappearing photos or videos. On the other hand, settings changes don’t directly impact the privacy of individual snaps. So Snapchat leaves settings changes private by default.
What types of settings changes can you make?
There are a few main Snapchat settings you may want to tweak from time to time. These include:
- Who can see your story – Either “My Friends”, “Everyone”, or custom settings
- Who can see your location – Either “My Friends”, “Select Friends”, or “Only Me”
- Who can contact me – Either “My Friends”, “Everyone”, or “No One”
- Suggest me as a friend – Either “All Friends”, “Select Friends”, or “No One”
- See me in Quick Add – Either “Yes” or “No”
Changing any of these settings will not trigger a notification to other Snapchat users. You’re free to customize them as needed without others being aware.
When can settings changes become visible?
Although settings changes don’t directly alert other Snapchatters, in some cases the results of your changes may become visible over time. For example:
- If you stop someone from seeing your location, they’ll notice your Snap Map disappears
- If you restrict story viewing, some friends may no longer see your story updates
- If you limit quick add visibility, you may stop appearing as a suggested friend
So while the act of changing settings is private, the impact may indirectly clue others into the fact that you’ve changed your settings if they notice a difference in what they can see from your profile.
Can you tell if someone else changes their settings?
Just as your settings changes are private, you also can’t directly see when someone else updates their Snapchat settings. However, you may be able to spot indirect signals, like:
- A friend disappears from your Snap Map
- Someone’s story vanishes from your feed
- A friend stops showing up as a quick add suggestion
If you notice changes like these, it likely means that friend has updated their settings, even though Snapchat doesn’t send an explicit alert about it.
Special case: Being removed as a friend
The one exception where Snapchat does notify you about a settings change is if someone removes you as a friend. Snapchat will send you a message saying “[Friend’s name] removed you as a friend” if they delete you from their friends list.
This makes sense as removing a friend is a more significant change than simply tweaking privacy settings. It lets you know you can no longer view the person’s snaps or interact with them on the app.
How to tell if your settings changes took effect
Since settings updates occur silently in the background, how can you confirm the changes fully applied? Here are some ways to double check:
- For story privacy – Log out and try viewing your story as a non-friend
- For location privacy – Check the Snap Map to confirm your location no longer shows
- For quick add – Log out and try searching for your username to see if you appear
Running through quick tests like these can give you peace of mind that your new settings are working as expected.
Can you see Snapchat settings history?
Unfortunately, Snapchat does not keep a visible log or history of past settings changes. The app simply updates your current settings when you make changes.
There is no built-in way to look back and see the history of changes you’ve made over time. Snapchat does not keep track of settings history for you or make it available.
Keep settings tweaks private
Snapchat’s settings let you control how you interact with friends on the app. The good news is you can customize options like story visibility, location sharing, and contact privacy without bombarding your friends with notifications every time you make a change. Feel free to tweak settings as needed while keeping that activity private from the Snapchat community.
Conclusion
To summarize the key points:
- Snapchat does not notify other users when you update settings
- However, some settings changes can become indirectly visible over time
- You also won’t be alerted about friends changing their settings
- Removing a friend is the only change that Snapchat explicitly notifies you about
- There’s no visibility into past settings change history
- You can confirm settings took effect through small tests
- Feel free to change settings without worrying others will know
So while Snapchat takes steps to improve privacy around snaps, the app stops short of alerting others about settings adjustments. You can typically tweak options like visibility and contact controls without ruffling feathers or causing drama with friends on the app.