Having issues with your Snapchat conversations not deleting like they should? Snapchat’s automatic deletion of conversations is one of the app’s signature features, but sometimes conversations can get stuck and fail to disappear. There are a few potential reasons why your Snapchat chats aren’t deleting properly.
Snapchat’s Auto Delete Settings
First, let’s review how Snapchat’s auto-delete settings are supposed to work. When you send a Snap, by default it will disappear after being opened by the recipient. You can change this in your settings to allow the recipient to view it multiple times within a certain timeframe – either 1, 2, 3, 5 or 10 seconds – before it deletes.
For direct chats sent via text, audio or video chat, the default is that a message will delete after 24 hours after all recipients have opened it. You can change this setting to 30 days to save the chat longer, or change it to 24 hours to delete it sooner even if not opened.
Content Type | Default Delete Setting |
---|---|
Snaps | After being opened once |
Chat messages | 24 hours after opened by all recipients |
So if your conversations are not automatically deleting, the issue is likely that the auto delete settings have been changed or are not working properly.
Common Auto Delete Issues
Here are some of the most common reasons Snapchat messages may not be deleting:
Time Not Elapsed
The simplest reason is that the required time has not yet elapsed for messages to delete. For example, if you have chat messages set to delete 24 hours after being opened, but it has only been 12 hours since the recipient opened it, the messages would still appear.
Make sure to pay attention to exactly when the messages were originally sent/opened and the timeframe you have set for them to delete.
Recipient Has Not Opened the Message
Another possibility is that your recipient has not yet opened the message you sent them. The auto delete timer doesn’t start until the message has been viewed by all recipients in the chat.
So if you sent a chat 20 hours ago but your friend hasn’t opened Snapchat in 3 days, that message will still be waiting unopened for them and will not delete from either of your accounts until they view it.
Settings Changed
Double check that your Snapchat settings have not been changed. Either you or a recipient may have modified the auto delete timeframe, causing messages to stick around longer than expected.
To check your settings:
- Tap your profile icon in the top left corner
- Go to Settings > Delete Chats
- Review the timeframes chosen here for Snaps and Chats
Make sure these align with what you expect the delete duration to be. If you notice they were changed unintentionally, update them to fix your auto-delete.
24 Hour Limit Reached
Snapchat only allows you to send a certain number of Snaps in a 24 hour period. If you hit that limit, even new Snaps may appear stuck and not automatically delete as expected. This is because Snapchat pauses deletion until the 24 period is over.
The limit is usually around 700 Snaps per day. If you think you may have hit the cap, just wait out the 24 hours until the limit resets.
Connectivity Issues
Some connectivity problems like poor internet or having your phone on airplane mode can interfere with Snapchat’s auto deletion functions. Messages may fail to send properly and get stuck waiting to deliver.
Make sure to check your internet connection is stable, disable airplane mode if on, and close out and restart the Snapchat app. This may help connectivity issues that are preventing deletion.
How to Manually Delete Stuck Messages
If your Snapchat messages still aren’t disappearing after troubleshooting the above issues, you can try to manually delete any stuck conversations:
- Open the chat you want to delete
- Tap and hold on the message or conversation
- Select ‘Delete Chat’ to erase the message history
This should manually force deletion even if auto-expiry has failed. Keep in mind the other person in the chat will still have the messages on their account unless they also delete them.
Preventing Auto-Delete Issues
To avoid running into issues with Snapchat deletion glitches, follow these tips:
- Don’t excessively send 100s of Snaps per day
- Set reasonable auto-delete timeframes like 24 hours
- Occasionally manually delete old conversations
- Ensure chat settings align between you and recipients
- Check that the app has a stable internet connection
Following best practices like these will minimize the chances of your Snapchat messages getting stuck and failing to delete as expected.
When to Contact Snapchat Support
If you continue having persistent issues with Snapchat messages not auto-deleting properly, it may be time to contact Snapchat support for additional help.
Some signs you may need customer support include:
- Deletion fails despite proper settings and connection
- Problem persists across multiple conversations
- Manually deleting chats doesn’t fix it
- Issue lasts for more than 24-48 hours
Snapchat’s support team can look into your account, diagnose any bugs, and ideally get auto-deletion working again correctly.
Conclusion
Snapchat’s auto-delete feature is great for privacy, but can occasionally get tripped up and fail. If your Snapchat messages aren’t disappearing like normal, systematically go through possible reasons like changed settings, unopened snaps, connectivity issues, or hitting the daily limit.
Try manually deleting conversations as a workaround. And if problems continue, Snapchat’s customer support can help identify and resolve persistent auto-delete bugs.