Saving Snapchats without having them saved to your camera roll has become a desirable feature for many Snapchat users. With Snapchat being used for quick, in-the-moment sharing, some don’t necessarily want every Snap they send or receive to be permanently saved in their gallery. Luckily, Snapchat does give you some options to keep Snaps without having them saved in your camera roll.
Why Would You Want to Save Snaps Secretly?
There are a few reasons why someone may want to save a Snap without having it saved to their camera roll:
- Privacy – You may receive an image or video that you want to keep for yourself but don’t necessarily want it permanently saved or for others to potentially see it in your gallery.
- Storage space – Saving every Snap you send or receive takes up storage space on your device. Skipping the camera roll can help avoid unnecessary use of device storage.
- Clutter – Having every single Snap saved in your camera roll can feel cluttered or cluttered. Not saving some Snaps can keep your gallery cleaner.
While Snapchat deletes Snaps after they’ve been viewed, having the option to save something without a permanent gallery trace can be appealing for these reasons.
How to Use Snapchat Memories
The easiest way to save Snaps without adding them to your camera roll is to use Snapchat Memories. Memories allows you to save your favorite Snaps privately within the Snapchat app. They won’t get saved to your regular camera roll or be visible in your phone’s gallery.
To use Memories:
- When viewing a Snap you want to save, tap the downward arrow icon in the bottom left corner.
- This will open a menu – tap on “Save to Memories.”
- The Snap will now be saved in your Snapchat Memories, which you can access in the Snapchat app by tapping your profile icon and selecting the “Memories” tab.
Snaps saved in Memories will be backed up by Snapchat and can be viewed within the app at any time. They will not be visible in your main device storage or galleries outside of Snapchat.
Benefits of Using Memories
- Lets you save favorite Snaps privately without cluttering your camera roll.
- Backs up your Snaps in case you lose your device or memories.
- Lets you edit and send out old Snaps from your memories.
- Easy to use – just requires tapping the save icon on any Snap.
How to Screenshot a Snapchat without Notification
An alternative option is to screenshot a Snap instead of saving it to Memories. This will let you keep the Snap without it being saved in your camera roll.
To secretly screenshot a Snap:
- When the Snap you want to save is opened, quickly press your device’s power and volume down buttons simultaneously.
- This will capture a screenshot without the person being notified.
- The screenshot will be saved in your device’s screenshot folder but not your main camera roll.
A few things to keep in mind with this method:
- It only works while the Snap is opened – you can’t screenshot from the preview.
- Your screenshot notification should be turned off for it to be undetected.
- The sender may still see a quick white flash when you screenshot.
- Screenshots are often lower quality than saving via Memories.
Benefits of Secretly Screenshotting
- Lets you capture anything you see for a few seconds.
- No notification sent to the sender.
- Easy and quick to screenshot with just buttons.
How to Use Airplane Mode to View a Snap Again
A sneaky way to view a Snap again without saving it is to use airplane mode to temporarily stop your connection.
To repeat a Snap view:
- Open the Snap you want to see again and view it.
- Once it ends, quickly turn on airplane mode before closing the app.
- Close and reopen Snapchat – you should see the Snap available to view again.
- View it again, then turn off airplane mode to regain connection.
This works by stopping Snapchat from registering that the Snap was already viewed. When the connection comes back, Snapchat finds it as unopened again.
Downsides to this method:
- The Snap is not saved permanently and disappears again when closing the app.
- Only lets you replay the Snap one extra time.
- Can accidentally prevent other Snaps from loading if you leave airplane mode on.
Benefits of Using Airplane Trick
- Lets you quickly take another look without saving.
- Doesn’t require any screenshots or extra taps.
- Easy to toggle airplane mode on and off again.
Third-Party Apps to Save Snapchats
Some third-party apps claim to let you secretly save Snapchat images and videos without the sender knowing. Here are some examples:
- SnapSaver – An iOS app that promises to let you save others’ Snapchats. Must give the app accessibility permissions.
- Snapbox – Android app that lets you screenshot Snaps in the background. Requires root access.
- Casper – Alternative Snapchat client app that can covertly save Snaps. Has had issues with bans.
However, it’s important to note that most third-party apps violate Snapchat’s terms of service. Snapchat does not allow or endorse apps that enable secret saving or recording of Snaps. Using them could get your Snapchat account suspended or banned.
Risks of Third-Party Snap Savers
- Violate Snapchat’s terms, risk of ban
- Often require full access/root permissions
- Unreliable, prone to breaks
- Legal concerns in some regions
Should You Secretly Save Others’ Snaps?
While you do have some options to covertly save other people’s Snapchats without their knowledge, it does raise some ethical concerns.
A few questions to think about:
- Why do you feel the need to secretly save the Snap instead of just viewing it?
- How would the sender feel if they knew you saved it without consent?
- Is it a violation of trust if they sent it expecting it to be deleted?
Just because you have the technical capability to secretly capture and store Snaps does not always mean you should do so. Be thoughtful about respecting others’ privacy and wishes, just as you would want them to do for you.
Ethical Considerations
- Respect others’ expected privacy
- Tread carefully with intimate media
- Ask permission if you need to keep a Snap
- Put yourself in their shoes
Conclusion
Snapchat can let you keep some less permanent nostalgia and memories from friends without filling up your camera roll forever. But ultimately, Snaps are intended to be treated as ephemeral shares that don’t stick around.
If you really want to save a Snap, the best method is to use Snapchat’s own Memories feature. It keeps the context and avoids notifier. Screenshots work too but are lower quality. And bypassing systems to covertly save Snaps against someone’s wishes comes with moral drawbacks.
Ideally, if you want to keep a Snap, you should ask the sender for their permission first. This will help assure them their privacy is respected. After all, you hope and expect others would do the same courtesy for you.