How to block someone on Snapchat

Snapchat earned its fame as a platform for sending fun photo messages back and forth . But when a friend takes the fun out of Snapchat, is there a way to block them? Snapchat includes a number of different tools to manage a friendship, including options to block or unfriend another user.

While Snapchat does — thankfully — let you manage your contacts and ultimately save some relationships with them, the controls are somewhat hidden, so finding the option to block a friend on Snapchat can take some menu digging. Here’s how to block a friend on Snapchat, along with other tools you have for customizing your list of friends on the social platform.

What’s the difference between blocking and removing a friend on Snapchat?

Blocking works even for publicly shared content

Snapchat offers three different options for getting another user off your Snapchat account. The first option is to report the user, a choice that should only be used when that account isn’t following the app’s rules or sending inappropriate content. The other two options are to block or remove a friend, but what’s the difference between those two?

Removing a friend on Snapchat means that they will no longer be able to see any content that you have set to private, including your stories. However, removing a friend will still allow them to see any content that you have set to public, including Stories. If your settings for “Who can contact me” are set to “friends and contacts,” and the user remains in your contacts, they may still be able to send you messages even once unfriended. If your contact settings are set to only friends, then unfriending will mean they can no longer send you new Snaps.

If you block a friend, however, they won’t be able to see even your public Story or Charms and will not be able to send you Snaps or chat messages, no matter what your privacy settings are. If you change your mind later, it is possible to unblock them.

How to quickly block someone on Snapchat

Snapchat / Pocket-lint 

Blocking a friend on Snapchat takes just a few taps, but the option is hidden inside a menu. To block a friend on Snapchat:

1. Open the Snapchat app.
2. Tap the chat icon on the bottom to open chats.
3. Locate the chat for the friend that you wish to block.
4. Tap and hold the friend’s username.
5. Select Manage Friendship.
6. Choose Block.

Alternatively, you can also tap on their username, then use the … menu to find the friendship controls.

You can also block users that are not on your Snapchat friends list, like when you want to prevent them from seeing a Story set to public. If you want to block a user that isn’t on your friend list:

1. Open the Snapchat app.
2. Tap on the chat icon to open your list of chats.
3. Use the search tool to find the user you wish to block.
4. Tap the username.
5. Select the … menu in the upper right corner of their user profile.
6. Choose Block.

How to remove a friend on Snapchat

The process is similar to blocking them

Removing a friend will get the user off your chat list and hide any non-public Stories. But, unlike a blocked friend, they can still see your public information and send you a friend request. To remove a friend on Snapchat:

1. Open the Snapchat app.
2. Tap on the chat icon.
3. Find the chat for the friend you want to unfriend.
4. Tap and hold the username.
5. Tap on Manage Friendship.
6. Select Remove Friend.

How to block a public account on Snapchat

Public accounts can be blocked, too

Bastian Riccardi / Unsplash 

Public accounts, such as those of businesses, celebrities, and influencers that the algorithms think you’ll like, show up in your Snapchat Discover tab. If you don’t want to see a certain account appearing here, you can still block the user, even if their account is set to public. This works even for public accounts that you don’t follow and will prevent the algorithm from suggesting their posts to you.

To block a public account on Snapchat:

1. Tap the search icon at the upper left of the Snapchat app and search for the profile you wish to block. Or, while watching a Story, you can tap on the username.
2. On the account page that pops up, tap on the … menu in the upper right corner.
3. Choose Block.
4. Confirm in the pop-up window by tapping Yes.

How to unblock someone on Snapchat

Blocking a friend doesn’t have to be permanent

Snapchat / Pocket-lint

Blocking someone on Snapchat doesn’t have to be permanent. If you’ve reconciled or otherwise want to be able to see their content again and send Snaps, you can unblock them. Here’s how:

1. Open the Snapchat app.
2. Tap on your profile picture.
3. Select the settings or gear icon in the upper right corner.
4. Scroll down to the Privacy Controls section and tap on Blocked Users.
5. Tap the X to remove the account from your blocked list.
6. Confirm in the pop-up window by tapping Yes.