Snapchat is a popular messaging app that lets you send photos, videos, and messages that disappear after being viewed. By default, Snapchat messages disappear after the recipient views them once. However, you can change the settings to allow messages to be viewable for up to 24 hours.
Why Change Snapchat Chat Settings to 24 Hours?
There are a few reasons why you may want to change your Snapchat settings to allow messages to be viewable for 24 hours instead of just once:
- Gives recipients more time to view messages – If someone misses your message initially, they have 24 hours to still go back and view it before it disappears forever.
- Allows conversation threads to continue – With messages staying visible for 24 hours, you and your friends can carry on conversations without messages disappearing before you can reply.
- Lets you re-watch videos/photos – The 24 hour window gives you more time to re-view sent media before it expires.
- Prevents losing important messages – Key messages will remain visible for 24 hours, reducing the chance of missing something important that disappears after just being viewed once.
How to Change Snapchat Chat Settings to 24 Hours
Changing your Snapchat chat settings to allow messages to be viewable for 24 hours instead of just once is easy to do!
Here are the steps:
- Open the Snapchat app and go to your profile page
- Tap the gear icon in the top right corner to open your settings
- Go to the “Chat” section of settings
- Tap on “Default Chat History”
- Select the “24 Hours” option (rather than “1 Day”)
And that’s it! Your Snapchat chat settings are now updated to allow all messages to be viewable for 24 hours by default.
Important Notes
- The 24 hour setting applies to all your incoming and outgoing Snaps – you can’t selectively choose which conversations have 24 hour visibility.
- Recipients can still screenshot or save your Snaps, even with the 24 hour setting enabled.
- You can manually change visibility after sending a Snap if you don’t want a particular message to remain viewable for 24 hours.
- Messages will be deleted after 24 hours regardless of whether the recipient has opened them or not.
- Video Snaps can be replayed once by the recipient before they disappear, even with the 24 hour setting.
How to Change 24 Hour Chat Setting for Individual Friends
In addition to changing your default Snapchat chat settings to 24 hours, you can also customize the visibility timeframe for individual friends:
- Go to your Friends list in the Snapchat app
- Tap on the friend’s name to open your chat with them
- Tap on the friend’s name at the top of the chat screen
- Tap “View Friendship”
- Select “Chat History”
- Choose either “24 Hours” or “1 Day” for that specific friend
This will override your default chat setting for just this friend. You can set different visibility timeframes like this for each friend.
Setting Chats to Infinity
Snapchat also gives you the option to change chat settings to infinity for a friend. This means snaps with that friend will never expire:
- Follow the steps above to access chat settings for a friend
- Choose “Infinity” instead of “24 Hours” or “1 Day”
- Your snaps with this friend will stay in your chat history until you delete them manually.
Conclusion
Adjusting your Snapchat settings is an easy way to customize your messaging experience. By updating to 24 hour visibility, you can reduce the chance of missing important messages and have more uninterrupted conversations.
Just remember that recipients can still screenshot or save your Snaps. So don’t send anything too private! Also, manually change visibility as needed for sensitive Snaps you want to disappear after just 1 view.
Now get Snapping with your new 24 hour chat settings! Just be aware that recipients now have more time to replay and capture your messages before they disappear. Adjust individual friends’ visibility as needed to tailor settings for each chat.
Setting | Description |
---|---|
1 Day (default) | Snaps disappear after being opened once |
24 Hours | Snaps remain viewable for 24 hours after sending |
Infinity | Snaps with this friend never expire |
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the 24 hour setting notify my friends?
No, Snapchat does not send any notification when you update to the 24 hour chat setting. The updated setting applies automatically to all your outgoing and incoming messages, without notifying your friends.
Can I undo the 24 hour chat setting?
Yes! You can easily revert the 24 hour setting back to the default 1 day visibility. Just go back into your Snapchat settings and change the “Default Chat History” option back to “1 Day”.
What happens when I block someone?
Blocking someone on Snapchat immediately deletes the chat history between you and that person. Any snaps you previously sent them immediately disappear and become inaccessible.
Can I recover a deleted Snap?
Unfortunately, there is no way to recover a Snap after it has been deleted or expired after 24 hours. The image, video, or message will be permanently inaccessible after the visibility time passes.
Can I see old Snaps my friends sent me?
No, you can only view incoming Snaps from friends within the 1 day or 24 hour visibility window. Once the time expires, the Snaps disappear forever and cannot be retrieved.
Do the 24 hour settings work in group chats?
Yes! Updating your default Snapchat settings to 24 hours will apply to all group chats you participate in as well. However, you can customize visibility for individual group chats by changing the settings specifically for that group.
Snapchat Chat Settings: 1 Day vs 24 Hours vs Infinity
Here is a comparison of the key Snapchat chat settings for message visibility timeframes:
Setting | Visibility Timeframe | Allows Replay? | Notifies Friends? |
---|---|---|---|
1 Day | Disappears after being opened once | No | No |
24 Hours | Remains viewable for 24 hours after sending | No | No |
Infinity | Never expires | No | No |
Customizing Individual Friends’ Settings
To customize chat settings for specific friends:
- Go to your Friends list
- Tap the friend’s name
- Tap the gear icon
- Select “Chat History”
- Choose “24 Hours”, “1 Day”, or “Infinity”
This will override your default visibility setting for just that friend’s chat.
Where to Find Snapchat Settings
Your Snapchat settings are located in your profile. Here’s how to access them:
- Tap your profile icon on the top left
- Tap the gear icon on the top right
- Select the “Chat” section in settings
- Tap “Default Chat History” to change
From there you can update your default visibility duration or tweak settings for individual friends.
What Happens When You Block Someone?
- All messages exchanged with that person immediately disappear
- They are removed from your Friends list
- They can no longer view your Stories or search your Snapchat profile
- You can always unblock someone later to restore communication
Key Things to Know About 24 Hour Chat Settings
- Applies to all chats by default – can customize per friend
- Lets friends replay Snaps within 24 hours
- Friends can still screenshot messages
- Manually change visibility for sensitive Snaps
- Easily revert back to 1 day in settings
- 24 hours starts when Snap is sent, not opened
Summary
Snapchat’s customizable chat settings allow you to change message visibility from 1 day to 24 hours. This gives friends more time to view and respond to Snaps before they disappear.
Enable 24 hour chat settings through your profile under the “Chat” section. This updates all your conversations automatically. You can also tweak visibility for individual friends.
While 24 hours allows more time for discussion, recipients can still screenshot or save your messages. So adjust settings as needed per chat. Revert back to 1 day at any time for more ephemeral messaging.