Having your Snapchat streak suddenly disappear can be upsetting, especially if it was a long streak you had going with a good friend. There are a few possible reasons your Snapchat streak may have been lost unexpectedly.
You or your friend didn’t snap within 24 hours
The most common reason for a lost Snapchat streak is that you or your friend didn’t send a snap within a 24 hour period. To keep a Snapchat streak going, you and your friend need to send each other a snap at least once every 24 hours. If more than 24 hours passes between snaps, the streak will be lost. This could happen if you or your friend simply forgot to snap for a day, had your phone turned off, or lost cell service temporarily.
One of you opened the snap late
Another way streaks can disappear unexpectedly is if you or your friend opens the snap outside of the 24 hour window. For a snap to count toward your streak, you need to not only send it within 24 hours but also open it within 24 hours. So if you send your friend a snap but they don’t open it until 25 hours later, the streak will break. The same thing will happen if your friend sends you a snap but you view it late.
Your account was temporarily locked
If your Snapchat account gets temporarily locked because of suspicious activity, you won’t be able to send or receive snaps until your account is restored. This means you could potentially miss the 24 hour window to keep your streaks alive. Any streaks you had going will disappear if your account is locked for more than 24 hours. The same will happen to your friend if their account gets locked.
One of you deleted the Snapchat app
Deleting the Snapchat app itself can also break your streaks if the app is gone for more than 24 hours. If you or your friend deletes Snapchat and doesn’t reinstall it within 24 hours, the streak will be lost because there’s no way to send snaps. Your streak won’t automatically pick back up if you reinstall the app after 24 hours.
You’ve been blocked
If your friend has blocked you on Snapchat, you have no way to send them snaps and keep your streak going. Any streak you had with that friend will be broken immediately after they block you. You won’t get any notification about being blocked, so it may seem like your streak disappeared without warning.
Your friend deleted their account
Similarly, if your friend deletes their Snapchat account entirely, your streak with them will end because you no longer have anyone to snap. Their account will simply disappear from your friends list if they delete it, so it can catch you off guard when your streak vanishes.
One of you got a new phone
Getting a new phone can also lead to lost streaks if you don’t properly transfer your Snapchat account and data. If you or your friend sets up Snapchat on a new phone but doesn’t restore your previous streak data, any ongoing streaks will disappear from the new device.
How to get your Snapchat streak back
Unfortunately once a Snapchat streak is lost, there is no way to get back the exact streak you had before. However, you can start rebuilding a new streak with your friend by consistently snapping each other again every 24 hours. Here are some tips to start a new streak:
- Let your friend know you want to restart your streak so you are both committed to snapping daily.
- Set reminders on your phone to make sure you don’t forget to snap within 24 hours.
- Check to make sure your friend opens your snap and you open theirs within 24 hours of sending.
- If one of you will be unable to snap for a period of time, warn the other person so they don’t think the streak ended on purpose.
While it takes time to build up a long Snapchat streak again, being intentional about snapping regularly will allow you to regain your streak with your friend. Just be diligent about sending snaps back and forth within 24 hours, and your new streak will continue growing.
Can Snapchat recover a lost streak?
Unfortunately Snapchat does not have the ability to restore or recover a lost streak if the 24 hour rule was broken. The automated Snapchat system recognizes when the streak has ended, and there is no way to override that or backdate snaps after the fact. Snapchat Support may be able to help if your streak disappeared due to a technical glitch, but they cannot bring back a streak that you or your friend broke the rules for.
How to avoid losing your streak
To keep your Snapchat streaks alive and well, keep these best practices in mind:
- Snap your friends at the same time every day if you can.
- If you’ll be unavailable during your normal snapping time, snap your friends early so there’s cushion time.
- Turn on Snapchat notifications so you never miss a snap.
- Save snaps until you know your friends have opened yours.
- Check your streaks list regularly to confirm your streaks are active.
- Contact friends quickly if you notice your streak is gone to restart it.
Streaks are core to the Snapchat experience, so put in the small effort needed daily to maintain your relationships and long snapping records!
Conclusion
Losing a treasured Snapchat streak can be upsetting and confusing, especially when it disappears unexpectedly. However, in most cases streaks end because you or your friend slipped up on the 24 hour snap rule. To rebuild your streak, be purposeful about snapping each other at least once a day, and double check that you both open the snaps within 24 hours too. With commitment from both sides, your new streak will be back to its former glory.