Yes, there are a few different ways to hide or delete snapchat messages on both the sender’s and recipient’s end. While Snapchat markets itself as an ephemeral messaging app where messages disappear after being viewed, there are methods to save, hide, or delete chats.
Hiding or deleting messages you’ve sent
If you’re the sender of a snapchat message, there are a couple options to essentially “take back” a message you’ve already sent to someone.
Unsend a chat before it’s opened
If the recipient hasn’t opened your chat yet, you can “unsend” it. To unsend a snapchat:
- Open the chat with the recipient
- Press and hold on the message you want to unsend
- Tap “Unsend” to remove the message before it’s seen
This will delete the message from the recipient’s inbox before they’ve had a chance to view it. One caveat is that you only have up to 10 seconds after sending a message to unsend it.
Delete a chat after it’s opened
If the recipient has already opened your snapchat message, you can still delete the message from the conversation (but not from their phone). To delete a sent message:
- Open the chat
- Press and hold on the sent message
- Tap “Delete” to remove the message from the conversation
This will only delete the message from your perspective in the chat screen. The recipient will still have access to that message in their own chat history unless they also delete it.
Block a recipient from seeing your stories
If you’ve shared story updates that you don’t want a specific person to see, you can block them from viewing any future stories without deleting them as a friend. To do this:
- Go to your profile and tap the gear icon
- Select “My Friends”
- Tap the name of the friend you want to block
- Toggle “Allow [friend] to view my story” off
This will prevent them from seeing any new story updates you post, while still allowing you to chat normally.
Preventing recipients from screenshotting or saving your snaps
Since recipients can save or screenshot messages you send, avoiding this is trickier. There are a few techniques that may help but they aren’t foolproof:
- Enable screenshot notifications – This lets you know if someone takes a screenshot of your snap.
- Avoid sending revealing or risky photos – Even if screenshotting is prevented, risky photos can be duplicated by taking a photo of the screen.
- Use app screenshot blocking apps – Some third party apps claim to prevent Snapchat screenshots, but their effectiveness varies.
- Send messages as view-once media – Recipients can replay view-once media only once, making saving harder.
Ultimately though, anything sent digitally can be duplicated. The only way to fully prevent saving is to not send the snap at all.
Hiding messages you’ve received
If you’re the recipient of a Snapchat message, you also have options to hide chats:
Hide received chats
Hiding a received chat prevents it from showing up in your main messages inbox, while still letting you access it if you search for the sender’s name. To hide a received chat:
- Open the chat you want to hide
- Tap the name of the sender at the top
- Tap “Hide Chat”
The chat will disappear from your inbox but is still accessible via search.
Block the sender
Blocking the sender prevents you from receiving any new messages from them. To block someone:
- Open the chat from the sender you want to block
- Tap the sender’s name at the top
- Tap “Block [sender]”
This will block any new messages but doesn’t delete existing messages in the conversation.
Delete the chat
If you want to completely remove a conversation, you can delete it. This erases the chat history from your account. To delete a chat:
- Open the chat you want to delete
- Tap the sender’s name
- Tap “Delete Chat”
- Confirm deleting the chat
Be aware this doesn’t prevent the sender from retaining the message history themselves or messaging you again in the future.
Saving your own incoming Snapchats
If you want to secretly keep snapshots someone sends you, there are some workaround methods:
- Screen recording – You can record your screen as you view and replay snaps.
- Taking a photo – Snapchat doesn’t prevent you from capturing a photo of snaps with a camera.
- Third party apps – Some apps claim the ability to intercept and save Snapchat images.
While this violates the intent and etiquette of Snapchat’s ephemeral messaging, it highlights the near impossibility of preventing message saving completely in the digital age. Only send snaps you’d be comfortable with recipients keeping.
Deleting Snapchat account and messages
Deleting your Snapchat account is the nuclear option to erase all messages you’ve ever sent or received. To delete an account:
- Go to your profile and tap the Settings (gear) icon
- Scroll down and select “Delete Account”
- Enter your username and password and select “Continue”
- Select “Delete Account” again to confirm
Once your account is deleted, all your conversations will be erased from Snapchat’s servers. Recipients may still have saved copies externally, but the account deletion prevents anyone from looking up your old username.
Key takeaways
- You have limited abilities to unsend or delete sent messages if the recipient hasn’t viewed them yet.
- After a message is viewed, you can only delete it from your perspective, not the recipient’s.
- Blocking friends prevents them seeing your stories but doesn’t delete existing chats.
- Recipient-side actions like hiding, blocking, and deleting chats remove conversations from your inbox.
- Outside tools can help recipients save incoming snaps, but violate Snapchat’s intent.
- Deleting your account completely erases your Snapchat presence and messages.
While Snapchat promotes ephemeral messaging, savvy users have found ways around these restrictions. Ultimately, nothing digital can be made 100% temporary. Carefully consider your messaging habits and followers lists to maintain your desired privacy.