11 Snapchat Privacy Settings You Should Always Use

When it comes to social media apps like Snapchat, it’s always smart to stay vigilant, especially when sharing personal photos and other sensitive information. Take a look at these Snapchat privacy settings we recommend switching to for extra security.

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1. Create Private Stories

Like Instagram, Snapchat also allows users to create Stories. While these pieces of content automatically disappear after 24 hours have passed, you might not want to share them with everyone. Depending on the image or video I’m about to share, I usually prefer to tweak the privacy settings for Stories to share them only with a select few. With this approach, I feel secure knowing my private details won’t be shared with people I don’t want to have access to them.

To create a private Snap, open the Snapchat app and tap on your avatar image in the upper-left corner.

Tap on the + New Story button next to My Stories. Select New Private Story from the menu at the bottom.

Select your audience from here. Only tap on the people you want to see your content. Then tap on Create Story at the bottom.

Name your story and click Save.

Snapchat will create a folder that will house all your private stories with this particular audience. You can create multiple such stories, with varying audiences.

Once it’s created, you will only have to tap on Add to [Name of the Story] to continue adding content to it.

If you want to add or remove people from this particular private story folder, tap on the three-dot menu next to its name.

Select Edit Viewers.

Note: Snapchat has also created a folder that allows you to share stories with your friends and the public, so you can easily switch audiences from there.

Tip: check how to create a public profile on Snapchat.

2. Hide Sensitive Memories

Snapchat allows you to save content, such as stories in the Memories folder. If you have the Auto-Save My Story Snap option on, all your private stories will automatically save to Memories. To prevent these images from popping up while you’re showing your Memories to a friend, you may want to move them to a more private location on Snapchat.

Note: you can move ANY snaps from Memories to this private folder called My Eyes Only which is locked with a PIN.

To access Memories, swipe left to bring up the Camera screen. Tap the Cards icon on the left side of the large shutter button.

Long-press on the snaps you want to add to your private folder to select them. Press the More button that appears below.

Select Hide Snap (My Eyes Only.)

Tap the Move button in the pop-up to finish.

To view these private snaps again, go to Memories. Swipe and tap on the My Eyes Only option at the top, then input your passcode.

3. Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

Two-factor authentication adds a layer of security to your account and prevents unauthorized parties from accessing your account.

While it may be a bit inconvenient to always have to input your password as well as a one-time code every time you log in, it’s better to be safe than sorry. I recommend installing an authenticator app such as Google Authenticator on your app for convenience. Alternatively, you can opt to receive it via SMS. Find out how you can enable 2FA for your Snapchat account.

4. Keep Personal Information Minimal

Avoid giving away too much private information about yourself on Snapchat. Even if you might be tempted to add your real personal details such as name, location, and even birthday, my suggestion is don’t. Of course, I am not saying you should change your age, but you don’t have to input the exact day and month.

Keeping things vague will reduce the chances of unwanted people learning sensitive information about you. Plus minimizing the amount of personal data that appears online can decrease the chances of this data being collected, sold, or misused by third parties.

FYI: don’t want to use Snapchat anymore? Here’s how to delete your Snapchat account.

5. Opt Out of Quick Add

Snapchat encourages you to use various possible avenues of finding your friends on the app. But I think this push is unnecessary. I usually tend to add my friends manually, as I don’t necessarily want to add or invite everyone in my contacts to Snapchat (think older relatives, former co-workers, etc.)

Snapchat also has a feature called Quick Add that “helps friends find each other.” You might show up in someone’s Quick Add if you share mutual friends or another connection. These recommendations can appear in Chat, Add Friends screen, or when you use Search. Since I prefer to share my Snapchat account with a select few, I do not want to show up in anyone’s recommendations. As a result, I’ve opted to disable the Quick Add option for my account.

You can do so too by going to Settings -> See Me in Quick Add (under the Privacy Control section.)

Untick the Show me in Quick Add option and exit.

6. Disable Contact Syncing

As explained above, it would be a good idea to also disable contact syncing. This way, you can avoid accidentally adding people from your contact list that you don’t necessarily want to have on Snapchat.

Go to Settings -> Contact Syncing (in the Account Actions section.)

Tap on See Contacts Shared with Snapchat. If the section is empty, then you’re good to go.

If it’s not, go back and press on the Remove Synced Contacts from Snapchat. Press Delete in the pop-up.

To prevent Snapchat from accessing your contacts information in the future, revoke the permission from Settings. The app takes you there automatically.

If you are on Android, go to Permissions -> Contacts.

Then select Don’t allow.

On iPhone, tap Contacts in the Additional Services section.

Tip: if you do wish to find friends and stories near you, here’s how to take advantage of Snapchat’s location to do so.

7. Turn on Ghost Mode

Snapchat only shares your location with friends to encourage friendly interactions. But to me giving even my closest friends access to this information which can help them track my every step, seems a bit over the top. That’s why I’ve opted to enable Ghost Mode, which hides all this information.

Go to Settings -> See My Location (in the Privacy Control section.)

Toggle on the Ghost Mode option at the top.

Select for how long you want to have Ghost Mode active.

If you don’t trust Snapchat to stop tracking your location, you can take matters into your own hands. If you are on Android, go to Settings -> Apps -> See all -> Snapchat.

Select Permissions -> Location -> Don’t Allow.

On iPhone, go to Settings -> Privacy & Security -> Location Services.

Select Snapchat from the list of apps below.

Then select the Never option from the next screen.

8. Be Wary of Those Who Screenshot Your Snaps

Snapchat shows you when someone has taken a snap of your conversation or Snaps. Keep an eye out for these notifications, as they may alert you to possible nefarious intentions. If you notice this behavior, it could be time to reassess whether you should continue being friends on Snapchat with that person.

In the case of family and close friends, you probably have nothing to worry about. But if it’s a distant acquaintance, you may want to consider unfriending them for your peace of mind.

To ensure you don’t miss these messages, make sure you’ve enabled Snapchat notifications from the app and from the main settings of your device.

9. Be Careful Who You Send Snaps To

I’m extra careful when sending Snaps to my friends. Even if I curated my list of friends to include only people I actually want to connect with on Snapchat, it’s still easy to accidentally tap on the wrong person.

Always double-check that you’re not about to send Snaps to anyone by mistake. There might be moments you want to share with a friend but not with another.

10. Clear Your History

Another step I frequently take to secure my account is to clear my data on the app. This may include conversations, searches, and more.

Go to Settings -> Account Actions -> Clear Conversations. Then go back and select Clear Search History.

If you don’t want your chats accumulating, even for 24 hours (when they get automatically deleted), do this. Open a chat and tap on the person’s avatar at the top.

Tap the three dots in the upper right corner. Select Chat and Notifications Settings from the menu that pops up.

Select Delete Chats…and opt for the After Viewing option.

Tip: check how you can hide your activity in Steam.

11. Disable Activity Indicator

I prefer other people not to be aware of when I log in or am active on Snapchat. That’s why I prefer to keep my Activity Indicator turned off.

If you’d like to do the same, go to Settings -> Activity Indicator.

Disable the toggle from there.

If you have social media apps like Snapchat installed on your phone, be careful if you lend your phone to someone. Before doing so, make sure you use these privacy settings to safeguard your phone before handing it over. If you’re a Facebook user, these privacy tips might come in handy.

Image credit: DepositFiles All screenshots by Alexandra Arici