How to Open a Snapchat Without It Saying ‘Opened’

This article explains how to open a Snapchat without the sender knowing. Instructions apply to iOS and Android devices.

How to Read Snapchat Messages Without Them Knowing

The following instructions work for photo and video snaps as well as chat messages.

1. Once you've received a new snap or chat message from a friend, navigate to the Conversations tab by swiping right from the camera tab.

2. If the snap or chat message hasn't fully loaded yet, allow it to load. Once it's done loading, you should see a pink square and New Snap label (if it's a snap), or a blue arrow and New Chat label (if it's a chat message) beneath your friend's name.

   Don't tap it to view it or read it!

3. Put your device on airplane mode to disconnect from the internet.

   • On iOS devices, swipe up from the bottom of the screen to reveal the control center and tap the airplane icon so it turns orange.
   • On Android devices, swipe down from the top of the screen to reveal your quick settings and tap the airplane icon so it turns blue.

4. Now that you're disconnected from the internet, it's safe to view your friend's snap or read their chat message. Go back to the Snapchat app and tap your friend's name + New Snap to view their snap, or tap your friend's name + New Chat to read their chat message.

5. Before you turn airplane mode off and reconnect again, you have to clear your cache within the Snapchat app. Tap your profile icon/Bitmoji in the top right of the app, then tap the gear icon in the top right of your profile tab.

6. On the Settings tab, scroll down to the Account Actions section and tap Clear Cache > Clear All. Tap Okay to confirm.

   This step is essential to secretly opening snaps, so if you forget to do it, your friend will still see the "Opened" label despite you opening it while on airplane mode. Clearing the cache merely clears certain data that helps the app run faster, but can take up extra space. Don't worry—none of your saved snaps in Memories or chats are lost.

7. Now it's safe to turn airplane mode off.

   • On iOS, swipe up from the screen and tap the airplane icon in the control center to reconnect.
   • On Android, swipe down from the screen and tap the airplane icon in the quick settings.

8. When your friend looks at their Conversations tab, all they'll see is a Delivered label beneath your name.

Try It Yourself

The best way to confirm this method works is by using two Snapchat accounts, where one account sends a snap to the other. Follow the steps above using the recipient account, then verify the sender account never sees an Opened label by looking for the Delivered label instead.

You can do this by simply creating a test account along with your regular account, but an easier way to do it is to get a friend to test it with you.