How to Stop Snapchat Spam From Reaching You

If you're a regular Snapchat user, then it's pretty likely you've encountered some Snapchat spam. Unless you take precautions, it's almost unavoidable, especially if your account is configured to allow anyone to message you.

If you're a regular Snapchat user, then it's pretty likely you've encountered some Snapchat spam. Unless you take precautions, it's almost unavoidable, especially if your account is configured to allow anyone to message you.

The good news is that it's easy to take charge of your Snapchat account and stop the vast majority of spam, which will reduce the volume of unwanted messages in your Snapchat conversations. 

Advertisement

What spam looks like on Snapchat

As a general rule, most Snapchat spam comes from unknown senders — users, often automated bots, that are not your friends (literally or metaphorically). In fact, you can generally assume — unless you are an influencer who gets a lot of messages from strangers — that most messages sent to you by unknown senders are going to be spam. 

Spam can take a lot of forms on Snapchat, but a lot of unwanted messages are advertisements, generally in the form of images promoting products. But notoriously, there are a lot of bots on Snapchat which send messages pretending to be real users, encouraging you to chat and share personal information. Be wary of messages from users you don't know and avoid engaging unless you are confident you know who the person is or why they are messaging you. 

Advertisement

How to block Snapchat spam from unknown senders

It's easy to prevent unknown senders from sending you unwanted messages — you can simply block everyone but friends you have connected to.

1. Start the Snapchat app.

2. Tap your account icon at the top left of the screen.

3. Tap the Settings icon at the top right (shaped like a gear).

Go to your account page and then tap the Settings icon. Dave Johnson/Insider

4. In the Privacy Controls section, tap Contact Me.

You can control who can message you in Snapchat's settings. Dave Johnson/Insider

5. If it's currently set to Everyone, tap My Friends

6. Use the arrow to back out of the page. 

Advertisement

How to block Snapchat spam from your friends list

Even if you have configured Snapchat to block messages from unknown senders, it's still possible that you might get spam from someone already in your friends list. If a friend sends you spam, you can block them with just a few taps. 

1. Start the Snapchat app.

2. Tap your account icon at the top left of the screen. 

3. In the Friends section, tap My Friends.

Scroll down to the Friends section of your account page and tap My Friends. Dave Johnson/Insider

4. In your list of friends, find the contact you want to block. Tap and hold the name until the details window pops up. 

5. Tap the contact's name (it's subtitled View Friendship).

6. Tap the three-dot menu at the top of the page.

Tap and hold a contact until you see the pop-up menu appear. Dave Johnson/Insider

7. In the pop-up, tap Manage Friendship.

8. Tap Block.

You can report, block, and unfriend contacts in Snapchat. Dave Johnson/Insider

Freelance Writer

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7o8HSoqWeq6Oeu7S1w56pZ5ufonyowcidnKxnpJqwqXvSp5ipm5iWwW6%2Fz5qk

 Share!