Snapchat’s My Eyes Only feature allows users to save Snaps, photos, videos, and stories in a passcode-protected area. This provides an extra layer of privacy and security, as content saved to My Eyes Only is accessible only by the user and not visible anywhere else in Snapchat.
My Eyes Only was introduced by Snapchat in 2017 as a feature designed to let users save more sensitive and private content. At the time of launch, and for several years after, My Eyes Only was a core part of the Snapchat experience. However, in recent years Snapchat has focused on developing other features and parts of the app. This has left some users wondering if My Eyes Only still exists within Snapchat, or if it has been removed entirely.
Does Snapchat still have My Eyes Only?
The short answer is: Yes, Snapchat still has My Eyes Only in 2022. It has not been removed from the app and continues to be available as a privacy feature for Snapchat users.
My Eyes Only can be accessed within the Snapchat app by going to your profile and finding the My Eyes Only section. This is only visible and accessible to you when logged into your account. My Eyes Only is locked behind a 4-digit PIN number that you set.
Content saved to My Eyes Only is not visible in your Camera Roll, Memories, Stories or anywhere else in Snapchat. The only way to view and access the content is by unlocking the My Eyes Only feature with your PIN.
So while My Eyes Only may not be as front and center in the Snapchat experience as it once was, the feature does still exist. Snapchat has given no indication that they plan to remove or retire My Eyes Only at this time.
What can you save to My Eyes Only?
My Eyes Only allows Snapchat users to save any Snaps, photos, videos and stories that they want to keep private and accessible only to themselves. Some examples of content commonly saved in My Eyes Only include:
– Private photos and videos intended only for one person. My Eyes Only provides a space to save this content without risking it being visible to others if your phone is lost/stolen.
– Sensitive documents such as copies of ID/passport, insurance details, etc. These can be screenshotted and saved securely.
– Screenshots of conversations, text messages, dating app messages, etc that you want to save for your own records but not have visible in main Snapchat storage.
– Photos taken in various states of undress that you don’t want visible in your camera roll or memories. My Eyes Only is a private space to store this type of content.
– Any other media that is personal, private or sensitive in nature. My Eyes Only creates accessible but encrypted storage for this type of content.
Essentially, anything that can be captured as a photo, video or screenshot can be saved to My Eyes Only on Snapchat. It provides secure storage that keeps the content private to you while still being able to access it within Snapchat.
How to use My Eyes Only on Snapchat
Using My Eyes Only on Snapchat only takes a few steps:
1. Capture or save a Snap, photo, video or story that you want to keep private. This can be done by screenshotting content, taking a Snap, saving from Memories or downloading media.
2. Open your Profile on Snapchat and tap the My Eyes Only icon, which looks like two eyeballs.
3. The first time you access My Eyes Only, you’ll be prompted to set a 4-digit PIN number. This will be required to unlock and access My Eyes Only going forward.
4. After setting your PIN, tap on ‘Add Photos/Videos’ which will bring up your camera roll and Memories. Select the content you want to save to My Eyes Only.
5. The selected content will now be saved in your My Eyes Only private storage rather than general Memories or Camera Roll. Access it anytime by using your 4-digit PIN.
6. To add more content to My Eyes Only in the future, go back into your My Eyes Only section using the steps above. You can save as much or as little as you want.
7. To view and access the content, simply go into your Profile, tap My Eyes Only and use your PIN when prompted. All your private content will be visible to you.
Always be careful about the type of content you save in My Eyes Only, even though it is private. Avoid saving anything illegal, dangerous or unethical.
Pros of using My Eyes Only
There are several benefits to using Snapchat’s My Eyes Only feature:
– Added privacy and control – Content saved in My Eyes Only is end-to-end encrypted and inaccessible to anyone else using your device, even if they access your unlocked phone. This gives you total control.
– Secure storage – Unlike saving sensitive photos to your camera roll, My Eyes Only provides password protected storage to prevent unauthorized access.
– Accessibility – While secure, content saved in My Eyes Only remains easy to access through the Snapchat app for your own viewing.
– Peace of mind – For private images, videos, screenshots and documents, My Eyes Only can provide peace of mind that they are not visible to others who may use or access your phone.
– Reduce risk – Keeping very private content limited to My Eyes Only reduces the risks associated with it being seen if your phone fell into the wrong hands.
Overall, the added layer of security, control and peace of mind are the biggest benefits of using Snapchat’s My Eyes Only feature. For content you want to be extra careful with, it can be the optimal way to save it.
Cons of using My Eyes Only
However, there are also a few downsides to be aware of with My Eyes Only:
– Easy to forget – If you don’t access your My Eyes Only section regularly, it can be easy to forget what you have saved there and that the content exists.
– Content can get buried – As you build up content in My Eyes Only over time, older content can get buried under newer saves and be harder to find.
– No backups – My Eyes Only does not back up your content to the cloud. So losing your phone or deleting the app means losing anything in My Eyes Only.
– Limited sorting/searching – There are limited options for organizing or searching for specific content in your My Eyes Only on Snapchat.
– Requires app access – The content in My Eyes Only can only be accessed if you have the Snapchat app installed and can log in. If you delete Snapchat, you lose access.
– PIN issues – Forgetting your PIN means being locked out of My Eyes Only, and there is no PIN recovery option if you forget the 4-digit code.
While the private and secure nature of My Eyes Only has clear benefits, these limitations are worth keeping in mind if you plan to use the feature extensively.
What happens when you delete a Snapchat account?
When you decide to delete your Snapchat account entirely, this will also delete and remove all content saved within your My Eyes Only.
