Snapchat – What happens when you block someone? All questions answered!

Have you ever wondered what happens when you block someone on Snapchat? This post will answer all your questions

Experiment to determine what happens when you block someone on Snapchat

For the sake of answering this question, we created multiple Snapchat accounts on Android and iPhone and ran multiple tests to find out what truly happens when you block someone on Snapchat. The results will surely surprise you. So keep reading to find out.

Aim

1. To find out what happens when you block someone on Snapchat.
2. To find out what happens when someone blocks you on Snapchat.
3. To find out if blocking someone on Snapchat deletes your previous chats and snaps on their phone.
4. To find out if someone can still see unopened snaps on Snapchat after you blocked them.
5. To find out if someone can still see your messages on Snapchat after you blocked them.
6. To find out if someone can see the last message you sent before blocking them.
7. To find out what the other person sees when you block them on Snapchat. 

Snapchat versions

We downloaded the most recent version of Snapchat available on both Android (version 12.16.0.28) and iOS (version 12.16.0.29) as of January 15th, 2023.

Snapchat settings

The time for disappearing messages on all three test Snapchat accounts was set to 24 hours.

Phones used

We used one iPhone 11 running iOS 16. The Android phones we used were a Sony Xperia running Android 8.0 and a Galaxy S20 Fe running Android 13.

Blocking someone on Snapchat: Android and Android

We installed the latest version of Snapchat on both Android phones and created different accounts on each. The account on the Sony Xperia running Android 8.0 was named Putin. And the one on the Galaxy S20 Fe was named The Great. Next, we made both accounts friends with each other on Snapchat. Finally, we exchanged a few chats and snaps between the two accounts.

Step 1: Using a Snapchat account installed on a Sony Android phone to block another account installed on a Samsung Android phone

For the first step, we used the “Putin” account on the Sony phone running Android 8 to block the “Picasa” account on the Galaxy phone running Android 13. 

What happened on the Sony Xperia Android phone’s Snapchat account?

All the chats and snaps between the two accounts disappeared from the Putin account. Furthermore, the “Picasa” account was removed from the list of friends of Putin.

Putin on Sony Xperia couldn’t see any of the messages he had previously sent to Picasa.

We then made the decision to look at Picasa’s account to see if anything had changed since Putin had blocked him.

What happened on the Samsung Galaxy Android phone’s Snapchat account?

To our greatest surprise, the chats and snaps that were exchanged between both accounts were still visible on Picasa’s account. Snapchat didn’t delete them. However, we had to scroll up before they became visible.

Also, the “Putin” account was not deleted from Picasa’s contacts. When we tapped Picasa’s profile and checked his friends list, we could still see Putin listed as one of his friends.

We could even tap the Putin contact and send more messages. The Galaxy phone even showed that the messages were sent and delivered. However, Putin never received any of these messages.

Funnily enough, we were still able to find the Putin account by searching for his Snapchat username or handle. The search results showed that Putin’s account was still on our friends list.

Therefore, Picasa could have kept messaging Putin indefinitely without ever realizing that Putin had already blocked him.

While blocked, we used the Putin account to search for Picasa’s username or handle, but we couldn’t find it.

Step 2: Using a Snapchat account installed on a Samsung Android phone to block another account installed on a Sony Android phone

In this step, we did the direct opposite of the test we performed in step 1. First of all, we went back into Putin’s account and unblocked Picasa. Then we added them back as friends. 

After ensuring that both accounts were friends with each other, we then used the Picasa account on the Samsung phone to block the Putin account on the Sony phone.

What happened on the Samsung Android phone’s Snapchat account?

After using Picasa (the Samsung phone account) to block the Putin Snapchat account, all the chats and snaps between the two accounts disappeared from the Picasa account.

We also noticed that the Putin account was removed from Picasa’s friend list. On the Picasa account, we couldn’t find Putin when we searched using his Snapchat username.

What happened on the Sony Android phone’s Snapchat account?

Our biggest surprise was seeing that Putin’s account still showed the chats and snaps that had been sent and received between the two accounts. They weren’t deleted by Snapchat. We had to scroll up, though, in order to see them.

Also, Putin’s contact list still included Picasa. We could still send Picasa messages from Putin’s account. And even though Snapchat showed us that the texts were delivered,  Picasa never got any of these messages.

Oddly, by looking up his Snapchat username or handle, we realized that Picasa’s account was still included in the search results as one of our buddies.

So Putin could have continued messaging Picasa indefinitely without ever realizing that he had been blocked.

Blocking someone on Snapchat: Android and iOS

Now we’re going to test what happens when someone using an Android phone blocks a Snapchat account running on iOS.

For the first trial, we’ll use the Snapchat account on the Sony Xperia Android phone (Putin). Let’s call the Snapchat account on the iPhone Galactica.

Step 1: Blocking the iOS account using the Android account

We added Galactica and Putin as friends. Then we exchanged a few chats between both accounts. Finally, we used the Putin account to block the Galactica account.

What happened on the Android account?

On the Putin account (on Android), all the chats exchanged with Galactica (the iOS account) disappeared. There was no trace of a previous chat history between Putin and Galactica. Also, we couldn’t find the Galactica account when we used the search icon to search for it.

