Snapchat Privacy Settings: How to Keep Your Account Secure

Social Media platforms like Snapchat have become easy targets for malicious actors looking to connect with you and steal your data. Snapchat frequently implements essential security measures on the backend, but there are a few key settings you should configure to preserve your privacy.

While it is also important to maintain the views and followers count on your profile, you can buy Snapchat followers, to focus more on creating content for your account. Discover the important privacy tips that can help keep your account secure. Let’s get started!

How To Protect Your Snapchat Account: Essential Privacy Settings

Snapchat privacy tips

Protecting your Snapchat account is essential for safeguarding your online privacy and security. With these basic privacy settings, you can manage who sees your content, restrict unwanted interactions, and protect your personal information.

  • Protect Your Personal Details

Snapchat profiles can include full names and birthday information but you can remove your last name and use only your first name in your Friends list. You can also disable Birthday Party, which prevents others from knowing your birthday and star sign. This can be done by

  • Tapping Birthday​​​​​​ in Snapchat’s settings to see your birthday information
  • Disable the Birthday Party feature.

You can also enhance your privacy, adopt a pseudonym for your first name, and make your username unrelated to your real identity. These modifications can be done under Display Name and can help you in protecting your personal details.

  • Choose Who Can View Your Stories

Snapchat provides two options for setting who can view your story: My Friends and Custom. If you pick My Friends, your Snapchat story will be visible to all of your Snapchat friends. The Custom option allows you to choose who can see your story manually. You can also buy Snapchat views, to make your account big and get more followers. But still if you want to manually control who can see your Snapchat stories, here are the steps to do so-

  • Launch the app, hit your profile icon in the top-left corner
  • Then click the gear icon in the top-right corner to reach the Snapchat settings menu.
  • Now, in the Privacy Control area, select the “View My Story” option.
  • Choose “Custom,” select the individual you don’t want to see your story and then select “Block”.

Once you’ve removed the story, or it’s automatically gone after 24 hours, simply unselect the individual to allow them to see your future stories.

  • Enable Two-Factor Authentication

Snapchat privacy settings tutorial​

Enabling two-factor authentication is an important account security on Snapchat. Having this enabled makes it more difficult for unauthorized individuals to access your account. To enable two-factor authentication on Snapchat

  • Navigate to the Snapchat settings menu
  • Select “Two-Factor Authentication”
  • Then choose “Continue,” and “Text Verification.”
  • Enter the phone number where you want to receive the security code, then select “Verify.” Choose the “Send via text” option.
  • After that, enter the code you receive on your smartphone to complete the two-factor authentication setup process.

This is the most critical Snapchat settings you should set to protect your privacy on Snapchat.

  • Manage Who Can See You On Snapchat

Snapchat has revised its settings regarding who can contact you on the platform. Previously, there were three settings for who could contact you on Snapchat: Friends, Friends and Contacts, and Everyone. However, Snapchat has restricted the Everyone option to creator and corporate accounts.

If you have someone on your contact list from whom you do not want to receive snaps or messages on Snapchat

  • You can select “Friends” in the Contact Me section.
  • Go to the Snapchat settings menu, then pick “Contact Me” and “Friends.”
  • Manage Snapchat’s use of your contacts

Snapchat does not automatically sync your contacts with its app. However, if you’ve already given Snapchat permission to do so, it will continue to collect information from your device’s phone book and update your contacts whenever you make a change, as stated in the Snapchat Privacy Policy. You can edit by:

  • Scroll down from the “Manage” menu to Contacts.
  • Then deselect “Sync Contacts.”

You can also check all of the contacts you’ve synchronized with Snapchat and erase their information from the app.

