The Impact of Deleting Snapchat from Your Android or iPhone

Download Article

Tech specialist Luigi Oppido shares what happens when you delete Snapchat from your phone

Co-authored by Luigi Oppido and Bertha Isabel Crombet, PhD

Last Updated: December 17, 2025 Fact Checked

Download Article

• What Happens If You Delete Snapchat
|
• Deactivating Your Account
|
• FAQ
|
• Video

|Show more |Show less

Over the years, Snapchat has attracted tons of users who wanted to keep their private chats and selfies— well, private. If you’ve grown out of the app and have started feeling like it’s time to hang up your Snap-hat, deleting it might be your next move. But what happens when you delete Snapchat? And does deleting the app also deactivate your account? Keep reading to get answers to these questions and more, with helpful insights about app and account deletion from tech specialist Luigi Oppido and social media security expert Naveh Ben Dror.

If you delete the Snapchat app, what happens?

Tech specialist Luigi Oppido says that deleting the Snapchat app from your phone won't delete your account. All of your data will stay stored on the servers, and you'll be able to access it again when you reinstall the app. However, deleting the app will cause you to lose your friend streaks if you don't reply within 24 hours.

Steps

Section 1 of 3:

What Happens When You Delete the Snapchat App

Download Article

1. Deleting the app doesn’t delete or deactivate your account. Oppido says, “Deleting the Snapchat app from your phone, tablet, or device doesn’t do anything besides exactly that—deleting the app from your device. It does not mean that your account is deleted.” He adds that it also won’t delete any of your data, including your snaps, videos, postings, or your Snapchat settings.

   • Oppido says that deleting the app only removes the “program that allows you to access your account on their servers.” That means if someone tries to launch Snapchat from your device, they won’t be able to.
   • “Everything remains on their servers unless you delete your account,” Oppido adds.
   • That said, deleting your app can affect your friend streaks—if you don’t respond to one within 24 hours, it will go away.

   Meet the wikiHow Expert

   Luigi Oppido is a computer and tech specialist with over 25 years of experience. He’s also the owner of Pleasure Point Computers and the host of the Computer Man Show! On KSQD.

   Naveh Ben Dror is a social media security expert who, with his team, provides social media protection for content creators, businesses, and enterprises.
Advertisement

Section 2 of 3:

How to Deactivate Your Snapchat Account

Download Article

1. 
   1
   Open your Snapchat settings. Simply deleting the app from your phone won’t delete your Snapchat account, but you can start that process by going to Settings. To get there, tap the gear icon at the top of your Snapchat profile.

   • “Deleting the app is different than deleting your account,” says Oppido. He says that the only way to actually remove your account is to go into the Snapchat app and follow the procedure for deactivating it.
   • Ben Dror explains, “Once you deactivate a Snapchat account, you have 30 days to reactivate it. If you didn't reactivate it, it's a permanently deleted account." Consider yourself officially warned!
2. 
   2
   Scroll down and tap Delete Account. You'll find this option under "Account Actions."

   • If you don't see the option to delete your Snapchat account, you can go to accounts.snapchat.com in a web browser instead.
3. 
   3
   Log in with your Snapchat account. When prompted, enter your Snapchat username and password to log in to the account portal.
4. 
   4
   Tap Delete my account and follow the on-screen instructions. The instructions will tell you to enter your username and password to make sure it’s really you making this decision. Then, you'll need to tap Continue to deactivate your account for 30 days.

   • During these 30 days, your account will remain hidden from your friends. They won’t be able to see where you are if you used to share locations or your message history.
   • Your data will stay on the Snapchat servers for these 30 days, and you can log back in to access it anytime.
   • If you’re having issues, reach out to Snapchat Support.
Advertisement

Section 3 of 3:

FAQ

Download Article

1. 1
   Does deleting the Snapchat app delete memories? No, deleting the Snapchat app does not delete your Memories. Memories are a feature that allows you to save Snaps you’ve sent and received. These correspond to your account, so deleting the app alone will not get rid of them. To delete your Memories, you have to either do it manually or deactivate/delete the account altogether.

   • If you want to save your memories before deleting your account, swipe up on the camera screen to open Memories, long-press a Snap, then tap any additional Snaps you want to download. Once all are selected, tap Export, and choose your gallery or camera roll to download them.
2. 2
   If someone deleted the Snapchat app, will messages still say “delivered”? If someone has deleted their Snapchat app, your message to them will not say “delivered.” It will say either “Pending” or “Failed to Send.” This means their account is still active, but they don’t have the app on their device. If they delete their Snapchat account altogether, you won’t be able to see them or message them.
3. 3
   If I delete the Snapchat app, what happens to my streaks? If you just delete the app, nothing will happen to your streak. The messaging data is stored on Snapchat’s servers, which are uniquely connected to your account. As long as you don’t delete your account, your streaks will stay alive. However, you must remember to respond to your friends with streaks within 24 hours or you’ll lose them that way.

   • In some cases, you may have the option to “restore” your streak available to you in the chat.
4. 4
   If I delete Snapchat, what happens to “My Eyes Only”? Nothing will happen to your “My Eyes Only” folder. This is a private, encrypted section of your Memories feature, which remains stored on the Snapchat servers even after you delete the app. However, if you choose to fully deactivate and delete your account, the “My Eyes Only” content will disappear after 30 days, along with the rest of your Memories.
5. 5
   How do I recover my deleted Snapchat account? According to Ben Dror, there are two options:

   • One is just to reactivate your account by reinstalling the app and logging in with your account. Just make sure you do so within the 30-day grace period.
   • Another option, Ben Dror explains, is to contact Snapchat. “Go to snapchat.com/support, scroll down, and click the Contact Us button”, he says. From there, you should find an option called I can't access my account or I think my account was compromised, which allows you to send an appeal to reactivate your account.
Advertisement

Expert Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Advertisement

Video

Tips

Submit a Tip

All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published

Name

Please provide your name and last initial

Submit

Thanks for submitting a tip for review!