Have you been feeling that you may be spending too much time on Snapchat? If so, you’re not alone. Even so, you might be wondering how to temporarily disable snapchat.
Snapchat is incredibly popular around the world because it can be a fun and useful app. You can entertain yourself by opening Snapchat and checking out videos of just about anything, like celebrities, food, fashion, gags, travel, and lots more. You can also use it to send images and videos to your family and friends.
Yet Snapchat has a dark side. It has been shown that social media can have harmful effects, especially on its users’ self-image and mental health, especially in younger users, and can lead to behavior issues. It’s also known to be highly addictive. As users spend more and more time on Snapchat, it creates the same reaction in the brain as other forms of addiction.
If you have been struggling with Snapchat and are asking yourself “should I disable my Snapchat” then you may have already decided that leaving the app completely is the best way for you to get away from it.
However, you have options in distancing yourself from Snapchat. Keep in mind that permanently deactivating your Snapchat account is different from just taking a break from it.
Are you thinking about disabling your Snapchat account or even deleting your profile permanently? Here are some things to consider and steps to take.
What does it mean to disable or delete a Snapchat account?
If you are asking yourself, “how do I stop using Snapchat?”, one way is to delete your account. However, you should be aware that deleting your Snapchat account can be permanent, so you should take this option very seriously. You may deeply regret losing your account data, so you may want to avoid completely deactivating your Snapchat account.
How to temporarily deactivate a Snapchat account without deleting it
Rather than permanently deleting your Snapchat account, you might instead ask, “how do I disable my snapchat?” or “how do I pause Snapchat?” There is a way to deactivate or pause Snapchat without disabling your account, but there are a few things of which you need to be aware before you do this.
First, deactivating a Snapchat account is no different from deleting one as far as Snapchat is concerned. In fact, deactivation is the first step toward deleting an account. To deactivate an account, you need to log into the Snapchat web portal, where you’ll find the option to delete your account. This is not as permanent as it sounds.
Whether temporarily deactivating or permanently deleting an account, the first step is to mark it for deletion, which puts it in a deactivated state.
This remains in effect for 30 days, at the end of which the account is automatically deleted. If you decide to reactivate your account before the 30 days, simply log back into the app.
How to temporarily disable only certain features of Snapchat
Another option is to deactivate only certain features of Snapchat. This way you can reduce the number of notification messages you receive from Snapchat but continue to use Snapchat’s core functionality. Below are a few features you can consider disabling.
Deactivating Snapchat notifications without deactivating Snapchat
Snapchat’s notification feature can be useful in helping you keep up with activity on your account, such as stories from friends, mentions, and reminders. The downside of notifications is that they can be frustratingly intrusive, sucking you back into the app when you may not want to go there.
You can turn off Snapchat notifications on your phone while still being able to use all of Snapchat’s other features. Here’s how:
- Open Snapchat and tap the circle or icon in the top left.
- Tap the Settings icon in the upper right.
- Tap Notifications.
- Select which notifications you want to receive by tapping on them. If it is green, that notification is enabled. If it is grayed out, that notification is disabled.
Deactivating Snapchat location features without deactivating Snapchat
While it’s sometimes convenient to let everyone know where you are, there will likely be times when you want more privacy. You can do this by limiting who can see your location or deactivating its location tracking features altogether, which will hide your location from other users on the Snap Map. Here’s how:
- Open Snapchat and tap the circle or icon in the top left.
- Tap the Settings icon in the upper right.
- Scroll down to Who Can… and tap See My Location.
- Here you’ll find several options you can set for who can see your location. If you want no one to see your location, tap Ghost Mode.
Stop posting on Snapchat and checking the app
The easiest and most thorough way to take a break from Snapchat is to simply stop posting content and checking the app. While this might seem easy in theory, it can be challenging in practice, and here’s why: As of the latest 2022 data, we spent a global average of 2 hours and 23 minutes on social media every day, 50 minutes of which is on Snapchat.
The nature of Snapchat and apps like it is the reason it becomes addictive. Using it wires your brain with the urge to quickly open the app and begin scrolling and tapping through it when you want some entertainment or just a distraction from your life.
We’ve essentially used Snapchat to condition ourselves to avoid boredom and replace it with images, videos, and ultimately thoughts that are shallow and without true meaning. But boredom—which at its core is simply allowing ourselves alone time to let our minds run free—is where our imagination and creativity flow. Social media like Snapchat delivers an addictive experience but not meaningful, constructive thought.
Uninstalling the Snapchat app without disabling your account
Another effective but not permanent option for getting away from Snapchat is to uninstall or delete the app from your phone. All your Snapchat account data will remain intact since this doesn’t delete your Snapchat account, but it will give you an opportunity for a break from the app.
You’ll receive no notifications that habitually urge you to open the app, sucking you back into the mindless scroll and tap behavior you are trying to avoid. You’ll also be less tempted to want to use the app if you can’t simply and quickly tap and open it but must instead go through the steps to re-install the app to your phone before you can use it again.
Fully deleting and deactivating your Snapchat account
The last resort for leaving and detoxing from Snapchat is to deactivate and delete your Snapchat account altogether. This option is permanent in the sense that, once you have followed all the steps to do this, you will never be able to use that account again, and all the data on that account will be gone forever (of course, you can always create a new account later). If you’ve decided this option is best for you, here’s how:
- Use a computer or mobile browser to go to Snapchat’s account portal at the link below. (Note that you cannot delete your Snapchat account from the app) https://accounts.snapchat.com/accounts/delete_account
- Log in to your account.
- Enter the securing code sent to the phone number linked to your account and click Submit.
- Enter your username and password again, then click Continue and your account will be deactivated.
- Your account will be in a deactivated state for 30 days, after which it will be automatically deleted. If you change your mind, you can simply log back into your account before the 30 days has elapsed, and your account will be reactivated.
I hope you’ve enjoyed and found this information useful. If you have additional experiences or tips to share related to deactivating or putting your Snapchat account on pause, post in the comments below, and we can keep this discussion going!
— Sean