Snapchat is a popular messaging app that lets users send disappearing photos and videos called “Snaps.” One of Snapchat’s key features is that by default, Snaps disappear after they’ve been viewed. However, many users may not realize that Snapchat still has the capability to save conversations in the background.
If you’re looking to have more private conversations on Snapchat without your chats being saved, there are a few steps you can take to stop Snapchat from saving your conversations.
Why Does Snapchat Save Conversations
First, it helps to understand why Snapchat saves conversations in the first place. There are a few reasons why Snapchat keeps a record of your chats:
- To Allow Replay – Snapchat Memories allows users to replay Snaps once. To make this feature work, Snapchat needs to temporarily store Snaps.
- To Sync Across Devices – If you use Snapchat on multiple devices, your conversations are synced across them so you can pick up where you left off when switching devices.
- For Troubleshooting – Snapchat likely stores chat data for a period of time in case they need to access it for troubleshooting.
So in summary, Snapchat needs to store some chat data for features to work properly and to address technical issues. However, there are still ways you can prevent Snapchat from permanently saving your conversations.
Change Your Snapchat Chat Settings
The easiest way to stop Snapchat from saving your chats is to change your Chat Settings. Here’s how to do it:
- Open Snapchat and tap your Profile icon in the top left corner.
- Tap the Settings icon (gear icon) in the top right corner.
- Scroll down and select ‘Chat’ under the ‘Additional Services’ section.
- Under ‘Save in Chat’, select ‘Delete after I view it’.
With this setting enabled, Snapchat will automatically delete a chat after you view and exit the snap. This prevents the message from being permanently saved in your chat history.
Other Chat Settings to Review
While you’re in your Chat settings, there are a couple other options you may want to look at:
- Keep in Chat History – Disable this to prevent chats from being saved in your history at all.
- Save to Memories – Turn this off to stop Snaps from being saved in Memories.
- Sync Chat – Turn off to stop chats syncing across devices.
Enable Disappearing Messages
In addition to the overall Chat Settings, you can enable disappearing messages for individual conversations.
To do so:
- Open a chat with a friend.
- Press and hold on the conversation.
- Tap ‘Enable Disappearing Messages’.
- Select a duration for how long you want messages to disappear after being opened.
This will override your general Chat Settings for this specific conversation. All messages, including text chats and photos, will disappear after the selected duration.
Avoid Saving to Memories
Another place Snapchat may store your chats and Snaps behind the scenes is in Snapchat Memories. Memories allows you to save your favorite Snaps.
To minimize chats being saved to Memories:
- Avoid saving Snaps to Memories manually.
- In Settings, turn off ‘Auto-Save Chat’.
- Also turn off ‘Save to Memories’ in Chat Settings as mentioned above.
With these settings disabled, your Snaps and chats will not get saved to Memories without you intentionally doing so.
Set Chats to Delete on Exit
You can also set individual chat threads to delete when you exit out of the chat screen. Here’s how:
- Open a chat with a friend.
- In the chat, tap the contact name at the top of the screen.
- Tap ‘Delete Chat’.
- Enable ‘Delete Chat on Exit’.
Now when you close out of that chat screen, the entire conversation will be cleared from Snapchat’s servers. However, this chat will be restored if you open the conversation again on a synced device.
Avoid Syncing Chats Across Devices
As mentioned above, one reason Snapchat saves chats is to sync them across the user’s devices. If you want to avoid this:
- Turn off ‘Sync Chat’ in Snapchat settings.
- Or use Snapchat on a single device only.
With sync turned off, conversations will not get saved to Snapchat’s servers and synced across your devices.
Set Chats to Delete After 24 Hours
You can also set chats to automatically delete after 24 hours for all conversations.
To enable this:
- Go to Settings.
- Tap ‘Delete Chats’.
- Select ‘Delete Chats after 24 Hours’.
This will automatically clear all your Snapchat chats daily. The downside is it will also delete chats you may want to keep. But it ensures conversations never stick around for too long.
Avoid Using Local Save Feature
Snapchat recently introduced a new ‘Local Saving’ option to save content directly on your device. If you enable Local Saving, Snapchats get stored in your phone’s local storage rather than Snapchat’s servers.
While this doesn’t save chats on Snapchat’s end, it does mean conversations remain on your phone indefinitely. To avoid this:
- Do not enable Local Saving when prompted.
- You can also turn Local Saving off anytime in Memories settings.
Clear Conversations Regularly
An easy way to stop conversations from being permanently saved is to simply clear them regularly yourself.
You can delete chats in a couple ways:
- In Chat, press and hold on a conversation, then ‘Delete Chat’.
- In Chat, swipe left on a conversation and tap ‘Delete’.
- In Settings, tap ‘Clear Conversations’.
Make it a habit to manually delete conversations you don’t want stored. Do this occasionally or right after an important chat.
Conclusion
Here are the key takeaways for preventing Snapchat from saving your conversations:
- Enable disappearing messages in Settings or for specific chats.