Snapchat states that if you voluntarily delete your account, the decision is permanent and all data associated with the account will be deleted. This includes:
– Your Snaps, Chats, Stories, Friend list and any other data
– Memories and content saved to your Camera Roll
– Any items in your Snapchat My Eyes Only storage
– Your Snapchat history and usage data
– Your username, so it becomes available for others to claim
Essentially, deleting your Snapchat account erases everything related to your account and activity on the platform. Snapchat says this content cannot be retrieved once the account is deleted.
So while My Eyes Only provides private storage while you use Snapchat, its content is tied directly to your account status. Deleting your Snapchat account permanently removes all My Eyes Only content in the process through the app’s account deletion protocols.
Can Snapchat recover My Eyes Only content?
If content in your My Eyes Only is lost or deleted accidentally rather than intentionally via account deletion, is there any way to recover it?
Unfortunately, the answer is no. Snapchat itself cannot recover or restore any My Eyes Only content for you if it gets erased.
According to Snapchat’s support information, the company has no access to the photos, videos and other content users save in My Eyes Only. This section is encrypted and inaccessible to Snapchat.
So just like deleting your account, any loss of data in My Eyes Only due to actions like:
– Uninstalling the Snapchat app
– Losing access to your account
– Forgetting your My Eyes Only PIN
– Accidental erasure within the app
Is permanent and irrecoverable directly via Snapchat. The only way My Eyes Only content could potentially be retrieved is if you had previously backed it up separately off of Snapchat. But Snapchat itself has no ability to restore any My Eyes Only content.
Does Snapchat notify when saving to My Eyes Only?
When you save a Snap, chat, photo or video to your My Eyes Only section, Snapchat does not notify or alert any other users.
This helps maintain the privacy of your My Eyes Only use. Nothing is posted or indicated anywhere on Snapchat when you save content to My Eyes Only.
For example, if you were to screenshot a friend’s Snap and save it to your My Eyes Only, they would not receive any kind of notification advising that you took a screenshot. Snapchat stays discreet about My Eyes Only actions and usage.
The one exception is if you save a full story to your My Eyes Only. When any user saves a complete public story, the creator of that story will be able to see that you have replayed it. However, they will not know it was saved specifically to your private My Eyes Only section.
But for all other Snaps, chats, photos, videos and partial stories, Snapchat does not notify other users when you move these to your personal My Eyes Only storage. This allows you to save content privately without anyone else knowing.
Does Snapchat use My Eyes Only content for ads?
Snapchat states that content you save to your My Eyes Only is not utilized by Snapchat to target you with relevant advertising.
This content is kept fully private and is inaccessible to Snapchat according to their privacy policies. So items like photos and conversations stored in your My Eyes Only are not being scanned or used to improve ad targeting based on your interests or activities.
Snapchat’s support page on My Eyes Only specifically says:
“Snaps and Chats saved to My Eyes Only remain private and cannot be used for advertising or marketing.”
This is reassuring for Snapchat users who actively use My Eyes Only to store private or sensitive content and do not want it being leveraged for ad-targeting purposes.
Of course, users should always be aware of general data privacy concerns with an app like Snapchat. But when it comes to the content you specifically save to My Eyes Only, Snapchat does appear to keep this section completely private from a data collection perspective.
Can Snapchat employees see My Eyes Only content?
Snapchat has also confirmed that no employees within the company have access to view, read or retrieve any My Eyes Only content.
Human reviewers at Snapchat cannot access Snapchat user data in My Eyes Only sections. This content is kept encrypted and inaccessible even to internal teams.
The only exception could be under a valid law enforcement data request or court order. In such cases, Snapchat may be legally compelled to handover certain account content to investigators.
But under normal circumstances, no Snapchat employees or team members are able to access any user’s private My Eyes Only content. Snapchat has stated the feature uses end-to-end encryption that locks the data down so even Snapchat cannot view it.
While Snapchat’s broader data policies may spark user privacy concerns, the company appears committed to keeping My Eyes Only sections completely private – even from internal access.
Does Snapchat warn before disabling My Eyes Only?
In some rare cases, Snapchat may detect suspicious activity associated with a user’s My Eyes Only section. For example, if illegal or otherwise banned content was being stored in My Eyes Only.
In these instances, Snapchat reserves the right to disable a user’s My Eyes Only section without warning. This would revoke access to any content stored there.
Snapchat’s Terms of Service state:
“While we will not review your My Eyes Only content, we reserve the right to disable My Eyes Only if we believe the feature is being misused.”
So users should be aware that exceptions may be made if serious misuse of My Eyes Only is detected. Storing clearly illegal or harmful content could result in Snapchat wiping your My Eyes Only without notice.
However, these cases appear to be very rare, and for most users Snapchat tends to keep My Eyes Only sections completely private and avoid accessing them. But it is something to keep in mind when using My Eyes Only for extremely sensitive content.
Conclusion
Snapchat’s My Eyes Only continues to offer users a private space to store Snaps, photos, videos and conversations securely. While My Eyes Only may keep a lower profile compared to some trending Snapchat features, it remains available for those who want to use it.
Content saved in My Eyes Only is inaccessible to anyone else and kept encrypted for user privacy. Snapchat states that My Eyes Only content cannot be used for advertising purposes and is not accessed internally by company employees in any scenario.
However, users should remember that deleting your Snapchat account or losing access will mean losing everything in My Eyes Only permanently. And any accidental erasures also cannot be recovered by Snapchat.
But for most regular use cases, My Eyes Only provides reliable extra security for more sensitive Snapchat activity. Just be careful in keeping your 4-digit PIN safe and backed up somewhere outside Snapchat in case it is forgotten down the line.