Snapchat’s disappearing messages and lack of a save option are intentional design choices by the company to create a more authentic, in-the-moment experience. When Snapchat launched in 2011, the app’s creator Evan Spiegel wanted to avoid the social pressure and oversharing he saw on platforms like Facebook. By making messages disappear, Spiegel hoped Snapchat would feel like spending time face-to-face with friends.
History of Snapchat
Snapchat began as Picaboo, an app created by Stanford students Evan Spiegel, Reggie Brown and Bobby Murphy in 2011. The app allowed users to send photo messages that would disappear after being viewed once. Picaboo was launched in the iOS App Store in July 2011. By September 2011, the app was rebranded as Snapchat.
Snapchat gained traction quickly among teenagers and young adults as a fun, low-pressure way to share moments with friends. By May 2012, Snapchat was processing 25 images per second. In October 2012, Snapchat launched video sharing and introduced the concept of Snapstreaks – a count of consecutive days two users have snapped each other. This encouraged more frequent usage among users.
By 2013, Snapchat was one of the top 10 apps in the iOS App Store. The company rejected a $3 billion acquisition offer from Facebook that year. Snapchat introduced ephemeral text chat in 2014 and Stories in 2015, paving the way for its evolution into a full-fledged social platform.
Reasons for Disappearing Messages
Snapchat’s disappearing messages were a conscious design decision to encourage users to share more casually, spontaneously and frequently:
Encourage Authentic, In-the-Moment Sharing
Snapchat hoped that making messages disappear would reduce social pressure and encourage sharing raw, authentic moments “in the now.” Users don’t have to worry about embarrassing messages coming back to haunt them later. This creates a lower pressure environment for honest sharing.
Avoid Oversharing
Snapchat wanted to avoid the “oversharing” problem on other social platforms like Facebook where users build up huge histories of posts and photos. With disappearing messages, unnecessary or redundant content doesn’t accumulate over time. Each message stands alone.
Focus on Real Relationships
With Snapchat, users ideally focus on sharing experiences and interacting in the moment rather than trying to present an idealized life online. Disappearing messages help users live “in the moment” rather than obsessing over their presence on social media after the fact.
Provide Privacy
The ephemeral nature of Snapchat messages gives users more privacy. Embarrassing messages aren’t stored somewhere to be discovered later. Sensitive conversations can happen with discretion. Users have more control over their privacy.
Add Playfulness
The time limit on viewing Snapchat messages injects fun and excitement. There is motivation to pay attention right away before content disappears. It creates a powerful engagement loop that keeps users coming back.
Reasons Against a Save Option
Allowing users to save Snapchat messages would undermine many of the goals behind the app’s disappearing messages. Here are some reasons Snapchat avoids a native save option:
Would Ruin the Ephemeral Experience
Saving messages would ruin Snapchat’s ephemeral, in-the-moment experience. Users could obsess over their message history rather than engaging in the now. Content could be taken out of context later. The authenticity of the sharing experience would suffer.
Goes Against Ideals of Privacy
A main intention of Snapchat was to create privacy and impermanence. A save option contradicts this purpose by permanently storing private messages. It removes user control over the lifespan of their messages.
Incentivizes Oversharing
Allowing content to be saved long-term could promote oversharing or excessive posting for the sake of accumulating content. Snapchat wants to avoid the sense that users have to share constantly to build a saved history.
Reduces Incentive for Engagement
The ephemeral nature of messages creates urgency to view Snaps before they disappear. A save feature would remove this incentive to engage, potentially reducing overall usage and frequency of messaging.
Not Advertiser-Friendly
Brands prefer their messaging and stories to have a long shelf-life rather than disappearing after view. Allowing users to save branded content until it becomes irrelevant could reduce advertiser interest in the platform.
User Workarounds for Saving
Despite Snapchat’s intentional lack of a save function, users have come up with creative workarounds for saving ephemeral Snaps:
Taking Screenshots
The simplest workaround is for users to take screenshots of Snaps before they disappear. Snapchat notifies the sender when a recipient takes a screenshot. But there is no prevention mechanism. Snapchat tolerates this workaround.
Using Third-Party Apps
Various third-party apps exist like Snapsave and SaveMySnaps that allow covert saving of Snapchat messages. These apps violate Snapchat’s terms of service but remain popular.
Using Camera Devices
Some users employ secondary cameras or camcorders pointed at their screens to record Snaps in real-time as they view them. The quality is poor but it allows saving.
Copying Content
Users can also use old-fashioned copying by, for example, taking handwritten notes of text Snap messages before they vanish. This preserves the content if not the original presentation.
Saving on iOS
On iOS, users can force-close the Snapchat app before a Snap disappears to temporarily save it. When reopened, the Snap is viewable again until the user navigates away.
Jailbreaking
Jailbreaking iPhones allows third-party apps to directly access and save Snapchat messages from the device storage. However, jailbreaking requires technical expertise.
Snapchat’s Attitudes Towards Workarounds
Snapchat walks a fine line between accepting some saving behavior while limiting actions that undermine the service:
Accepts Screenshots
Snapchat tolerates the screenshot workaround, seeing it as an acceptable concession for determined users. Notification provides some social deterrent.
Cracks Down on Third-Party Apps
However, Snapchat actively works to detect and block third-party apps that enable secret saving, violating their terms of service. They aim to limit under-the-radar workarounds.
Doesn’t Prioritize Technical Solutions
Beyond screening apps, Snapchat avoids an arms race of technical countermeasures. For example, they could implement screenshot blocking but accept some workarounds as inevitable and focus on social norms.
Relies on User Discretion
Ultimately Snapchat expects users to exercise good judgment in saving and sharing others’ Snaps. They trust users not to violate personal privacy even if technical options exist to save.
Values Moment-to-Moment Experience
Snapchat values authentic in-the-moment experiences over perfect enforcing impermanence. Some workarounds don’t fundamentally undermine this experience as long as they aren’t rampant or covert.
The Future of Snapchat Saving
It’s unlikely that Snapchat will ever implement a native and risk-free save option. However, here are some potential directions:
Limited Saving of Own Content
Snapchat may allow saving a user’s own Snaps and Stories, while still deleting those from friends by default. This could assist content creators and influencers.
Server-Side Saving
Snapchat could potentially implement server-side saving of Snaps for limited time periods (24 hours, 1 week). This could be optional and only if both users enable it.
Screenshot Notifications for Others’ Content
Snapchat may eventually notify users when someone takes a screenshot of their Snap, not just their own. This would further deter illicit saving of others’ content.
Favor User Education over Technical Solutions
Rather than engage in a technical arms race, Snapchat may continue educating users to use discretion in saving and re-sharing. This solution relies on trust in the user community.
Monetization Instead of Prevention
Snapchat may develop paid features that leverage saving while limiting free options. For example, they could charge a fee for temporary Snap storage or Snap re-viewing privileges.
Conclusion
Snapchat was built from the ground up with disappearing messages central to the experience. Introducing permanent saving would undermine the spontaneity, privacy and playfulness that Snapchat tries to foster. While users find creative workarounds, Snapchat focuses on maintaining the ephemeral social experience that makes Snapchat unique. Saving Snapchats is ultimately discouraged, but some user behaviors are tolerated in moderation. Overall, vanishing Snaps remain core to Snapchat’s identity even as the app evolves with new features. The impermanent nature of Snapchat fuels its addictive, live-in-the-moment appeal for users.