Snapchat is a popular social media app that allows users to send disappearing photos, videos, and messages called “Snaps” to their friends. One of the most common questions Snapchat users have is “Why can’t I change my email on Snapchat?” Here is a detailed look at why changing your email is not possible on Snapchat and some potential workarounds.
Snapchat Account Basics
When you first create a Snapchat account, you are required to provide a valid email address. This email is then verified by Snapchat by sending a confirmation link that must be clicked. Once your email is verified, it becomes the primary account identifier for your Snapchat account.
Your Snapchat username, password, associated phone number, and other personal details can be changed, but your account’s primary email address cannot be altered or swapped for a different email. This is by design to prevent issues like:
- Account hijacking
- Fake or spam accounts
- Users creating multiple accounts
By permanently linking each account to one email address, Snapchat can ensure authenticity and security. So changing your email would require creating an entirely new account and starting over.
Why Snapchat Doesn’t Allow Email Changes
There are a few key reasons why Snapchat does not allow users to change or update the email associated with an account:
Account Security
As mentioned, the permanent email address helps enhance security. By preventing email changes, it makes it much harder for someone else to gain access to your account without your consent.
Prevent Abuse
No email changes also helps limit abuse or malicious activity on the platform. Users are prevented from easily creating multiple fake accounts or impersonating other users.
Data Integrity
Snapchat stores user data and activity logs based on the account’s unique ID, which is tied to the email address. If emails could be changed, it would risk breaking or corrupting user data in their systems.
Legal/Regulatory Requirements
Some legal and regulatory frameworks require permanent account identifiers for tracking, auditing or identification purposes. Snapchat’s policy may help meet certain jurisdictional requirements.
Brand Consistency
Snapchat wants to enforce consistent IDs and handles for each user to maintain brand integrity. Allowing users to easily change emails or usernames could lead to confusion, impersonation issues or abuse.
Workarounds: Linking a New Email to Snapchat
While you can’t change the core email on your Snapchat account, there are some workarounds to link your account to a new or secondary email address:
Use Email Forwarding
You can set up your old Snapchat email account to forward all messages to your new email account. This allows you to continue receiving important Snapchat alerts and notifications.
Update Recovery Email
In your Snapchat account settings, you can update your recovery or backup email address used for password resets and account recovery. Log in and go to Settings > Email to change.
Share New Email with Friends
Manually let your Snapchat friends know about your new preferred email address so they can contact you there going forward.
Link Accounts
You can link your Snapchat account to new email accounts on other platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok through Snapchat’s Connections settings page.
Making an Entirely New Snapchat Account
If you really want to start fresh with a new email on Snapchat, your only option is to create a brand new account from scratch using your new email. Here are some tips for making a new Snapchat account:
Use a Different Device
It’s easiest to make a new account on a device that hasn’t been associated with your old Snapchat account before. This prevents login conflicts.
Clear Cookies/Data
If using the same device, be sure to clear out old Snapchat cookies, cached data, and log out from all linked accounts first.
Avoid Similar Usernames
Pick a new unique username that is nothing like your old one. Similar names may get flagged or banned.
Start Fresh
With a new account, you’ll have to start rebuilding your friend list and Snaps history from zero.
Link Accounts (Optional)
You can re-link accounts like Facebook or Instagram to your new Snapchat account if you want to easily find friends.
Pros of a New Snapchat Account
While starting over with a new account is inconvenient, there are a few benefits:
- You get a fresh start
- You can pick a new username
- It breaks associations with your old account
- You can rebuild your audience and branding
Cons of a New Account
However, there are also some downsides to be aware of:
- Lose your Snapstreaks and history
- Have to rebuild friend/follower base
- Can’t recover old Snaps or memories
- Lose access to purchased add-ons
- Get less exposure until account is established
Conclusion
Snapchat prevents email address changes to protect account security and integrity. The only way to use a new email is to create an entirely new account and start over from scratch. While doable, it means losing your Snapchat history and connections.
If your need to change emails is temporary, use forwarding or update recovery emails instead. But if you permanently want to associate your Snapchat with a new email, be ready to invest the time into building up a new account and re-adding friends.