- Turn off Snapchat Memories and disable auto-saving.
- Stop syncing chats across devices.
- Set chats to delete on exit or delete automatically after 24 hours.
- Avoid Local Saving and clear chats manually.
Following these steps will help ensure your Snapchat conversations remain ephemeral. That said, some data may still be temporarily stored by Snapchat for operational needs. For 100% privacy, avoid sensitive conversations over Snapchat entirely.
At the end of the day, Snapchat is still a technology platform capable of saving data. But by carefully configuring settings and features, you can minimize permanent saving of your chats as much as possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Snapchat automatically save pictures?
No, Snapchat does not automatically save sent photos and videos by default. Snaps disappear after being viewed once. However, receivers can screenshot or take a photo of them. And Snaps may be temporarily stored for features like Replay. But Snapchat does not permanently save Snaps unless you manually save them to Memories.
Can Snapchat recover deleted conversations?
No. Once a Snapchat conversation has been cleared, there is no way to recover it. The content is deleted from Snapchat’s servers. The only way a deleted conversation could be recovered is if one of the users had screenshotted the Snaps or chats before they were cleared.
Is it possible to permanently save Snapchat pictures?
Yes, there are a couple ways to save Snapchat pictures permanently:
- You can save your own Snaps to Snapchat Memories, which stores them on Snapchat’s servers.
- Recipients can screenshot or take a photo of any Snap you send them before it disappears.
- On Android, users can use some third-party apps to save received Snaps.
So while Snapchats are meant to disappear, users can ultimately find ways to permanently save them if they want to.
Do deleted Snapchats disappear from both sides?
Yes, when a Snapchat is deleted it is removed from both the sender and receiver’s accounts. For example, if you delete a Snap you sent, it will also disappear from the recipient’s view. And if a recipient deletes the Snap you sent them, it will disappear from your sent Snaps history as well.
How can I mass delete Snapchat conversations?
There is no built-in way to mass delete Snapchat conversations. But you have a couple options to delete multiple chats at once:
- In Chat, you can individually long-press on multiple chats and delete them.
- In Settings, you can clear all conversations at once by tapping “Clear Conversations.”
- You can also tap and delete chats individually if you don’t want to delete everything.
Can you recover a deleted Snapchat account?
It is possible to recover a deleted Snapchat account, but only for 30 days after it was deleted. To do so:
- Login to accounts.snapchat.com using your username and password.
- Click ‘My Account’ and then ‘Account Info’.
- Click ‘Reactivate’ to restore your deleted Snapchat account.
After 30 days, Snapchat deletes all account data and deactivates the username, so accounts cannot be recovered after that point.
How to Stop Snapchat from Saving Conversations – Summary
Here are 5 key tips to recap for stopping Snapchat from permanently saving your chats and Snaps:
1. Enable Disappearing Messages
Set chats to delete upon being read or after 24 hours in Chat Settings or for specific conversations.
2. Turn Off Snapchat Memories
Disable auto saving to Memories and avoid manually saving Snaps.
3. Disable Chat Sync
Turn off sync across devices so chats aren’t stored in the cloud.
4. Don’t Use Local Saving
Opt out of new Local Saving feature to store Snaps only on Snapchat’s end.
5. Clear Conversations
Manually delete chats regularly or enable auto-deletion after 24 hours.
Following these tips will minimize Snapchat’s ability to retain your chat data. While some temporary saving may still occur, you can prevent permanent archiving of conversations.
The Risks of Using Snapchat for Private Conversations
While you can take steps to increase the privacy of your Snapchat chats, it’s important to remember that no messaging platform is ever 100% private or secure. Here are some risks to keep in mind:
- Data breaches – Like any app, Snapchat’s servers could be hacked.
- User reporting – You can report concerning chats to Snapchat.
- Law enforcement requests – Snapchat may hand data over to law enforcement if legally compelled.
- Employee monitoring – Snapchat employees can access some user data.
- Metadata collection – Information like who you message is still collected.
For these reasons, you may want to avoid Snapchat for any truly private, confidential, or sensitive conversations.
More Secure Alternatives
If you need added privacy, here are some more secure chat alternatives to consider:
App | Security Features |
---|---|
Signal | End-to-end encryption, disappearing messages, no metadata collection |
Telegram (Secret Chats) | E2E encryption, self-destructing messages |
Wickr | E2E encryption, message shredding, no permanent storage |
Dust | Metadata masking, screenshot prevention, encrypted multimedia messages |
While no messaging app is 100% secure, these provide much more advanced security and privacy features than Snapchat.
The Bottom Line
Snapchat has some options like disappearing messages to make chats more ephemeral. However, there are still ways conversations can be saved, either intentionally by users or behind the scenes. Your best bet is enabling disappearing messages, avoiding Memories, disabling chat sync, and regularly clearing your conversations manually.
Keep in mind that absolute privacy on Snapchat or any social media app is difficult. For truly private conversations, specialized encrypted messaging apps are a safer choice.