Deleting a contact on Snapchat removes them from your Friends list and stops them from seeing your Stories and Snaps unless you add them back

When you delete someone on Snapchat, they can no longer see your Stories, Snaps, or Bitmojis in the app. They will not receive a notification that you deleted them, but if they search for you or look at their own Friends list, they will notice you are gone. The person can still message you, but their messages will not show up in your chat list until you add them back as a friend.

Deleting a contact is different from blocking. A deleted contact can still find you and send you messages. If you want to prevent someone from contacting you entirely, blocking is the stronger option — a blocked person cannot message you, see your profile, or find you in search.

Key Takeaways

  • You delete a contact by opening your Friends list, pressing and holding their name, and tapping "Remove Friend" from the menu that appears.
  • The person you delete will not be notified, but they will see you are no longer on their Friends list if they look.
  • Deleted contacts can still send you messages, but those messages will not appear in your chat list until you add them back.
  • Blocking is stronger than deleting — a blocked person cannot message you or see your profile at all.

Steps to delete a contact from your Friends list

Open Snapchat and tap the Friends icon at the bottom left of the screen — it looks like a person with a plus sign. This opens your Friends list. Scroll through until you find the person you want to delete.

Press and hold their name for about one second. A menu will pop up with several options. Tap "Remove Friend" (on iPhone) or "Remove" (on Android). Snapchat will ask you to confirm — tap the option again to finalize the deletion. The person is now removed from your Friends list.

What happens after you delete someone

Once deleted, that person can no longer see your Stories or Snaps you send to your Friends. They also cannot see your Bitmoji or your location if you use Snapchat's location features. However, they can still search for your username and view your public profile if you have one set up.

If the person sends you a message after you delete them, it will sit in your inbox but will not show up in your main chat list. You will see a notification that you have a message from someone who is not on your Friends list. You can read it, ignore it, or add them back as a friend to see the full conversation.

The difference between deleting and blocking

Deleting removes someone from your Friends list but leaves the door open. They can still message you, search for you, and view your public profile. Blocking is more restrictive — a blocked person cannot send you messages, see your profile, or find you in search results.

Use delete when you simply want to remove someone from your active Friends list but do not need to prevent all contact. Use block when you want to cut off communication entirely or prevent someone from seeing anything about you on Snapchat.

How to block someone instead of deleting them

If you decide you need to block rather than delete, the process is similar. Open your Friends list, press and hold the person's name, and tap "Block" instead of "Remove Friend." A blocked person will not be able to message you, see your Stories, or find your profile through search.

You can unblock someone later by going to Settings (the gear icon), tapping "Blocked," finding their name, and tapping the minus sign next to it. Unblocking does not automatically add them back as a friend — they will need to send a new friend request.

Recovering a deleted contact

If you delete someone by mistake, you can add them back by searching for their username or scanning their Snapcode. There is no "undo" button, but the deletion is not permanent. Simply search for their name in the Friends section, tap their profile, and send a new friend request.

They will receive the request as if you were adding them for the first time. Once they accept, you will be back on each other's Friends lists and can see each other's Stories and Snaps again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the person know I deleted them?

Snapchat does not send a notification when you delete someone. However, they will notice you are gone if they look at their Friends list or try to view your Stories. There is no way to delete someone without them eventually realizing it if they pay attention.

Can a deleted contact still message me?

Yes. Deleted contacts can still send you messages, but those messages will not appear in your main chat list. You will see a notification that you have a message from someone not on your Friends list. You can read it without adding them back.

What is the difference between deleting and unfriending?

On Snapchat, deleting and unfriending mean the same thing. Both remove the person from your Friends list. The app uses "Remove Friend" as the official term, but the result is identical.

If I delete someone, can they still see my old Snaps?

No. Once you delete someone, they cannot see any of your Snaps or Stories, including ones you posted before the deletion. They can only see your public profile if you have one set up.

How do I know if someone deleted me?

You will not receive a notification. The clearest sign is if you try to view their Stories and cannot, or if you search for them and they no longer appear in your Friends list. You can also try sending them a Snap — if it fails to send, they may have deleted or blocked you.