How to disable notifications in Snapchat
You can turn off Snapchat notifications in your phone's settings, in the Snapchat app itself, or both — depending on which notifications bother you most. The fastest way is to open Snapchat, go to Settings, tap Notifications, and toggle off the types you don't want. If you want to silence everything at once, you can also block all Snapchat notifications from your phone's settings, though this means you won't see any alerts even if you change your mind later.
The steps differ slightly between iPhone and Android, but the idea is the same: find the notification controls and turn off what you don't need. Most people find the in-app method easiest because you can pick and choose — keep message alerts but turn off story notifications, for example — without touching your phone's system settings.
Key Takeaways
- Open Snapchat, tap your profile icon, select Settings, then Notifications to control alerts from within the app.
- You can turn off specific notification types (messages, stories, friend activity) individually rather than all at once.
- On iPhone, go to Settings > Snapchat > Notifications to block Snapchat alerts at the system level.
- On Android, open Settings > Apps > Snapchat > Notifications to disable alerts from your phone's settings.
- Turning off notifications in the app does not turn them off on your phone — you may need to do both to stop all alerts.
Turn off notifications inside the Snapchat app
This is the method most people use because it gives you the most control. You can keep some notifications and turn off others without affecting anything else on your phone.
On iPhone or Android: Open Snapchat and tap your profile icon in the top left corner. Tap the gear icon (Settings). Scroll down and tap Notifications. You will see a list of notification types — Messages, Stories, Spotlight, Friend Activity, and others depending on your app version. Toggle off any notification type you don't want to see. The toggle will turn gray when it is off.
If you want to keep notifications but change when they arrive, some notification types have additional options. Tap the notification type itself (not just the toggle) to see if you can set quiet hours or change the notification style. Not all notification types have these options — Messages usually does, but Stories often does not.
Block all Snapchat notifications on iPhone
If you want to stop every Snapchat notification at the system level, you can do this from your iPhone settings. This is more drastic than turning off notifications in the app — it blocks all alerts, and you have to come back to this same place to turn them back on.
Open Settings on your iPhone. Scroll down and tap Snapchat (you may need to scroll through a long list of apps). Tap Notifications. At the top, you will see "Allow Notifications" with a toggle next to it. Toggle it off. The toggle will turn gray. From this point on, Snapchat will not send any notifications to your lock screen, notification center, or banner alerts.
If you only want to silence notifications without blocking them completely, you can instead tap "Alerts" and choose "None" instead of toggling off the whole permission. This keeps the notification system active but prevents sounds and vibrations.
Block all Snapchat notifications on Android
Android's notification controls are in a different place than iPhone, but the result is the same. Open Settings on your Android phone. Tap Apps (or Application Manager — the name varies by phone brand). Find and tap Snapchat. Tap Notifications. You will see a toggle for "Show notifications" at the top. Toggle it off. Snapchat will stop sending notifications.
Some Android phones also let you manage notifications by long-pressing the Snapchat app icon on your home screen, tapping "App info," and then Notifications. The controls are the same either way. If you want to turn notifications back on later, come back to this same screen and toggle the switch on again.
Turn off specific notification types without silencing everything
You might want to hear about direct messages but not about stories or friend activity. The in-app notification settings let you do this with precision. Open Snapchat, tap your profile icon, go to Settings, and tap Notifications. You will see several toggles:
- Messages — alerts when someone sends you a chat or snap
- Stories — alerts when friends post to their story
- Friend Activity — alerts when friends are active or when they add you
- Spotlight — alerts about trending content in Snapchat Spotlight
- Snap Reminders — alerts reminding you to snap (if you have not snapped in a while)
Toggle off whichever ones you do not want. Most people turn off Stories and Friend Activity but keep Messages on, since direct messages are usually the only notifications that matter. You can change these settings anytime — there is no penalty for turning notifications back on later.
What happens when you turn off notifications
When you turn off a notification type in the Snapchat app, you will not see an alert, but the message or snap is still waiting for you when you open the app. You are not missing anything — you are just not being interrupted. The snap or message stays in your inbox until you read it or delete it.
If you turn off notifications at the system level (through your phone's Settings), the same thing happens, but you also will not see a notification badge (the red number) on the Snapchat app icon. Some people prefer this because it removes the visual reminder too. Others find it means they forget to check the app at all.
Turn notifications back on if you change your mind
You can turn notifications back on anytime using the same steps you used to turn them off. If you turned them off in the Snapchat app, open Snapchat, go to Settings > Notifications, and toggle the notification types back on. If you turned them off in your phone's settings, open Settings, find Snapchat, tap Notifications, and toggle "Allow Notifications" back on.
There is no waiting period or confirmation step — the change takes effect immediately. You will start seeing notifications again the next time something happens (a message arrives, a friend posts a story, and so on).
Frequently Asked Questions
Will people know I turned off notifications?
No. Turning off notifications only affects what you see on your phone. It does not change your status, your read receipts, or anything visible to other people. They will not know whether you have notifications on or off.
If I turn off message notifications, will I still see messages in the app?
Yes. Turning off notifications just stops the alerts — it does not delete messages or hide them. When you open Snapchat, all your messages will be there waiting for you, just like normal.
Can I turn off notifications for just one person?
Not through the standard notification settings. Snapchat does not have a per-contact mute feature like some other apps do. Your options are to turn off all message notifications or keep them all on. You can mute a conversation (which hides it from your chat list) by long-pressing the conversation and tapping "Mute," but this does not stop notifications.
Why am I still getting notifications after I turned them off?
You may have turned them off in the app but not in your phone's system settings, or vice versa. Check both places: open Snapchat and look at Settings > Notifications, then also check your phone's Settings app under Snapchat. You need to turn them off in both places to stop all alerts completely.
Do I need to restart Snapchat after changing notification settings?
No. Notification changes take effect immediately. You do not need to close and reopen the app or restart your phone.