If you want to keep your friends list private on Snapchat, there are a few different options you can use to hide or limit who can view your friends. Snapchat lets you control who sees your friends list through your privacy settings. You can hide your friends list completely, limit it to certain friends, or customize it for individual friends.
Completely Hiding Your Friends List
The easiest way to hide your Snapchat friends list is to make it completely private so no one can view it. Here’s how:
- Open your Snapchat app and tap on your profile icon in the top left corner.
- Go to the Settings screen by tapping the gear icon in the top right.
- Scroll down and tap on “See My Friends.”
- Toggle the switch for “Hide From Everyone” on. This will completely hide your friends list.
With this setting enabled, no friends will be able to see your friends list at all. Your friends list will be completely private. This is the simplest way to hide it from everyone.
Hiding Your List From Certain Friends
If you only want to hide your Snapchat friends from certain people, you can set your list to be visible to “My Friends Except…” and select who to exclude.
- Go to your Snapchat profile and tap the Settings gear.
- Tap on “See My Friends.”
- Tap on “My Friends Except…”
- Select the friends you want to hide your list from by tapping on them.
- Tap “Done” once you’ve selected the friends to exclude.
This will make your friends list viewable to all of your friends except for the ones you chose to exclude. It lets you hide your friend list selectively.
Customizing Your List for Individual Friends
For even more control, you can customize and hide parts of your Snapchat friends list for individual friends. Here’s how to do it:
- Go to your profile and tap the Settings gear icon.
- Tap “My Friends Except…”
- Tap “Custom” at the top and select “Add a Friend.”
- Choose the friend you want to customize the list for.
- Tap the switch next to “View My Stories” to toggle it on or off for that friend.
- Tap the switch next to “View My Friends” to toggle it on or off for that friend.
- Tap “Save” when done customizing for that friend.
This lets you granularly choose what parts of your profile and friends list each friend can see. You can turn off “View My Friends” for specific people to hide your list from them.
Using Ghost Mode to Hide Your Location
In addition to your friends list, you may also want to hide your location from certain friends on Snapchat. Enabling Ghost Mode allows you to hide your location from chosen friends.
- Go to your profile and tap the Settings gear.
- Tap on “See My Location.”
- Toggle on “Ghost Mode.”
- Select the friends you want to hide your location from.
- Tap “Done” once you’ve picked friends to exclude.
Ghost Mode will prevent the friends you selected from seeing your location on the Snap Map. You can customize exactly who can see your location.
Blocking Friends Completely
If you want to completely block a friend from interacting with you or viewing your profile on Snapchat, you can remove and block them.
- Go to your Friends list in Snapchat.
- Tap and hold on the name of the friend you want to block.
- Tap “More” then tap “Block.”
- Confirm the block by tapping “Block” again on the popup.
Blocking a friend will remove them from your friends list, and prevent them from viewing your Stories or contacting you on Snapchat. Use this if you want to cut off a friend entirely.
Privacy Concerns
There are a few privacy tradeoffs to consider when limiting your Snapchat friends list and location sharing:
- Friends may feel hurt if blocked or hidden from your list unexpectedly.
- Stories and messages are less fun if you can’t see which friends view them.
- Hiding your location reduces findability in emergencies.
- Customizing settings takes more effort than a public profile.
While more privacy controls are usually beneficial, it’s a good idea to communicate with friends when you hide or block them to avoid misunderstandings. Find a balance between privacy and openness that suits your preferences.
Troubleshooting Problems
Here are some common issues and fixes for managing your Snapchat friends list:
- Can’t find the right friend setting? Make sure your app is updated.
- Accidentally hid the wrong friends? Undo it in your settings.
- Friends can still see your list? Restarting your device may help.
- Ghost Mode not working? Check that location services are enabled.
- Blocked friends reappearing? They may have made a new account.
If weird bugs or glitches happen, try restarting your phone, reinstalling Snapchat, or contacting Snapchat support. They can help fix any technical issues.
Additional Ways to Increase Privacy
Aside from friends lists, a few other tips for boosting your Snapchat privacy include:
- Turn off automatic friend suggestions.
- Delete Snap Map location history.
- Disable Quick Add for finding contacts.
- Turn off analytics data sharing.
- Avoid connecting your Snapchat to other apps.
- Enable two-factor authentication.
- Change your username periodically.
With Snapchat’s robust privacy options, you have many ways to control how and what friends can see. Find the right balance for your comfort level.
In summary, Snapchat provides customizable settings to hide your friends list and location from anyone, certain friends, or individuals. Take advantage of these options if you want more privacy but communicate changes to avoid confusion.