Snapchat is an attractive application that encourages you to chat and chat without worrying about the messages remaining on the servers forever. This is why all conversations disappear shortly after viewing them.
Good to know that there are ways to change when messages disappear. There is also a way to save some messages that are too valuable to disappear.
This article will explain how to change the expiration time of messages and how to save a Snapchat message.
Change when messages expire
If you don’t want your messages to disappear right away, you can change the conversation settings. However, you will only be able to change the expiration time to 24 hours after viewing.
To change the expiration time, you must:
- Open Snapchat.
- Log into your account if prompted.
- Go to the ‘Chat’ option at the bottom left of the screen.
- Choose a conversation that you want to modify.
- Long-press on that friend’s name and click the 3-dot icon in the top right.
- Choose ‘Delete conversation’ from the menu that appears.
- Choose whether you want chats to disappear immediately after viewing or 24 hours after viewing.
Remember that for each conversation you will have to manually choose the expiration of the message. In this way, you can set some conversations to disappear immediately after viewing and allow others to remain for up to 24 hours.
Also, if you go back to ‘After Viewing’, all chats from the previous 24 hours will immediately disappear. So be careful if you want to switch back.
Please note that both parties can change the conversation settings.
What is the ’24 hours after viewing ‘option?
If you choose the ’24 hours after viewing ‘option, you will be able to verify the conversation for 24 hours after you first open it.
The ’24 hours after viewing ‘option means that the message deletion timer will start counting after the recipient views the message. Not when you send it.
So, imagine someone sends you a Snapchat message every day, but you only start the conversation on the fifth day. If this is the first time you open the messages, they will expire together 24 hours after they have been opened. However, if you open a message every day, they will all disappear after 24 hours.
What happens if you don’t open the message?
If someone sends you a message and you don’t open it, Snapchat won’t delete it right away. Instead, Snapchat keeps unread messages on servers for up to 30 days.
Related : How to know if someone blocked you on Snapchat
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If you don’t open a message in 30 days, Snapchat will automatically delete it from the servers.
Save your Snapchat messages
If you want certain messages or chats to remain after the 24 hour limit, you can save them. This way you can prevent some important conversations from disappearing.
To save Snapchat messages, you must:
- Open Snapchat.
- Open the ‘Chat’ menu at the bottom left of the screen.
- Find a conversation that you want to save.
- Touch the message you want to save.
- When the new window appears, select “Save to chat”.
- The saved chat background should turn gray.
If you saved the wrong message, or don’t want to save it any more, just press and hold to “Undo save.” If the expiration date of the messages expires, it will disappear once you close the chat.
Note that when you save a message, it remains on the server. This means that the other person will also see that you have saved the message. Therefore, it will appear in the conversation for both of you as long as it is saved. Only the user who saved the message can delete it.
Delete your Snapchat messages
Sometimes you can accidentally send a message that you didn’t intend to send. Fortunately, if the recipient hasn’t seen you yet, you can remove them from the conversation.
When you want to delete a message, you must:
- Open Snapchat.
- Tap on the ‘Chat’ option in the lower left corner of the screen.
- Find a message that you want to delete.
- Touch and hold the message until the new window appears.
- Select ‘Delete’ to delete the message.
Remember that the recipient can sometimes see the message before you delete it, so act quickly. This will notify the recipient that you have deleted a message, but they will not know what the content was.
If you want to keep the messages, save them
If you want your messages to remain visible for more than 24 hours, the best way is to save them. But sometimes you may not want to notify the other party that you have saved a certain message.
Unfortunately, even if you just want to take a screenshot of the conversation, the other party will get a notification. This also happens with screen recording, so if you are trying to privately capture someone’s Snapchat messages, you will probably want to resort to taking photos with another device or using an app to do it for you.
Since a conversation involves both parties, all saved messages will remain visible to each participant.
Related : How to find the best Kik chat rooms
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Pin conversations
You may have noticed that Snapchat has recently added a ‘Conversation Pin’ option in the messaging menu. When visiting your in-app chat list, you can long-press on a friend’s name to access this “new” menu. A pop-up window will appear and you can tap on ‘More’.
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This menu shows all kinds of functions. From removing a friend to editing their name and adding emojis, there are plenty of customization options here. If you want to pin the conversation, just click the option to do so.
Once done, that particular Snapchat user will always appear at the top of your menu. Whether you’re trying to snap a Snapstreak or keep someone in BFF status, pinning your conversations means they’ll stay at the top of your chat list. Even receiving new messages or chatting with someone else will not affect the pin.
You will know that these messages are pinned because they will have the red pin on the right side of their name. This is just another way to make sure your closest friends are never left unattended on Snapchat.
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