Snapchat’s “Add Nearby” feature, also known as “Quick Add,” allows users to easily find and add friends who are nearby. When you receive a friend request through Quick Add, it means someone nearby has discovered your Snapchat profile and sent you a friend request.
In this article, we’ll explain what Snapchat’s Quick Add feature is, how it works, and what to do when you receive a friend request through Quick Add.
What is Snapchat Quick Add?
Snapchat’s Quick Add feature allows you to easily find and add Snapchat friends who are nearby. Here’s how it works:
- Snapchat uses your device’s location services to show you a list of Snapchat users who are nearby.
- You can scroll through the list to view their Snapchat profiles and see their Snapcodes (unique QR code).
- If you find someone you want to connect with, you can tap “Add” to send them a friend request.
The Quick Add screen shows you a grid of nearby users’ Bitmoji avatars or profile pictures. Tapping on a user’s icon will bring up their Snapcode and username so you can verify it’s someone you want to add.
Snapchat’s Quick Add feature makes it easy to quickly find and connect with other Snapchatters around you – whether they’re friends, classmates, co-workers, or complete strangers.
How does someone send you a friend request by Quick Add?
If someone sends you a friend request through Quick Add, it means they discovered your Snapchat profile through the Quick Add feature and sent a request to add you as a friend.
Here’s what happens on their end:
- They open up Snapchat and tap on the Quick Add icon from their Camera screen.
- Snapchat shows them a grid of Snapchat users who are nearby based on location services.
- They scroll through the grid until they find your Snapchat profile.
- They tap on your profile image to bring up your Snapcode and username.
- They verify it’s someone they want to connect with and tap “Add” to send a friend request.
So in summary, a Quick Add friend request means someone close to your physical location intentionally discovered your profile and sent you a request to be friends on Snapchat.
What should you do when you get a Quick Add request?
When you receive a friend request through Snapchat’s Quick Add feature, you have a few options:
Accept the request
If you recognize the person and want to be friends with them on Snapchat, you can accept the friend request. This will add them to your friends list and allow you to snap back and forth.
However, before accepting, be sure to:
- Open their profile and verify you know who they are.
- Check that their username/Bitmoji look familiar.
- If you still don’t recognize them, consider rejecting the request (see below).
Reject the request
If you don’t recognize the person or don’t want to connect, you can simply reject the friend request by swiping left on the request notification.
This will delete the request so it’s like they never sent it in the first place. They won’t be notified that you rejected their request.
You may want to reject a Quick Add request if:
- You don’t recognize the person at all.
- Their profile seems suspicious or fake.
- You aren’t interested in being Snapchat friends with strangers.
Block the user
In some cases, you may want to outright block the user who sent you a Quick Add request. This is more drastic than just rejecting the request.
Blocking prevents them from viewing your Stories or sending you Snaps. They also won’t be able to find your profile on Quick Add anymore.
Consider blocking if:
- The user seems creepy or suspicious.
- You’re concerned about stalkers or being harassed.
- It’s someone you definitely don’t want contacting you.
To block a user:
- Open their profile.
- Tap the settings gear icon.
- Select “Block” to confirm.
Blocking is permanent unless you unblock them later on.
Pros of Quick Add
While getting random Quick Add requests can seem a bit creepy, there are some benefits to Snapchat’s location-based friend finder.
Connect with people around you
Quick Add makes it incredibly easy to meet and connect with other Snapchat users who are in the same area. For example, you could:
- Add classmates and strike up new friendships.
- Find co-workers or colleagues at your office.
- Meet people to hang out with at an event or concert.
- See who’s single or looking to date around you.
Without Quick Add, finding these local connections would be much more difficult.
Grow your friend base
If you’re looking to expand your Snapchat social circle, Quick Add offers an easy way to grow your friends list.
The more friends you have on Snapchat, the more views your Stories will get. A larger friends list also means more incoming Snaps.
So if you want to become a Snapchat influencer or power user, taking advantage of Quick Add can help increase your connections.
Make new friends and contacts
For those open to meeting new people, Quick Add allows you to easily connect and chat with strangers.
You never know – a random Quick Add could turn into a new friendship, relationship, business connection, or other opportunity.
While you should be cautious, some people enjoy the excitement of meeting and interacting with unknown Snapchatters.
