Quick Answer
There are a few different reasons why a message may appear grey or faded on Snapchat:
- It’s an old message that is about to expire. Snapchat messages disappear after a certain amount of time, so grey messages are about to reach their expiry period.
- The sender has left the conversation. If someone leaves a Snapchat group chat, their old messages will turn grey.
- The message failed to send. Poor internet connection can cause sending failures, indicated by grey unsent messages.
- The message is from a friend you’ve never chatted with. New friends appear grey until you’ve exchanged snaps.
- You’ve blocked the sender. Blocking someone will make their messages appear faded and grey.
So in summary, grey Snapchat messages are generally old, expired, unsent, or from blocked/unknown users. They can also indicate the sender left the conversation.
Understanding Snapchat Message Colors
Snapchat uses different message color codings to indicate the status and context of conversations. Here are the key colors to know:
- White – Standard messages from friends.
- Yellow – Videos and snaps from friends.
- Blue – Chat messages from groups.
- Purple – Chat messages from group video calls.
- Green – Auto-reply messages from Snapchat.
- Red – Messages failed to send.
- Grey – Old, expired, blocked, or unsent messages.
Understanding these color codes provides context on where messages are coming from and their current status. The focus of this article is on grey messages specifically.
Reason 1: Expired Snapchat Messages
One of the main reasons Snapchat messages can turn grey is when they expire.
By default, Snapchat photos, videos, and chats are only temporary. They are designed to delete after a preset time:
- Snaps disappear after being opened.
- Stories expire 24 hours after posting.
- Chats vanish after they are viewed.
You can customize these settings under Snapchat’s timer option to make messages last up to 24 hours.
But eventually, all Snapchat messages reach their expiry period and turn grey just before they disappear forever.
So if you notice an old snap or chat has gone grey, it means the content is about to be deleted from the app’s servers. The sender or recipient can no longer access it.
Why Messages Expire
Snapchat introduced expiring messages as a way to create fleeting, impermanent conversations that reflect real-life interactions.
Grey messages indicate content that is nearing the end of its programmed lifespan.
Some key reasons why Snapchats are designed to disappear include:
- Promoting spontaneity and authenticity in conversations.
- Avoiding messages building up and taking up storage.
- Reducing social pressure and overthinking messages.
- Encouraging sharing in the moment rather than documenting.
- Letting users express themselves freely and honestly.
So in summary, Snapchat uses disappearing messages to create open, casual dialogues mirroring real life.
Reason 2: The Sender Left the Conversation
Another common reason Snapchat messages may turn grey is because the sender has left the conversation.
On Snapchat group chats, if a participant decides to leave, their past messages will fade to grey but remain visible.
This lets users see the history and context of group conversations, even if someone exits.
Some examples include:
- If your friend leaves a group with 3 people, their old chats will turn grey.
- In a Snapchat video call with 5 people, if 2 leave, their past messages will become grey.
- If someone exits a Snapchat story group, their previously shared snaps will turn grey.
So grey messages in group chats indicate the user is no longer actively participating, but their message history remains.
Why Senders Leave Conversations
There are a few reasons participants may choose to leave Snapchat groups or shared Snap stories:
- No longer interested in the group or conversation topic.
- Want to take a break from group notifications.
- Privacy concerns being in a group chat.
- Prefer one-on-one messaging over group chats.
- Too many notifications from big groups.
But even after leaving, groups can still look back on their past messages for context. This history remains visible, just greyed out if the user has exited.
Reason 3: Failed to Send
Snapchat messages can also turn grey if they failed to send properly.
Sometimes poor internet connections, like weak Wi-Fi or no service, will prevent Snaps, chats, videos, and photos from delivering.
These sending failures are indicated by grey pending messages that never get delivered.
Causes of Sending Failures
Common causes of failed Snapchat messages include:
- Poor cellular signal and mobile data coverage.
- Switching from WiFi to mobile data mid-send.
- Airplane mode enabled on the sending device.
- Outdated Snapchat app with bugs.
- Server outages or downtime.
- Ban or restrictions from Snapchat on the account.
To view pending grey messages that haven’t been delivered yet, open your Snapchat chat screen.
Tap the three-line menu > Pending > Sent to see unsent snaps and messages.
Reason 4: New Friends/Contacts
Grey messages on Snapchat may also indicate conversations with new friends or contacts.
If you start chatting with someone new who isn’t in your friend list, their messages will appear faded at first.
This greys out messages from strangers and people you haven’t snapped before.
Once you exchange snaps (not just chats), they get added to your friend list and messages will convert to standard white.
Building Rapport with New Contacts
Snapchat uses this grey message feature to encourage users to verify new conversational partners.
By sharing at least one photo, you prove you are a real person connecting with someone new. This builds trust and rapport.
It prevents spam accounts from directly messaging without establishing a connection first.
Overall, it encourages users to actively snap back and forth, rather than just text chatting with strangers. Once you’ve created a bond with grey contacts by swapping snaps, they get upgraded to regular messaging.
Reason 5: You’ve Blocked the Sender
Finally, grey messages on Snapchat may mean you have blocked the sender.
When you block a contact, their messages remain visible in your conversation history, but appear faded.
This allows you to look back on past chat history for context before you blocked someone. It also prevents confusion if a conversation seems to be missing messages.
You may choose to block users on Snapchat for things like:
- Harassment, bullying, or other abusive behavior.
- Unwanted messaging and spam.
- Impersonation or fake accounts.
- Spreading rumours, lies, or confidential information.
- Creepy and predatory messaging.
Blocking grays out their messages, mutes notifications, and prevents them viewing your stories or contacting you again.
How to Tell if You’re Blocked by Someone
Being blocked by another user will also result in their messages appearing grey in your chat screens.
This indicates they have blocked you, severing communication in that direction.
Some signs that someone may have blocked you on Snapchat include:
- Their Bitmoji disappears from the chat bar.
- You can’t view their Snapchat Story.
- You get zero confirmation they received your message.
- Left on “read” status doesn’t show under your sent messages.
- Your messages remain on “sent” even when they should have “read” them.
- They never open your snaps.
If you think you may be blocked, check if your messages to that person are greyed out. That will confirm your suspicions.
You can always send them a friend request to see if they reject it or add you back. That’s the only surefire way to know if you’re blocked.
How to Unblock Someone on Snapchat
If you change your mind after blocking a Snapchat contact, you can reverse your decision and unblock them.
Here is how to unblock users on Snapchat:
- Open your Snapchat friend list and tap the gear icon in the top right.
- Scroll down and select Blocked.
- Tap the name of the blocked user you want to unblock.
- Hit the Unblock button to remove them from the blocked list.
This will resume normal messaging capabilities in both directions.
Keep in mind they will know they were blocked if they tried to contact you during that time. But unblocking easily reopens communication lines.
Conclusion
In summary, grey messages on Snapchat usually indicate:
- Old expired messages nearing deletion.
- Senders who have left group chats.
- Sending failures and undelivered content.
- Conversations with new friends or contacts.
- Blocked users who you cannot message.
Understanding the context around grey Snapchat messages helps explain what they mean and how you can respond appropriately.
With expired content, you may want to screenshot or save it before it disappears. For blocked users or grey contacts, you may need to adjust privacy settings, unblock them, or build rapport to restore messaging abilities.
Overall, grey Snaps typically represent discontinued, inactive, or restricted messaging capabilities to cue users on what’s happening in the app.