Have you ever sent a Snap on Snapchat and wondered what those little “Received” and “Delivered” notifications mean? These icons offer clues about your Snap’s journey, but they can be a bit confusing. This guide will decode the mystery behind those “Received” and “Delivered” notifications, so you can finally understand what’s happening to your Snaps.
Let’s get started…
What Does Sent/Delivered Status Mean on Snapchat:
Snapchat uses the same icon for both “sent” and “delivered,” which signifies your message (snap or chat) was sent to Snapchat’s servers. “Delivered” on Snapchat means that the snap or message you sent has reached the recipient’s device. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they have opened or viewed it yet. The Sent/Delivered Icons appear in solid arrows with different colors.
Here’s a breakdown to clarify what happens when you send a message:
1. Open Snapchat: Open your Snapchat app to take a snap or tap on the chat icon.
2. Hitting Send: Once you tap “Send” on a snap or chat, it goes from your device to Snapchat’s servers.
3. Icon Appears: At this point, Snapchat shows you an icon indicating successful sending to their servers. This icon depends on the type of message:
Note: Seeing this icon only means Snapchat received your message, not that the recipient got it yet.
Delivery Status:
Delivered But Unopened: After Snapchat receives your message, it gets delivered to the recipient’s device. There’s no separate icon for delivery, but the colored arrow (red, purple, or blue) might briefly pulsate to indicate the delivery process.
Opened By Recipient: Once the recipient opens your snap or chat, the icon changes to an unfilled version of the original arrow (red, purple, or blue). This Opened Icon signifies they’ve seen your message.
Verdict:
- Colored Arrow (red, purple, or blue) = Your message is on its way (sent to Snapchat’s servers).
- Pulsating Arrow (sometimes) = Delivery process happening (might not be always visible).
- Unfilled Arrow (red, purple, or blue) = The recipient has seen your message.
What Does Received Status Mean on Snapchat:
Snapchat uses colored squares to represent “Received” messages, which means there’s an unopened snap or chat waiting for you on Snapchat’s servers. These solid square icons differentiate between the type of messages you receive on Snapchat.
Here’s a breakdown to clarify what happens when you receive a message:
1. Friend Sends Message: Your friend sends you a snap (picture or video) or a text chat message on Snapchat.
2. Delivered to Servers: The message travels from their device to Snapchat’s servers. The message arrives on your phone.
3. Open Chat: Open Snapchat on your device and tap on the “Chat” icon (speech bubble icon) next to the capture button.
4. Function: There are no additional functionalities with the “Received” icons. They act as a visual cue to let you know there’s a message waiting.
5. Icon Appears: These solid square-colored received icons appear next to a friend’s name on the chat screen, depending on the message type. This indicates they sent you something you haven’t opened yet.
So, when you see any of these colored squares on your Snapchat chat screen, you know there’s an unread message you received but haven’t opened or viewed! This means the message received into your Chat yet it isn’t viewed by you.
Received Status:
Tapping the Square: When you tap the colored square, you open the snap or chat message.
Icon Disappears: After you open the message, the solid-colored square icons disappear from the chat screen and appear as hollow-square-colored icons (a Viewed Status). This signifies you opened and viewed the message sent to your Snapchat.
Multiple Snaps: If someone sends you multiple snaps at once, you’ll only see one red or purple square depending on whether they have audio or not.
Verdict:
In short, the “Received” icons are a visual cue to tell you there’s an unopened message on Snapchat. They don’t provide information about delivery status but simply act as a reminder to open the app and check your messages.
Why Snapchat Message Is Delivered But Not Received By The Recipient?
There might be several reasons that the message is delivered but not received by the recipients/friends. Here are some of the main/possible reasons for delivered but not received. Here we are going to cover the potential reasons and troubleshooting steps for this Snapchat scenario.
Potential Reasons:
- Connectivity Issues: Poor internet connection on the recipient’s end can prevent the snap from reaching their device.
- Recipient’s Privacy Settings: The recipient might have adjusted their privacy settings to only receive messages from friends or specific users. In this case, if you’re not on their friends list or within their specified settings, your messages may not be delivered to them.
- Server Issues: Snapchat’s servers may occasionally experience downtime or technical issues, leading to delivery delays or failures. This can result in messages not being delivered to your friends on time.