Cons of Quick Add
However, Snapchat’s Quick Add feature also has some downsides to consider:
Safety and privacy risks
The biggest risk of Quick Add is that complete strangers can find and contact you. This raises potential safety and privacy issues.
Stalkers or creepers could use Quick Add to locate you. Bullies from school could harass you. Suspicious users might try adding you.
Quick Add also exposes your location and makes it easier for people to track you down in person if they have bad intentions.
Adds unwanted contacts
You may get lots of Quick Add requests from random people you have no interest in interacting with. This can clutter up your friends list with strangers.
It can be annoying to have to continually reject Quick Add requests from people you don’t know. The more friends you have, the more time-consuming it becomes to manage notifications.
Opens up spam and scams
Unfortunately, spammers and scammers also utilize Quick Add. They mass send auto-generated friend requests hoping people will accept.
This opens you up to spam Snaps promoting shady websites, products, and services. You might also get added to Snapchat group chats used for spreading scams.
Befriending these accounts can put your profile at risk of being reported and deleted.
Drains your battery
Quick Add relies on your device’s location services and constant GPS access to find nearby Snapchat users. This can drain your phone’s battery much faster.
The app has to continually pull your location data in the background as you move around, which consumes extra energy.
If you notice your battery life decreasing, restrict Snapchat’s background location access to save power.
How to use Quick Add safely
Here are some tips to safely manage Quick Add requests and protect your privacy:
Be selective about who you add
Don’t accept requests from people you don’t recognize or seem suspicious. Check profiles carefully beforehand.
It’s better to ignore or reject questionable requests than risk your safety or get spammed.
Restrict your visibility
You can limit who can find your profile on Quick Add in your Snapchat settings:
- My Friends: Only people already in your friends list can Quick Add you.
- Everyone: Any Snapchat user can find and Quick Add you (the default setting).
Setting to “My Friends” reduces strangers finding you, but limits new connections.
Limit location sharing
In app permissions, you can turn off Snapchat’s access to your location when not using the app.
This prevents Snapchat from getting your location data in the background for Quick Add. But it limits the feature’s functionality.
Be cautious meeting strangers
If you do decide to meet up with a new Quick Add friend, take precautions. Meet in public, tell friends where you’ll be, and leave if you feel uncomfortable.
Don’t invite them to private places or give out personal information until you get to know them better.
Report suspicious activity
You can report concerning Snapchat users directly in the app. Open their profile, tap the gear icon, and select “Report.”
This helps Snapchat identify bad accounts and content so they can take action.
Conclusion
Receiving a Snapchat friend request through Quick Add means a nearby user discovered you and wants to connect. Whether to accept or reject comes down to assessing how well you know the person and your comfort level interacting with strangers.
Quick Add offers pros like meeting new people and growing your friend base. But it also poses risks around privacy, harassment, spam and unwanted contacts.
Following proper safety precautions when using Snapchat’s location-based friend finder can help maximize the benefits while minimizing the potential downsides.
With over 300 million daily users, Snapchat’s Quick Add feature allows you to instantly meet and connect with the many Snapchatters around you. Just remember to be selective about who you interact with.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Connect with nearby people | Safety and privacy risks |
| Grow your friend base | Unwanted contacts |
| Make new friends | Opens spam/scams |
| Drains battery life |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Quick Add safe to use?
Quick Add can be safe if you take precautions like being selective about who you add, restricting profile visibility, meeting strangers cautiously, and reporting suspicious accounts. But there are inherent risks with a feature that lets strangers contact you.
Can you turn off Quick Add?
There is no setting to fully disable Quick Add. However, you can set your visibility to “My Friends” so only current friends can find your profile and restrict Snapchat’s background location access. This limits the functionality.
Why do creepy guys add me on Quick Add?
Unfortunately, some people misuse Quick Add to try finding women/girls to inappropriately flirt with or harass. Be wary of anyone exhibiting creepy or sketchy behavior and don’t hesitate to reject, block, and report them.
Is it weird to add someone you sort of know?
It’s not inherently weird to Quick Add an acquaintance, classmate, co-worker, etc. that you want to get to know better. But if it’s someone you have no connection with, adding them without context may come across as awkward or random.
Can you Quick Add famous people?
Yes, celebrities with public Snapchat profiles may appear in Quick Add. However, they likely won’t add you back or interact unless they know you personally. Quick Adding strangers solely because they’re famous can come off as invasive.