  • Hide From Quick Add Section

Snapchat has added a new feature called Quick Add, which appears at the bottom of your conversation list and stories page. It gives a brief list of suggested users based on mutual friendships. If you have the Quick Add option activated, you will appear in the Quick Add area of your friends’ friends. If you don’t wish to appear there, you can turn this setting off by tapping-

  • Open the Snapchat settings menu
  • Choose “See Me in Quick Add,”
  • Then uncheck the “Show Me in Quick Add” box
  • Use Ghost Mode

You can hide your location for a few hours or permanently by switching to Ghost Mode, which disables Snapchat’s location monitoring. You can also choose to share your location with specific friends. When you tap the location pin, you will see the location settings in the app’s bottom left corner. Here’s how to turn on Ghost Mode:

  • Tap the Snap Map icon in the menu’s bottom left corner.
  • Now open Snap Map options by clicking the cog wheel in the map’s top-right corner.
  • The first option you see is the Ghost Mode toggle.
  • Toggle it on and set the duration.
  • Change Snapchat Ad Preference

Snapchat privacy features​

While using Snapchat, you may have noticed that it displays ads based on topics you’ve looked for online or seen on the platform. Snapchat makes this possible by tracking your app usage. However, this again presents serious privacy concerns. As a result, you should update your Snapchat ad preference settings. To achieve this-

  • Navigate to Snapchat’s settings menu and pick “Ads.”
  • Then select “Ad Preferences” and uncheck all three boxes.
  • Finally, select “Disable” to confirm your selection.
  • Manual Approve Comments On Snaps

You may occasionally receive inappropriate comments on Snapchat, even from friends. If you don’t want those comments to be public, you can personally approve them on Snapchat. This way, you can delete comments that you feel are unhelpful or inappropriate. To do this, update your Snapchat comment settings,

  • Go to the “Comment Settings” menu
  • Select “Manually Approve.”

This is the easiest way you can use to control comments on your snaps and stories.

  • Move Private Snaps From Memories To My Eyes Only

Memories is a collection of your Snaps that you can store and look back on. It is accessible by clicking on the symbol to the left of the camera button (two rectangles resemble pictures) for simple access and sharing. Move your private Snaps to My Eyes Only to keep them separate and viewable only by you. But first, you should learn how to set up Snapchat’s My Eyes Only feature.

Here is how you can do so-

Step 1: Tap the check mark in the top-right corner to select which snaps you want to hide.

Step 2: Tap More at the bottom of the screen.

Step 3: Select “Hide Snaps (My Eyes Only).” If you haven’t already set up My Eyes Only, tap Quick Setup and add your password. This will save all your snaps to My Eyes Only.

Conclusion

Personalize your app experience by understanding the options offered. Secure your account with the tips and steps in this blog, keep your account private and protected, and control your activity and visibility on the app. In addition to making these adjustments, you should be very cautious about the information you disclose on Snapchat and with your friends. For safe growth of your account take Snapchat promotion services and be informed of steps you can take if someone acquires illegal access to your Snapchat account.

FAQs

  • Is Snapchat a secure platform?

Yes, snapchat is a secure platform, it puts user security first, with end-to-end encryption for snaps and messages. However, it is susceptible to vulnerabilities, so users should continue to exercise caution, create strong passwords and enable two-factor authentication on account.

  • How safe is Snapchat when it comes to privacy?

Snapchat has experienced concerns about user privacy, specifically around data gathering and storage. While the platform provides features like disappearing messages and ‘Ghost Mode’, users should exercise caution when providing personal information on the platform and modifying your privacy settings.

  • Who has access to my Snapchat content?

By default, all your Snapchat friends can view your content, but you can manage who sees stories and snaps in the settings at any time. Snapchat’s moderators may also view content to enforce community guidelines and comply with legal requests.

  • How do I report a user or account on Snapchat?

To report a Snapchat user or account, tap and hold the snap or story and then select ‘Report Snap’. Alternatively, navigate to Settings > Support > Report a Problem and provide specifics about the problem. This way you can easily report it.

  • Can I keep my Snapchat account private?

Yes, you can keep your Snapchat account private by modifying its settings. Turn on ‘Ghost Mode’ to hide your location, restrict who may contact you through ‘Friends’, and manage who can see your stories and snaps regularly.

Luka L.

Luka Lucheski is a digital marketing strategist and content creator with over 5 years of experience in social media growth and engagement. As a leading writer at SidesMedia, Luka has helped brands increase their online visibility through data-driven content strategies featured in top marketing publications. Committed to delivering accurate and relevant insights, Luka blends creativity with analytics to provide readers with actionable advice.

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