Snapchat has become one of the most popular social media apps, especially among younger users. A big part of its appeal is that it allows you to send photo and video messages that disappear after being viewed. However, one question that often comes up is what exactly happens when you delete your Snapchat account? Does deleting your Snapchat account really delete all of your data for good? Or does Snapchat continue storing some information even after you delete your account? In this article, we’ll examine what happens when you delete your Snapchat account and whether it truly deletes all of your data.
What types of data does Snapchat store?
When you use Snapchat, there are several different types of data that get created and stored:
- Snaps – The photo and video messages you send to your friends. These are meant to disappear after being viewed.
- Chat logs – The text conversations you have with friends on Snapchat.
- Stories – Photos and videos you post to your Story that your friends can view for 24 hours.
- Memories – Snaps and Stories you choose to save to Memories so they don’t disappear.
- Location data – Snapchat maps your location data based on your usage.
- Contacts – Your phone’s contacts that you allow Snapchat to access.
- Purchase history – Records of any Snapchat add-ons you purchased through the app.
Snapchat needs to store this data in order to operate its services. But the question is how much of this gets deleted when you delete your account?
Does deleting your account delete snaps, stories, and chat logs?
Yes, deleting your Snapchat account does delete all of your private snaps, stories, and chat logs associated with your account.
When you send a snap, Snapchat states that they delete it from their servers once all recipients have viewed it. Stories also disappear after 24 hours. So all of your snaps and stories should already be deleted from Snapchat’s servers even before you delete your account.
Your chat logs with friends are also tied specifically to your account. So deleting your account removes those chat logs from Snapchat’s servers as well.
However, keep in mind any snaps, stories, or chats that you and your friends may have saved through screenshots or other methods will still exist even though they’re deleted from Snapchat’s servers. The copies on your or your friends’ devices won’t be affected by deleting your Snapchat account.
Does deleting your account delete your Memories?
No, deleting your Snapchat account does not delete the Snaps and Stories you had previously saved to Memories.
Memories is Snapchat’s cloud storage service that allows you to save your favorite snaps and stories so they don’t disappear. Even if you delete your Snapchat account, the data stored in your Memories is retained by Snapchat.
Your Memories are still associated with your account, even though the account itself is deactivated. If you were to reactivate your account, all of your saved Memories would still be there unless you manually deleted each one individually before deactivating your account.
So if you want to truly delete all traces of your old snaps and stories from Snapchat when you delete your account, make sure to clear out your Memories first. Otherwise, Snapchat continues storing those, even in your absence.
Does deleting your account delete your location data?
Deleting your Snapchat account does not automatically delete the location data Snapchat collected about you while you were using the app.
Snapchat’s privacy policy states that they may retain location data for business purposes even after an account is deleted. This includes improving Snapchat’s services and serving ads.
There is no option within Snapchat’s settings to specifically request deletion of your location data when deleting your account. The only way to ensure Snapchat deletes your location history is to manually clear it through Snapchat’s settings before deactivating your account.
So if having your location data erased is important to you when deleting Snapchat, be sure to manually clear it first. Otherwise, Snapchat reserves the right to hold onto that data indefinitely.
Does deleting your account delete your contacts?
No, deleting your Snapchat account does not automatically delete the contacts that were uploaded to Snapchat from your phone.
Snapchat’s privacy policy states they keep your contacts for “business purposes” even after your account is deleted. These business purposes include improving Snapchat’s services, safety and security, ads, and communications with users.
The only way to delete your contacts from Snapchat is to manually remove them within Snapchat’s settings before deactivating your account.
So if you want your imported phone contacts gone from Snapchat when you delete your account, be sure to manually remove them first. Otherwise, Snapchat will continue storing those contacts.
Does deleting your account delete your purchase history?
Yes, deleting your Snapchat account does delete records of purchases you made through the app, such as buying Snapchat+, Bitmoji accessories, filters, and more.
Since your purchase history is tied specifically to your account, this data is removed when your account is erased after deletion. Snapchat states they delete financial information associated with your account.
So you can rest assured that your Snapchat purchase history will be wiped clean when you delete your account. You won’t have to take any extra steps to remove records of purchases made on Snapchat before deleting your account.
How long does Snapchat take to fully delete your account?
Snapchat states it can take up to 30 days for your account to be permanently deleted from their systems after you delete it.
Here are the steps involved:
- When you request account deletion, your account is first deactivated. At this point, it is no longer viewable on Snapchat.
- For the next 30 days, Snapchat states they continue processing the deletion request by:”Deleting your Account Information, including your Snaps and Chats, from our servers, Removing your contacts from our servers, and Combining data in a way that no longer identifies your device.”
- After 30 days, your account should be completely deleted from Snapchat’s systems. You cannot reactivate it after this point.
So while deletion happens relatively quickly from the user end, it still takes Snapchat up to a full month in the background to permanently scrub your account from their servers.
Can you restore a deleted Snapchat account?
No, once your Snapchat account has been deleted, there is no way to retrieve or restore it. The deletion is permanent.
According to Snapchat’s account deletion FAQ:
“We are unable to recover Accounts that have been deleted.”
The company states they do not have the technical ability to restore accounts slated for deletion.
So if you change your mind after deleting your account, you won’t be able to reactivate it. You would have to create an entirely new account with a different username.
The permanent nature of Snapchat account deletion makes it very important that you are absolutely certain you want to delete your account before taking that step. Once it’s gone, it’s truly gone for good.
Does Snapchat actually delete everything when you delete your account?
In summary, here’s what gets deleted and what doesn’t when you delete your Snapchat account:
| Data Type | Deleted? |
|---|---|
| Snaps | Yes |
| Stories | Yes |
| Chat logs | Yes |
| Memories | No |
| Location data | No |
| Contacts | No |
| Purchase history | Yes |
As you can see, Snapchat does delete your private conversations and purchase history when you delete your account. However, they reserve the right to keep certain data like Memories, location history, and contacts for business purposes.
The only way to ensure Snapchat deletes those types of data is to manually clear them from Snapchat’s settings before deactivating your account. Otherwise, traces of your data may remain in Snapchat’s systems even after your account is long gone.
Conclusion
Deleting your Snapchat account does permanently erase the snaps, stories, and chat logs specifically associated with your account. However, some data like Memories, location history and contacts are retained by Snapchat for business purposes unless deleted manually beforehand.
Overall, if having all traces of your existence erased from Snapchat is important to you, make sure to not only delete your account, but also clear out Memories, location data and contacts first. That is the only way to truly get Snapchat to delete all your data before shutting your account down for good.