Social Media Snapchat How to Open a Snapchat Without It Saying 'Opened' Read your snaps without others knowing by Elise Moreau Freelance Contributor Elise Moreau is a writer that has covered social media, texting, messaging, and streaming for Lifewire. Her work has appeared on Techvibes, SlashGear, Lifehack and others. our editorial process Facebook Twitter Elise Moreau Updated on September 11, 2020 reviewed by Jessica Kormos Lifewire Tech Review Board Member Jessica Kormos is a writer and editor with 15 years' experience writing articles, copy, and UX content for Tecca.com, Rosenfeld Media, and many others. our review board Article reviewed on Aug 15, 2020 Jessica Kormos The Ultimate Guide to Snapchat The Ultimate Guide to Snapchat Introduction Snapchat Basics What Is a Snapchat Story? What Are Snapchat Scores? Find People Take Screenshots Use Snapchat Maps How to Update Snapchat Snappables: How to Play Snapchat Games Snapchat Tips for New Users How to Use Snapchat on PC Sending & Deleting Snaps Send Snapchat GIFs Add Clickable Links Include Music in Your Snaps Delete Stickers on Snapchat Unsave Messages on Snapchat Delete Conversations, Snaps & Stories Engaging With Other Users Use Snapcodes to Add Snapchat Friends Save Snapchat Videos Replay Photos and Videos on Snapchat Upload Saved Photos or Videos Start a Group Chat Open a Snap Without It Saying 'Opened' How to Mute a Story About Snapchat Filters Use Filters to Make Silly Faces Create a Snapchat Filter Apply a Snapchat Filter Make a Snapchat Geotag Create a Geofence in Snapchat Snapchat Account Management Delete a Snapchat Account Reset Your Password Change Your Snapchat Username Delete or Change Best Friends Is Snapchat Down? Contact Snapchat Customer Service Essential Snapchat Privacy Tips How to Know If Someone Blocked You Make a Story Private Block Someone on Snapchat Unblock Someone Essential Snapchat Privacy Tips Snapchat Tips & Tricks How to Get Snapchat Trophies Streaks on Snapchat Explained Use Snapchat's Group Video Chat What to Do About Third-Party Apps Snapchat Emoji Meanings Funny Ideas to Make Your Friends LOL Tweet Share Email When you view a snap or read a chat message sent to you from a Snapchat friend, they'll be able to see an "Opened" label appear beneath your name in their Conversations tab. This lets them know you've seen their snap or read their chat message. But wouldn't it be nice to open a Snapchat without it saying "Opened"? It's possible—it just takes a few extra steps. How to Read Snapchat Messages Without Them Knowing The following instructions work for photo and video snaps, as well as chat messages, and can be used on the Snapchat iOS and Android apps. Screenshots are provided below for the iOS version. 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. 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! 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.