How to Text on Snapchat: Start a Chat, Keep It and Delete It

Snapchat calls text messages Chats, which is why people searching for a Snapchat text message often can't find the option. It's there and it's quick, but there's one big thing to know first: Snapchat's messages are built to disappear. Here's how to start one, how long it lasts and how to keep the ones that matter.

How to start a new text chat on Snapchat

1. Swipe right from the Camera screen to go to the Chat screen.
2. Tap the chat icon at the bottom.
3. Search for a friend and tap their name.
4. Tap Chat, type your message and send it.

If you've already got a conversation going, just tap the person's name on the Chat screen to jump back in. You can also make voice and video calls from inside a Chat, which I cover in my guide to video calling on Snapchat, and you can send a voice note instead of typing, as explained in sending a voice message on Snapchat.

Can you text someone who isn't your friend yet?

Sometimes. Snapchat says that if your friend request is still pending, Chat can still open so you can send a message, but what they see depends on their Contact Me setting:

Their Contact Me setting	What happens to your message
Friends and Contacts	They can see your message
Friends only	They won't see it until they accept your friend request

On the Chat screen, a gray pending icon can appear next to a message when someone hasn't accepted your friend request, depending on privacy settings. That's one reason a text can sit there looking stuck.

Texting on Snapchat from your iPhone contacts

There's an iPhone option many people haven't spotted: you can make Snapchat your default messaging app. In Snapchat, open Settings and tap Default Messaging App, then tap Settings to open your iPhone Settings and choose Snapchat. Snapchat can't flip this switch for you, so you finish it in iPhone Settings.

Once that's done, messaging a contact from the iPhone Contacts or Messages app can open their Chat in Snapchat. Snapchat needs access to your contacts to match a phone number to an account. If the person isn't on Snapchat, or you aren't friends yet, you may see options to add them, send a text or invite them instead.

How long Snapchat text messages last

This is the part that catches people out. Snapchat's privacy page says delete is the default, and gives these rules for Chats:

Setting or situation	When the text is deleted
Default for one-on-one and group chats	24 hours after everyone has viewed it, or 31 days after it was sent, whichever is sooner
After Viewing	Straight after it's been viewed
7 Days After Viewing	A week after it's been viewed
Never	Kept until someone deletes it
Community Group Chats	7 days after everyone has viewed it, by default
Topic Chats	These are public and kept for 5 years

Messages also stay longer if someone saves, replies to or reacts to them, and saving a message keeps any reactions too.

How to change when your texts delete

1. Swipe right from the Camera screen to go to the Chat screen.
2. Press and hold on a friend's or group's name and tap Chat and Notification Settings.
3. Tap Delete Chats.
4. Pick After Viewing, 24 Hours After Viewing, 7 Days After Viewing or Never.

Anyone in the conversation can change this, and when they do, everyone sees a status message in the Chat saying the setting changed. Only messages sent after the change follow the new rule. Older ones keep the setting they were sent under.

Deleting a text you wish you hadn't sent

Press and hold on your message and choose Delete. For Snaps in Chat, Snapchat says it'll delete them from its servers and make its best attempt to remove them from your friend's phone, but that might not work if they have a bad connection or an old version of the app. I've put the full clean-up options in my guide to clearing a chat on Snapchat.

Forwarding a link or address from a Snapchat chat

If a friend sends you a URL or an address, you can pass it on without copying it. Press and hold on it in Chat, tap Forward, type a message, choose who to send it to and tap send. Snapchat's help page describes this for links and addresses rather than every message.

My verdict

Texting on Snapchat is easy once you know Chats are its text messages. The thing to decide is how long you want them kept. If you use Snapchat for anything you'll need to look back on, like plans with friends or a customer question, set that conversation to 7 Days After Viewing or Never, or save the key message. And remember Snapchat's own warning: anyone can screenshot or photograph a chat, so disappearing doesn't mean private.

Frequently asked questions

How do you send a text message on Snapchat?

Swipe right from the Camera screen to open Chat, tap the chat icon, search for your friend, tap their name, tap Chat and type your message.

Do Snapchat text messages disappear?

Yes, by default. Snapchat deletes Chats 24 hours after everyone in the conversation has viewed them, or 31 days after sending if they're never opened, whichever is sooner.

Can I stop Snapchat deleting my messages?

Yes. Press and hold the chat, tap Chat and Notification Settings, tap Delete Chats and pick Never or 7 Days After Viewing. You can also save individual messages.

Can I text someone on Snapchat who hasn't added me back?

You can send it, but if their Contact Me setting is Friends only, they won't see it until they accept your friend request.

Can I make Snapchat my default texting app on iPhone?

Yes. In Snapchat Settings tap Default Messaging App, then finish the change in your iPhone Settings by choosing Snapchat.