Sending Snaps on Snapchat is fun and also helps you keep up your Snapscore. But have you ever noticed the “Received” and “Delivered” notifications that pop up after you send a Snap or message a friend? These status icons are a key part of how Snapchat works, but they can be a little confusing at first. In this guide, we’ll explain exactly what those “Received” and “Delivered” statuses mean, and how they help you understand what’s happening with your Snaps and chats.
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 your Snapchat app to take a snap or tap on the chat icon.
2. Once you tap “Send” on a snap or chat, it goes from your device to Snapchat’s servers.
3. 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:
After Snapchat receives your message, it gets delivered to the recipient’s device. There’s no separate icon for delivery (not opened), but the colored arrow (red, purple, or blue) might briefly pulsate to indicate the delivery process.
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.
Note:
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: If the recipient’s has poor internet connection, then it prevents 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: In some occasional cases, the Snapchat’s servers might experience downtime or technical issues, which results in delivery delays or failures. Thus, it leads to the messages not being delivered to your friends on time.
- App Issues: Having temporary server problems or bugs/glitches within the Snapchat app can cause delivery inconsistencies. To get rid of this issue, restarting the app or your device might 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: Both you and the recipient’s device should 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 completely on the privacy settings of your recipient’s Snapchat. If you are not sure about their privacy settings, then its always better idea to wait till they add you back as a friend before sending a snap. If you have seen “Delivered” on Snapchat whenever they 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, nor does it signify any delivery problems. It’s simply a quirk of the real-time update system.
Snapchat lets you access some information about your snap activity, even though it prioritizes disappearing messages. However, Snapscore is the total number of snaps (including viewed, received, sent, or snaps added to your story). It doesn’t show individual snaps or differentiate between sent and received ones. For this, tap on the profile icon on your Snapchat app in the top left corner of the screen. 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 see how this Snap score works and how to increase it.
The grey icon on Snapchat can have different meanings depending on the context.
* Grey Icon with White Arrow: This 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: This 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”: This signifies that the snap or chat you sent has expired and can’t be viewed by the recipient.
If the recipient’s Snapchat account is deactivated and a snap is still marked as Delivered, the snap will no longer be accessible to them. They won’t be able to view the chat/snap. However, the sender won’t receive any notification or indication that the recipient’s account has been deactivated.
Nope. Once a snap expires (usually 24 hours for group chats and 31 days for one-on-one messages), it gets permanently deleted from Snapchat’s servers. However, it can’t be viewed even by the recipients if it is marked as delivered before expiring.
Blocking someone on Snapchat means there is no more connection, including messages – unable to send snaps or chat to you after being blocked. Yet they can see your public story. Despite being blocked, if you suspect someone can message you, then you haven’t blocked them, or else they might be using a different account to get in touch with you.
Conclusion:
“Received” and “Delivered” on Snapchat offer a glimpse into Snap’s journey. “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. If you have any queries, let us know in the comments section below.
