Snapchat has become one of the most popular social media platforms, especially among young people. One of Snapchat’s key features is Stories, which allow users to post photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours. Stories have created opportunities for creative expression and sharing life moments. However, with lots of contacts posting Stories, it can get overwhelming for users. So a common question is – can you filter or customize which Stories to watch on Snapchat?
What are Snapchat Stories?
Snapchat Stories allow users to post snaps (photos or videos) to their stories that are visible to all their friends for 24 hours. After 24 hours, the snaps disappear from the stories. Users can also view stories posted by their friends and the other accounts they follow. Some key features of Snapchat stories include:
- Stories last 24 hours – Snaps added to stories disappear after 24 hours.
- Viewable by friends – By default, your story is visible to all your friends on Snapchat.
- View count – You can see the number of views your story gets.
- Ability to reply – Friends can reply to your stories with text, photos, or videos.
- Public stories – There are public stories from influencers, publishers, events etc. that anyone can view based on interest.
Stories have become a popular way for Snapchatters to share glimpses of their lives. However, with lots of friends and followed accounts posting stories, things can get overwhelming. This brings us to the question – is there a way to filter or customize Snapchat stories you see?
Can You Filter Snapchat Stories?
Unfortunately, Snapchat currently does not have an official built-in filtration feature for stories. You cannot pick and choose which friends or accounts to view stories from or block stories from certain accounts.
Your main options are:
- Viewing all stories – You can go through all the stories from your friends and accounts you follow. This means lots of scrolling.
- Skipping stories – You can manually skip stories you’re not interested in watching one by one.
- Unfollowing accounts – You can unfollow accounts you don’t want to see stories from.
These options are time-consuming and blunt ways to customize your stories feed. However, third-party apps provide some ways to filter Snapchat stories as outlined below.
Third-Party Apps to Filter Snapchat Stories
Some third-party apps have provided ways to filter the Snapchat stories you see. Here are some top options:
1. Snapchat+
Snapchat+ is a free app for iOS from the developer Creature Coding. It provides advanced features and customization options for Snapchat.
Key features for filtering stories include:
- Select stories to skip – Choose which friends or accounts to skip stories from.
- Snooze friends – Temporarily snooze stories from friends.
- Stealth mode – View stories without the friend knowing.
Snapchat+ makes it easy to trim down the stories you see to those you’re really interested in. However, the app is currently only available on the App Store for iOS devices.
2. Snapchat Group Manager
Snapchat Group Manager is an Android app that lets you manage your Snapchat friend list and stories.
Key features related to stories include:
- Sort friends – Sort friends into groups or favorites.
- View favorites – View stories from only your favorite friends.
- Hide stories – Select friends to hide stories from.
With Snapchat Group Manager, you can categorize friends and narrow down the stories feed. But the app is currently only available for Android devices.
3. Snap Tools
Snap Tools is a free suite of Snapchat tools available for both iOS and Android devices. It provides advanced Snapchat capabilities.
For stories, Snap Tools lets you:
- Pin stories – Pin your favorite stories to the top.
- Hide stories – Hide stories from specific friends.
- Save stories – Download and save stories to view later.
With the ability to hide or pin stories, Snap Tools provides some filtration capabilities. But the tools are relatively limited compared to dedicated story filters.
Snapchat Story Limitations
Using third-party apps can help filter Snapchat stories. However, there are some limitations to note:
- No official Snapchat feature – These are not endorsed filters from Snapchat itself.
- Requires third-party apps – You need to install additional apps rather than using a native Snapchat feature.
- May stop working – Snapchat can cut off API access stopping filters from working.
- Ban risk – Snapchat discourages using third-party apps and can ban accounts.
Due to the unofficial nature of these filters, they risk being unstable. Snapchat has warned against using third-party apps in the past. Users run the risk of having their accounts banned.
How to Manage Snapchat Stories
In absence of a built-in Snapchat story filter, here are some tips to manage the stories you see:
Unfollow Accounts
Carefully consider which accounts you follow. Unfollow accounts whose stories you consistently skip or that no longer interest you. This instantly filters them out.
Favorite Friends
Snapchat has a “Favorite Friends” feature that lets you designate your closest friends. You can view just those favorite friends’ stories in the Favorites feed.
Watch Stories Quickly
Get in the habit of quickly tapping through stories you don’t care about. Watch the names of stories so you can fast forward.
Disable Auto-Play
In settings, disable auto-play for stories. This prevents stories from automatically playing as you go through them.
Take Breaks
Sometimes it helps to simply take a break from Snapchat stories for a day or two. The stories will reset and you can catch up on only what’s interesting.
The Future of Snapchat Stories
Snapchat is continually evolving, and the company may introduce better story filters natively in the future. Based on surveys, over 85% of Snapchat users want more options to filter stories and manage friend lists. As the user base provides feedback, Snapchat is likely to add more customization features. We may see innovations like:
- Keyword filtering – Filter stories based on keywords or hashtags.
- Content filtering – Filter by post types like photos, videos, or text.
- Location filtering – Filter by geographic location.
- AI filtering – Use artificial intelligence to filter stories based on user preferences.
Advanced machine learning capabilities could enable personalized feeds based on each user’s interests and interactions. For now, the best story filters are found in third-party apps.
Conclusion
Snapchat currently does not have a native feature to filter or customize stories from friends and accounts you follow. However, third-party apps provide some filtering capabilities to trim down your stories feed. These can hide stories from specific friends, snooze friends temporarily, and pin your favorites. While useful, these unofficial filters have limitations. They may be unstable and put your account at risk of being banned by Snapchat. In the meantime, you can manage stories by unfollowing accounts, using favorites, and quickly skipping stories that don’t interest you. As Snapchat continues to evolve, future updates may bring more advanced stories filtering tools natively into the app.