Snapchat is a popular social media platform that allows users to send photo and video messages that disappear after being viewed. One of Snapchat’s key features is the ability to add friends to send snaps to and receive snaps from. However, sometimes friendships end or people want to disconnect from certain connections on social media. This leads to the question: What happens when you unfriend someone on Snapchat and they send you a message?
There are a few potential outcomes when you unfriend or block someone on Snapchat and they attempt to send you a message. The exact result depends on your settings and whether you soft blocked, unfriended, or fully blocked the person. Let’s break down what can happen in each scenario.
Soft Blocking
If you soft block someone on Snapchat, it means you removed them from your friends list, but didn’t fully block them. When you soft block a person, their messages will no longer show up in your inbox. However, the sender won’t be notified that you soft blocked them. From their end, it will seem like their messages are going through normally, but you won’t see anything from them in your inbox or receive any notifications.
Some key things to know about soft blocking on Snapchat:
- The blocked person can still view your stories and send you snaps/chats.
- Their messages will be automatically archived and hidden from your inbox.
- You won’t get notifications from soft blocked accounts.
- Your profile and stories will still be visible to soft blocked accounts.
- There’s no way for the soft blocked person to know their messages aren’t going through.
Overall, soft blocking is a way to privately disconnect from someone on Snapchat without notifying them. Their messages will effectively be sent into a void without the sender realizing it.
Unfriending
Unfriending someone on Snapchat is more definitive than soft blocking, but not as final as fully blocking them. When you unfriend a contact, they are removed from your friends list and their chat disappears from your inbox. If they try to send you a chat or snap, you will receive a notification that they tried to contact you, but won’t see the content of the message.
Here’s what happens when someone you’ve unfriended tries to message you on Snapchat:
- You will get a notification that they attempted to contact you.
- The notification will contain their name, but not show the message content.
- Their new messages will not appear in your inbox or be viewable.
- Previously sent/received snaps and chats from that person will no longer be accessible.
- You have the option to either delete the notification or add the person back as a friend directly from the notification.
- The sender will be able to see that the message was opened, but not that they’ve been unfriended.
Unfriending makes it clear to both parties that you are disconnecting on Snapchat. You won’t see any new messages from an unfriended person, but they will know you’ve seen their attempt to contact you after being unfriended.
Full Blocking
The most extreme option on Snapchat is to fully block someone. This prevents them from viewing your stories or sending you any snaps or chats. When you fully block a user, here is what happens if they try to contact you:
- You will not receive any notifications that they tried to message you.
- Any new messages from them will be automatically rejected.
- The blocked person will see a message that their chat could not be sent.
- They will not be able to view your profile or any of your stories.
- Any previous messages between you and the blocked person will become inaccessible.
- The only way messages can be exchanged again is if you unblock the person.
Full blocking cuts off all communication with someone on Snapchat in both directions. It’s the only way to prevent them from viewing any of your content. And if they try to message you, the sender gets notified that they have been blocked.
What Happens When You Block Someone Else on Snapchat
Blocking someone on Snapchat not only prevents communication from that person, it also blocks various other actions:
| Action | Soft Block | Unfriend | Full Block |
|---|---|---|---|
| See your stories | Yes | Yes | No |
| Send you snaps | Yes* | No | No |
| Send you chats | Yes* | No | No |
| View your profile | Yes | Yes | No |
| Get notification when message received | No | Yes | No |
*You won’t see snaps or chats from soft blocked accounts.
As you can see, full blocking provides the most restrictive level of disconnection on Snapchat. Unfriending still allows the person to passively view your profile and stories. With soft blocking, the person won’t know anything changed and can theoretically continue messaging into the void forever.
When Does a Blocked Person Know They’ve Been Blocked?
Whether someone is notified that they’ve been blocked or unfriended depends on the type of action taken:
- Soft Block: The blocked person is not notified and can still message normally from their end.
- Unfriend: The blocked person sees a message that their chat could not be sent, but isn’t specifically alerted they’ve been unfriended.
- Full Block: The blocked person sees a message that the message did not send because the recipient has blocked them.
The only way a blocked person is clearly made aware that you took action is if you fully block them. With soft blocking and unfriending, it appears from their end that messages are sending as normal.
Can You Tell if Someone Blocked You on Snapchat?
Wondering if someone blocked you on Snapchat? Here are some signs:
- Your messages to that person fail to send.
- You disappear from their friends list.
- You can’t view their stories.
- Your message history disappears.
- A message clearly states they blocked you.
If you are unsure, try adding them as a friend again. If the option is unavailable, it’s likely they blocked you. However, it’s not always easy to confirm a block, as Snapchat doesn’t notify you if you’ve been soft blocked or unfriended.
Can You Retrieve Deleted Conversations on Snapchat?
Unfortunately, there is no way to retrieve conversations and snaps that disappeared due to being blocked, unfriended, or deleted on Snapchat. Some things to know:
- Snapchat does not have a message history you can access.
- Chats and stories are automatically deleted after 24 hours.
- Deleting a contact or getting blocked erases past snaps and chats.
- Messages are stored temporarily on Snapchat’s servers before being deleted.
- There is no way to recover deleted Snapchat messages.
Once a message or conversation vanishes on Snapchat, whether voluntarily or from blocking, there is no retrieving it. The ephemeral nature of messages is part of what makes Snapchat unique.
Can You Block Someone Without Them Knowing?
Yes, you can block someone on Snapchat without them knowing by using the soft block feature:
- Soft blocking removes a friend from your friends list secretly.
- Snapchat does not notify that person they are soft blocked.
- They can still send you messages, but you won’t see them.
- Your profile and stories still appear normal to a soft blocked user.
- It appears to them like nothing has changed on your end.
Soft blocking essentially silences a person’s messages to you without indicating you took any action. This allows you to disconnect from someone privately withouthaving an awkward confrontation about it. However, full blocking and unfriending will be more obvious to the blocked person.
Pros and Cons of Blocking Someone on Snapchat
There are some advantages and disadvantages to blocking a person on Snapchat:
Pros:
- Prevents unwanted messages and notifications.
- Stops exes or abusive people from contacting you.
- Lets you curate who interacts with you.
- Can be done without notifying the other person (soft block).
Cons:
- May upset or provoke the blocked person if they find out.
- Communicating again requires unblocking them.
- Some may interpret blocking as dramatic or hostile.
- Doesn’t prevent in-person contact.
Overall, blocking is the most effective way to control who you interact with on Snapchat. But consider if it aligns with your personal values or if a softer approach like unfriending or muting may suffice.
Conclusion
Snapchat provides a few levels of blocking contacts, each with slightly different results:
- Soft Blocking: Removes a friend secretly so you don’t see their messages.
- Unfriending: Deletes your chat history and prevents new messages.
- Full Blocking: Stops all communication and notifications in both directions.
When deciding what to do about an unwanted Snapchat friend, consider if you want them to know they are blocked, and how aggressively you want to cut off contact. Blocking is always permanent unless you choose to unblock the person later on.
Overall, blocking someone on Snapchat prevents you from receiving unwanted messages and notifications from that person. But it permanently ends your connection, so weigh the pros and cons carefully before deciding if it’s right for your situation.