Snapchat is a popular messaging app that allows users to send photos, videos, and messages that disappear after being viewed. By default, Snapchat saves your sent and received snaps for 24 hours before deleting them. However, you can change this setting so your snaps are not saved at all.
Why Snapchat Saves Messages
Snapchat automatically saves sent and received snaps for 24 hours for a few reasons:
- In case you want to replay or retrieve a snap you previously viewed.
- For troubleshooting purposes in case there are issues sending or receiving snaps.
- To allow you time to report inappropriate snaps before they disappear.
While having snaps saved can be useful in some cases, many Snapchat users prefer to have their snaps delete immediately after being viewed for maximum privacy.
How to Make Snapchat Not Save Messages
If you don’t want Snapchat hanging onto your sent and received snaps, there are a couple of settings you can change to make messages disappear right away:
Turn Off Replay
The Replay feature in Snapchat lets you view a snap again after opening it the first time. To disable Replay:
- Open Snapchat and tap your profile icon in the top left corner.
- Tap the gear icon to access Settings.
- Scroll down and tap Manage under Additional Services.
- Toggle off Replay.
With Replay disabled, you won’t be able to re-view snaps after opening them once.
Turn On Deletion Timer
The Deletion Timer setting allows you to set how long snaps are saved before they are automatically deleted. To set it to immediately delete snaps:
- Open Snapchat Settings.
- Tap Delete Chats under Account Actions.
- Enable Deletion Timer by toggling it on.
- Use the slider to set the timer to 0 seconds.
With the timer set to 0, your snaps will now automatically delete as soon as they are viewed by the recipient.
Other Ways to Increase Privacy
In addition to making snaps disappear right away, here are some other Snapchat settings you can adjust for greater privacy:
- Disable location sharing – Go to Settings > Manage > Map to turn off Snap Map location sharing.
- Limit viewers – Set your stories to be viewable by only selected friends instead of everyone.
- Turn off analytics – Go to Settings > Manage to opt out of Snapchat analytics.
- Block users – You can block specific friends from viewing your stories or messaging you.
Conclusion
Snapchat may be designed for ephemeral messaging, but the default 24-hour message retention provides a nice safety net if you ever need to recover a lost snap. However, if complete message secrecy is your goal, disabling Replay and setting a 0 second Deletion Timer ensures your snaps disappear forever once opened.
Coupled with adjusting other privacy settings like location sharing and analytics, you can tailor your Snapchat experience to be as temporary and discreet as you want. Just know that once a snap is opened and deleted, there is no going back!
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Snapchat automatically save sent snaps?
Snapchat saves sent snaps for 24 hours by default in case the user wants to replay or retrieve the snap, for troubleshooting purposes, or to allow time for inappropriate snaps to be reported before disappearing.
How long does Snapchat save received snaps?
By default, Snapchat will save received snaps for 24 hours before deleting them automatically. Users can change this setting to make snaps delete immediately after being viewed.
Can you recover a Snapchat message after it’s been opened?
If you have Replay enabled, you can recover and re-view an opened snap for up to 24 hours before it deletes. Otherwise, once opened, snaps are deleted and cannot be recovered.
Do deleted Snapchat messages stay on the server?
No, opened snaps are permanently deleted from Snapchat’s servers once the deletion timer expires, whether that’s 24 hours by default or shorter if the user has changed the setting.
Can police recover deleted Snapchat messages?
No, Snapchat deletes all opened messages from their servers immediately so they cannot be recovered later, even by law enforcement. Unopened snaps may remain on the server temporarily.
Snapchat Saving and Deletion Data
Here is a table summarizing Snapchat’s default saving and deletion settings versus user-adjusted settings for maximum privacy:
| Setting | Default | Maximum Privacy |
|---|---|---|
| Replay | Enabled | Disabled |
| Deletion Timer | 24 hours | 0 seconds |
| Location Sharing | Enabled | Disabled |
| Analytics | Enabled | Disabled |