Making your Snapchat profile public allows anyone to view your profile information, Snapcode, friend list, and public Stories without adding you as a friend. While it can help you connect with more people, it does come with some risks that you should consider before making your profile public.
What does making your Snapchat profile public do?
By default, Snapchat profiles are private, meaning only friends you’ve added can see your information. Making your profile public changes this so that anyone can access certain parts of your profile, even if they haven’t added you as a friend.
Specifically, making your Snapchat public allows non-friends to:
- View your public Stories
- See your Snapcode and add you as a friend by scanning it
- See your display name, Bitmoji avatar, and any other info you added to your public profile
- View your friend list and see who you’re friends with
Your personal Snaps, memories, groups, and private Stories will still only be visible to friends you’ve added on Snapchat. You have control over what content you post publicly or keep private.
How to make your Snapchat profile public
Making your Snapchat profile public is simple to do through the app’s settings:
- Open your Snapchat app and tap your profile icon in the top left corner
- Go to the settings gear icon in the top right and tap it
- Scroll down and tap “Who Can…” under the “Additional Services” section
- Toggle the switch next to “View My Story” to enable your Stories to be public
- Toggle the switch next to “See My Location” if you also want your location visible
Once you toggle these options on, your profile will immediately become public. Anyone who looks up your Snapchat username will be able to view the parts of your profile you made public.
Pros of a public Snapchat profile
Here are some potential benefits of making your Snapchat profile public:
- Increased discoverability – More people can find and add you as a friend organically.
- Grow your audience – Public access allows you to reach new viewers for your content.
- Express yourself – You can share public Stories as a creative outlet.
- Professional use – Artists, brands, influencers, etc. can promote their work.
- Event promotion – Share public Stories from events to reach a larger audience.
- Share your life – Let viewers get to know you through public Stories.
The ability to share Stories, photos, videos, and moments widely can be rewarding for personal and professional uses. The feature allows for networking, self-expression, and making connections over shared interests.
Cons of a public profile
However, there are also some downsides to weigh when determining if you want to make your Snapchat public:
- Privacy concerns – Complete strangers can see aspects of your profile.
- Stalkers – Opens you up to potentially being contacted by unwelcome people.
- Bullying – More visibility means more potential for being targeted by bullies.
- Reputation risks – Content is seen outside of just your friends.
- Taking things out of context – Public viewers may misinterpret your content.
- Unwanted sharing – People could screenshot your Stories without consent.
A public profile means losing control over who exactly sees your shared content. Not all audiences have your best interests in mind, so increased visibility has risks.
Tips for managing a public profile
If you do decide to make your Snapchat public, here are some tips to protect your privacy and reputation:
- Avoid oversharing personal details like addresses, emails, etc.
- Be selective about the content you post publicly.
- Customize your privacy settings for individual Stories.
- Don’t add people you don’t know as friends.
- Use block/report tools if you encounter harassment.
- Frequently review your follower list and remove suspicious accounts.
- Turn off location sharing if you don’t need it active.
- Change your username if you need to make your account private again.
It’s smart to approach public profiles with the same caution you would on other social media sites. Always think before you post and don’t share anything you wouldn’t be comfortable the whole world seeing.
How to make your Snapchat private again
If after making your profile public you change your mind, you can easily revert back to a private account by:
- Going back to your profile settings
- Tapping “Who Can…” under Additional Services
- Disabling the options to allow public access to your Stories and location
This will immediately stop non-friends from viewing your profile. However, anyone who added you already will remain friends until you block them. You can also change your username to prevent existing followers from looking up your account.
Conclusion
Making your Snapchat public has its advantages, but also substantial risks to weigh carefully. While it can help expand your reach, too much visibility could expose you to unwanted attention from strangers.
Protect yourself by being selective about what you share publicly, customizing your privacy settings, and restricting personal details. With proper precautions, you can still benefit from the expanded audience of a public profile safely.
But if the risks outweigh the rewards for you, keeping your profile private limits Snapchat access to just people you know and trust. Either way, think through your decision carefully based on your comfort level with how much you’re willing to share publicly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can people see if I make my Snapchat public?
People who view your public profile can see your display name, Bitmoji avatar, custom emojis, friend list, public Stories, Snapcode, and (optionally) your location on the Snap Map.
Can strangers message me if I’m public?
Strangers can’t directly message you on Snapchat unless you add them as a friend. However, they could reach out on other platforms if you have social media usernames linked.
What should I avoid posting if my profile is public?
Avoid posting personal details, addresses, emails, phone numbers, nudity, or any content you wouldn’t want an unknown audience seeing publicly.
Can I get in trouble for a public Snapchat profile?
You’re unlikely to face legal trouble just for posting publicly. But schools, employers, or parents could discipline you if your content reflects poorly on them.
Will anyone I know find out I made my profile public?
Friends you’ve added won’t get a notification, but they will be able to see your profile is public if they check your settings. Strangers who view your profile can also see your friend list.
Summary Table
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Increased discoverability | Privacy concerns |
| Grow your audience | Stalkers |
| Creative outlet | Bullying risks |
| Professional promotion | Reputation risks |
| Event promotion | Content misinterpretation |
| Share your life | Unwanted sharing |