What happened?
It’s understandable to feel worried if personal or private pictures were shared on Snapchat as ‘My Eyes Only’ and have since disappeared or been deleted. The My Eyes Only feature allows Snapchat users to save sensitive photos securely in a passcode-protected area, so naturally losing access can cause stress. However, there are a few potential ways to recover lost My Eyes Only pictures depending on the situation.
Why did your My Eyes Only pictures disappear?
There are a few common reasons My Eyes Only pictures may have been deleted or lost access to:
- You forgot your My Eyes Only passcode – Without the correct passcode, you cannot access photos saved in My Eyes Only.
- The pictures expired – My Eyes Only pictures automatically delete after a set time period determined when saving the picture. Standard times are 24 hours or 7 days.
- Your account was logged out – Logging out of your Snapchat account temporarily disables access to My Eyes Only until logged back in.
- You deleted the Snapchat app – Removing the app from your device deletes all local Snapchat data, including anything in My Eyes Only.
- Your phone was reset – Similarly, resetting your device to factory settings erases locally stored app data and content.
- Your account was hacked – If someone else logged into your account, they could have deleted your private pictures.
Knowing the specific circumstances around how the pictures disappeared will help determine if and how they can be retrieved.
Can you recover pictures if you forgot your My Eyes Only passcode?
If you no longer remember your My Eyes Only passcode, you have a few options to try recovering access:
- Keep trying passcode combinations – Try inputting any passwords or pins you commonly use to see if they work. There is no limit to the number of attempts.
- Use Snapchat’s ‘Forgot My Eyes Only Passcode’ option – In My Eyes Only settings, this resets your passcode after a 24-hour waiting period.
- Logout and login again – This can sometimes reset the passcode to your default account password temporarily.
- Contact Snapchat support – Snapchat may be able to manually reset your My Eyes Only passcode if you verify account ownership.
With some persistence and the right approach, you have a good chance of regaining access to your pictures even without the exact passcode.
Can you recover expired or deleted My Eyes Only pictures?
If your private pictures were set to automatically delete within 24 hours or 7 days, or were manually deleted from My Eyes Only, the ability to recover them depends on:
- If you have a saved local copy – If the pictures still exist in your camera roll or device storage, you can re-save them to My Eyes Only.
- If the pictures were synced to iCloud – iOS users may be able to recover deleted Snapchat photos from an iCloud backup.
- If Snapchat backups exist – Snapchat saves deleted pictures for up to 30 days and provides downloadable data backups that may contain My Eyes Only photos.
Without a saved copy or backup, unfortunately expired and manually deleted My Eyes Only pictures are likely unrecoverable. So it’s important to save copies of photos you want to keep access to.
What if your account was logged out or you deleted the Snapchat app?
If your private Snapchat pictures disappeared due to logging out of your account or deleting the Snapchat app from your device, the situation is easily reversible:
- Log back into your Snapchat account – This will restore access to your My Eyes Only photos.
- Reinstall the Snapchat app – After reinstalling, sign in to your account again to regain access.
In both cases, your My Eyes Only pictures should reappear since they are tied to your account and stored on Snapchat’s cloud servers. Logging out or deleting the app only temporarily restricts access until you sign back in.
Is it possible to recover My Eyes Only pictures if your phone was reset?
If your device was reset to factory default settings, recovering erased My Eyes Only photos depends on:
- If you have a Snapchat account backup – Log into Snapchat again and restore your account data from the backup.
- If your pictures were saved locally or to iCloud – Check your camera roll, device storage, and iCloud photos.
- If auto-sync was enabled – Linked apps may have copied your Snapchat pictures before the reset.
Unfortunately if no backups or copies exist, resetting your device permanently erases locally stored Snapchat data, including anything saved to My Eyes Only. So maintaining your own backups is key.
What if your account was hacked and pictures were deleted?
If someone else gained access to your account and deleted your private My Eyes Only photos, take these steps:
- Change your Snapchat password – Reset your password immediately to secure your account.
- Review login activity – Check recent logins under Snapchat settings to see any suspicious activity.
- Scan your device for malware – Hackers may have used malware to access your account and pictures.
- Contact Snapchat Support – Report the unauthorized access and request help restoring deleted photos.
While Snapchat may not be able to directly retrieve deleted pictures, they can assist with account security and recovery to help prevent further issues.
How can you keep My Eyes Only pictures safe in the future?
To avoid losing access to important My Eyes Only photos again, be sure to:
- Save copies before uploading – Keep originals in your camera roll or cloud storage in case they are deleted.
- Note the expiration date – Pay attention to when pictures will auto-delete based on your chosen duration.
- Write down your passcode – Store it somewhere safe so you don’t lose access.
- Enable backups – Use Snapchat’s backup feature or auto-sync with iCloud or Google Photos.
- Strengthen account security – Use a strong unique password and enable two-factor authentication.
Can Snapchat help recover My Eyes Only pictures?
Unfortunately, Snapchat does not have an official way to directly retrieve deleted or inaccessible My Eyes Only pictures. Their policy states:
“Snaps, Chats, and My Eyes Only content will be deleted from our servers after 30 days, beginning from the day they are sent. Once they are deleted, we are not able to retrieve them.”
However, you can contact Snapchat Support to:
- Report unauthorized account access or hacking.
- Request help resetting your My Eyes Only passcode.
- Enable backups to restore some deleted account data.
While Snapchat is limited in directly obtaining deleted pictures, their team can help with account and security issues related to lost My Eyes Only photos.
Conclusion
It may be possible to recover lost access, expired, or deleted My Eyes Only pictures by logging back into Snapchat, using backups, or checking linked cloud storage. However, if no copies exist and automatic expiration dates have passed, the photos are likely gone for good. To avoid this situation, always keep your own backups, manage expiration dates, secure your account, and enable Snapchat’s backup feature. With the right precautions, you can feel confident your private pictures are safe even in the My Eyes Only vault.