What happened on the blocked Snapchat iOS account?

When checking the Galactica account on iOS that was blocked, we realized that Snapchat didn’t delete the chats exchanged with Putin. They were still available on the iPhone.

To access the chats, we simply had to tap the chat icon, then tap Putin. At first, the chats appeared to have been deleted. But once we scrolled up, we could see all the previous chats exchanged between both accounts.

Interestingly enough, the iOS account clearly showed that we had to add Putin as a friend so they could see our story! And next to the Putin name at the top, there was an “Add Friend” button.

That implies that Galactica would have quickly discovered Putin had already blocked them on Snapchat. 

What made us wonder is that even while being blocked by Putin, we could still send messages to his account from Galactica’s account. And strangely enough, Snapchat showed that the messages sent from Galactica to Putin had been delivered.

However, while checking the Putin account on the Android phone, it was clear that there were no incoming messages from Galactica on iOS.

We then used the Galactica account (on the iPhone) to search for the Putin account (on Android) using his exact username. But the search yielded no results.

So on the blocked iOS account, even though we could find Putin’s account under our chat history, we couldn’t find his account when searching his username with the search icon.

So just for confirmation, we went back into Putin’s account (on Android) and unblocked Galactica. Then we jumped back to Galactica’s account (on iOS) and again searched for Putin using his username. This time, we were successful in locating his account.

Step 2: Blocking the Android account using the iOS account

For the second step, we made both accounts friends again on Snapchat. Then we did the reverse and used Galactica (on iOS) to block Putin (on Android).

What happened on the iOS account?

On the Galactica account (on iOS), all the chats exchanged with Putin’s Android account disappeared. Also, we couldn’t find the Putin account when we used the search icon to search for it.

What happened on the blocked Snapchat Android account?

We checked the Putin account and found that none of the messages with Galactica had been deleted by Snapchat. To read the previous messages, all we had to do was scroll up. Using the Putin account, we could still send messages to Galactica (the iOS account). 

Using the Putin Android account, we searched for Galactica using their username. And surprisingly, we could find it listed under our friends and groups list even though Galactica had already blocked us.

There wasn’t a single hint on Android that our Putin account had been blocked by Galactica. We could still send messages to Galactica, and Snapchat would show that these messages had been delivered. However, Galactica never received any messages from the blocked Putin account.

Answering commonly asked Questions

Now that we’ve tested what happens when you block someone on Snapchat on both Android and iOS, it’s time to answer your most frequently asked questions.

1) What happens when you block someone on Snapchat?

When you block someone on Snapchat, the first thing you’ll realize is that the whole conversation history between you and the blocked account will disappear. Snapchat will hide the whole chat history between both accounts, including your saved chats. 

Therefore, you won’t have access to any of the chats or snaps between your account and the blocked Snapchat account.

2) When you block someone on Snapchat, do the messages get deleted?

Yes, when you block someone on Snapchat, the chats between you and the blocked account get deleted from your account. However, those messages will still be available in the blocked contact’s chat history.

As we uncovered from our little experiment above, Snapchat will only delete the chat history from the account of the person who does the blocking. The person who gets blocked will still have their chat history intact. All they need to do is go to messages, tap on your username, and scroll up to see your chat history.

The person you block can even still type messages and send them to you. However, Snapchat will never deliver their chats to you as long as they are still on your blocked list.

Any chats or snaps that your blocked contact sends to you on Snapchat will never be delivered to you, even after you unblock them.

3) What does the other person see when you block them on Snapchat?

When you block someone on Snapchat, they won’t be notified that they have been blocked. They will still be able to see your previous chat history and send you messages. But Snapchat won’t deliver any of their messages to you (even though they will be marked as delivered).

If the Snapchat account you blocked is installed on an iPhone, then the user may quickly realize that you have blocked them. That’s because iOS will display a message requesting the person you blocked to add you as a friend if they wish to see your stories. 

They can see a large “Add Friend” button displayed at the top right of your conversation history. They will also realize that your username is no longer on their friends list. But if the Snapchat account you blocked is installed on an Android, the user may not quickly realize that you have blocked them.

That’s because, unlike iOS, Android doesn’t notify your blocked user to add you back as a friend. If they continue to send you chats and you do not respond, they may suspect you have blocked them.

The funny thing is that, even after you block a Snapchat account installed on Android, you still appear in their friend’s list. However, they won’t see any of your stories, chats, or other forms of communication. You won’t see theirs either.

4) If you block someone on Snapchat, will it delete your saved messages?

Yes, if you block someone on Snapchat, all of the saved chats and Snaps that you had with the blocked account will also be deleted. Snapchat will only restore your deleted messages if you become friends again with the blocked person.

5) If you block someone on Snapchat, can they see your messages?

Yes, if you block someone on Snapchat, they can see all of the messages you sent to them before blocking their account. Snapchat will only delete the chat history from your account, not theirs. They will still have a complete copy of your conversation history up to the time you blocked them.

6) If you block someone on Snapchat, can they see unopened Snaps?