- App Issues: Glitches or bugs within the Snapchat app or temporary server problems can cause delivery inconsistencies. Restarting the app or your device may help resolve these temporary issues.
- Removed from Friend List: If the recipient unfriended/blocked you, they technically won’t receive the snap (although it might show as delivered) until both become friends again on Snapchat.
- Delivery Delays: Network congestion or high server load can sometimes cause temporary delays in snap delivery.
Troubleshooting Tips:
- Check the Internet: Ensure both you and the recipient have a stable internet connection.
- Update App: Update Snapchat to the latest version regularly to benefit from bug fixes and performance improvements.
- Restart App: Closing and reopening the app can potentially resolve minor glitches.
- Reinstall App: In rare cases, uninstalling and reinstalling the app can fix underlying issues.
Is Snapchat Message Delivered Without Friend Status?
It depends on the recipient’s privacy settings on Snapchat. If you’re unsure about their privacy settings, it’s best to wait until they add you back as a friend before sending a snap. If seeing “delivered” on Snapchat when someone hasn’t added you back:
The key factor is the recipient’s privacy settings:
1. Public Profile: If their profile is public (ghost icon with a crown), you won’t see “delivered” because the snap goes directly to their public story. They can see it without adding you back.
2. Friends Only Profile (Default): Here’s where things change:
2a. You’ll See: A “pending” notification next to your snap. This means it’s waiting for them to accept your friend request. No “delivered.”
2b. They’ll See: A notification for your friend requests along with the snap. They can choose to:
2b(1). Accept your request: You’ll see “delivered” once they accept, and they can view the snap.
2b(2). Ignore or decline: The snap stays pending until they accept, and they won’t see the snap (they can still see the friend request notification).
Note:
- Even if they see your snap with the friend request, they can decline without viewing it.
- Snaps disappear after opening (or 24 hours for unopened stories) so there’s a time limit for them to see it after accepting.
FAQs:
The briefly flashing “delivered” notification on Snapchat is a result of Snapchat’s real-time message status updates. If the recipient opens the app while you’re also using it, Snapchat might momentarily refresh the message status on your screen, causing the “delivered” icon to flash. This doesn’t indicate that the recipient has viewed your message or signifies any delivery problems. It’s simply a quirk of the real-time update system.
While Snapchat prioritizes disappearing messages, you can access some information about your snap activity. Your Snapscore reflects the total number of snaps you’ve sent, viewed (received), and added to your story. However, it doesn’t show individual snaps or differentiate between sent and received ones.
Open Snapchat and tap your profile icon in the top left corner. Your username and Snapscore (a number) will be displayed below your picture. Tap the Snap score to view how many Snaps were sent or viewed, received, and added to Stories. This way, you can how this Snap score works and how to increase it.
Blocking someone on Snapchat completely cuts off their ability to message you. They won’t be able to send snaps or chat messages after being blocked. However, they may still be able to see your public story. If you suspect someone might be able to message you despite being blocked, it’s possible you haven’t blocked them yet, or they might be using a different account to contact you.
The grey icon on Snapchat can have different meanings depending on the context.
* Grey Icon with a White Arrow indicates a pending snap you sent to someone new (never snapped with before) or someone who hasn’t accepted your friend request yet.
* Solid Grey Square usually means you sent a snap or chat to someone you’ve already snapped with in the past, and they haven’t opened it yet.
* Grey Icon with “X” signifies that the snap or chat you sent has expired and can’t be viewed by the recipient.
If a snap is marked as “Delivered” but the recipient’s account gets deactivated on Snapchat, the snap will no longer be accessible to them and they won’t be able to view the snap/chat. However, the sender won’t receive any notification or indication that the recipient’s account has been deactivated.
No, once a snap expires (24 hours for group chats, 31 days for one-on-one messages), it’s permanently deleted from Snapchat’s servers and cannot be viewed by the recipient, even if it was marked as “Delivered” before expiring.
Conclusion:
In summary, “Received” and “Delivered” on Snapchat offer a glimpse into the journey of your snap. “Received” indicates it reached Snapchat’s servers and is likely on the way to the recipient. “Delivered” suggests it has reached the recipient’s device, but they might not have opened it yet. While these notifications are helpful, they don’t guarantee the recipient has seen your snap. They let you know things are moving along, but you might need a reply snap, or chat message to confirm your friend has seen it.
