Does Snapchat Automatically Delete Conversations?

Similar to other social media apps, Snapchat allows you to have conversations with people who are your friends. However, most things on Snapchat are of ephemeral nature. In simpler terms, this means that they are gone after a while.

Losing the conversation that you particularly like can be a drag, especially if you want to go back to it and reread it. The chat might contain some important information or is simply so funny that you have to go back to it every so often. Either way, it is quite frustrating to realize that the chat bubbles are no longer there.

To understand how Snapchat works, there are a few things you should know about this popular social media platform.

Does Snapchat Automatically Delete Chats?

The simple answer is yes. Snapchat is set to automatically delete your chats after the recipient sees them. But, you can control Snapchat’s deletion protocol to an extent.

There are some functions in Snapchat that let you save conversations for a longer time period, and some that let you save messages forever. Here’s how to do both:

Change the Duration of Chats

You can change the duration of chats from ‘After viewing’ to ’24-Hours” following these steps:

1. Open Snapchat and tap on the messages icon at the bottom.
2. Long-press a conversation so that a menu appears. Then, tap ‘More.’
3. Tap ‘Delete Chats.’
   
4. Select one of the options.
   

While this doesn’t mean your messages are saved forever, it does mean that Snapchat won’t immediately delete them.

Save Chats

You can save chats permanently within Snapchat. All you need to do is long-press the message and select ‘Save in Chat.’

After you’ve saved a chat, the background in the immediate message will turn from white to grey. This makes it easier to spot which of your chats are saved and which chats are set to expire.

Now that we’ve covered your initial questions, let’s review some more information about Snapchat conversations to give you a better understanding of the platform.

How Do Snapchat Conversations Work?

Chatting on Snapchat is quite straightforward. All you have to do is launch the app and tap on the icon in the bottom-left corner to see all the friends you can chat with.

To start a conversation, tap on the friend you would like to chat with, type your message, and hit send. Snapchat also allows you to send photos, videos, and emoticons much like any other messaging app.

However, if you’ve used Snapchat for some time, you’ve probably realized that the conversations are gone after some time. So, yes, Snapchat does automatically delete conversations.

Different deletion rules apply to different types of conversations.

1. 1-on-1 Chats

After both participants open the Snapchat conversation and then leave the chat, that particular thread will be automatically deleted. This feature is embedded into Snapchat, but you can easily change it.

You should launch the Chat Settings and set the erase rules to “delete after 24 hours”. The one-day time frame should give you enough opportunity to go back to the chat.

2. Unopened Chats

The chats that you haven’t opened will be automatically deleted after a month. This is not such a bad thing because 30 days is more than enough time to open the chat if you are really interested in it. Few users would actually wait for more than a couple of days to open an interesting chat anyway, so it shouldn’t be that big a loss.

3. Group Chats

When it comes to group chats, the messages automatically disappear after 24 hours. The rule also applies to the messages that haven’t been viewed yet and there is no way to change these settings.

How to Delete Your Own Chats

Some chats might not be worth keeping and it is always useful to clear your Snapchat inbox from any clutter. There is a way to immediately delete any chats that you don’t want to keep. You just have to do the following:

Access All Chats

Launch the Snapchat app and tap on the Friends icon in the bottom-left corner of the screen.

Select the Desired Chat

Once you’ve selected the chat, press and hold a message to launch the window with different options. Tapping on delete in the window will remove that particular chat from your conversations.

Alternatively, you can set a specific schedule to delete messages and chats from any particular friend. After you tap to open the chat, select chat settings by tapping on the three horizontal lines in the top-left corner.

Then tap on Delete Chats and choose one of the given options. Chats can be deleted either upon viewing or after 24 hours.

How to Save Chats on Snapchat

Deleting all unwanted chats is quite handy, but what happens if you want to keep some of the conversations? Well, you can do that as well. A simple method many Snapchat users employ is to take a screenshot of the chat. However, this might not be the best thing to do for privacy reasons.

A better option is to save the conversations via the Snapchat app itself. You can save a conversation simply by pressing and holding on to the chat. All the chats you have saved will show up on a gray background and you can reverse your decision by pressing and holding again to delete the chats.

Why Does Snapchat Automatically Delete Chats?

This is the question many avid Snapchat users are asking. The notion that Snapchat is an app that supports the ephemeral in human nature is a bit too harsh. But if you think about it, most real-life conversations are gone almost as soon as they are finished.

It can be assumed that Snapchat is designed to mimic real human conversations, so this is why they are gone so quickly.

The Final Chat

Snapchat conversations are a great way to engage with your friends on this social network. Even though the app actually deletes your conversations, you don’t have to lose the conversations for good. Just follow the methods listed above to save all the conversations that are close to your heart.