Yes, even if you block someone on Snapchat, they can still see your unopened snaps and chats. They can even read or watch the unopened chats.

7) Can you block someone on Snapchat without them knowing?

When you block someone on Snapchat, they may not immediately realize that you have blocked them. But with time, they will end up discovering that they have been blocked.

If they are using Snapchat on iOS, your username will disappear from their Snapchat contacts list as soon as you delete them. And if they open your previous chat history, they will see a notification at the top, requesting that they add you as a friend if they wish to see your stories.

8) How to recover Snapchat messages after being blocked?

If you get blocked on Snapchat, you can still see your conversation history with the person who blocked you. You just have to click the Snapchat message icon, tap on the username of the person who blocked you, then scroll up to reveal your conversation history.

9) If I block someone on Snapchat, will they see the last message I sent?

Yes, according to the results of our experiment above, if you block someone on Snapchat, they can still see the last message you sent before blocking them. Snapchat will delete your account’s chat history but not theirs.

10) If someone blocks you on Snapchat, does the conversation disappear?

The results of our experiment above revealed that when someone blocks you on Snapchat, they will no longer be able to see your account or the conversation history between you and them. All the chats that you had with each other will be deleted from their Snapchat account. 

You can still access your chat history in your own account by going to Chats and choosing the blocker’s username.

11) Can you see old messages on Snapchat if you unblock someone?

When you block someone on Snapchat, you can no longer see the messages you exchanged with the blocked account. The only way to see those messages again is to send that person a new friend request.

The catch is that the old messages you exchanged with each other won’t reappear in your account unless the blocked account accepts your friend request. Snapchat will only restore your messages after you both have become friends again.

In the case where the chats had been set to disappear within 24 hours and you became Snapchat friends again after 24 hours, then you won’t see those chats anymore.

12) Can you secretly block someone on Snapchat?

It’s not possible to secretly block someone on Snapchat. But sometimes it could take a while for someone you’ve blocked to realize that you’ve blocked them. 

As explained in the answers to questions 3 and 7 above, Snapchat users on iOS may discover that you blocked them much quicker than Snapchat users on Android.

13) If I block someone on Snapchat, does it unfriend them?

Yes, if you block someone on Snapchat, the app will immediately unfriend them as well.

14) How do I know if I blocked someone on Snapchat?

When you block someone on Snapchat, the first thing you will notice is that the chats you exchanged with each other have disappeared. Also, you won’t find the blocked person’s username under your list of contacts.

15) When I block someone on Snapchat, do they know?

When you block someone on Snapchat, the app doesn’t notify them at all. But if they are used to the platform, they will eventually realize it with time. In question 3 above, we explained how your blocked contacts may discover that you have blocked them. 

16) I blocked someone on Snapchat and they still showed up

It’s impossible for a username that you have blocked on Snapchat to still show up in your chats or contacts list. If that happens, then it’s possible that you didn’t block them correctly.

Also, if you block an iPhone Snapchat user account, they can see a prompt to add you back as a friend when they check your previous chat history. If you later on mistakenly delete them from your blocked list, they can send you a new friend request, which will still show up in your Snapchat notifications.

Additionally, keep in mind that various Snapchat users occasionally have similar usernames. That might lead you to believe it’s the same contact you previously blocked. To confirm that you have definitively blocked someone on Snapchat, do the following:

• Tap your profile picture or avatar.
• Then tap the settings icon at the top right of your profile page.
• Now scroll down until you find the word “Blocked”.
• Tap blocked to see all the contacts that you have added to your blocked list.
• If the contact you blocked is not included in your blocked list, that means you didn’t successfully block them.

17) How do I know if someone has blocked me on Snapchat?

Depending on whether you use iOS or Android, there are several ways to check if someone has blocked you on Snapchat. After the experiment we ran above, we were able to find slight differences in the way Snapchat operates on either platform.

If your Snapchat app is installed on an iPhone and someone blocks you, you will no longer see their username in your list of contacts. 

If you are on iOS, you can check the last chats between you and the person whom you suspect has blocked you. If that person successfully blocked you, iOS will prompt you to add the blocker back as a friend if you want to continue seeing their messages.

As shown by the results of our experiment, Android users will have a slightly more difficult time trying to determine if someone has blocked them. Unlike iOS, the Android Snapchat version doesn’t prompt you to add a person who blocked you once more as a friend. 

That said, there are other ways you can know if someone blocked you on Snapchat if your account is installed on Android. You may realize that you send them several messages which seem to be delivered, but they don’t respond.

You won’t also receive any chats or snaps from them in a long time. Additionally, you won’t be able to see their snapchat stories. These are tell tale signs that they may have blocked you.

If someone blocks you on Snapchat while you are typing them a message, Snapchat will notify you as follows: Your chat is pending until _ adds you as a friend.

18) How can you block someone on Snapchat without them knowing?

You cannot secretly block someone on Snapchat. When you block someone on Snapchat, they won’t get notified that they have been blocked. Depending on how often they use the application, they may not immediately realize that you have blocked them. 

But as explained in question 17 above, there are several ways in which a Snapchat user can determine if you have blocked them. It’s just a matter of time.

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