How to See if Someone Is Active on Snapchat
When it comes to privacy, the Snapchat app is one of the best around.
Unlike other social media platforms, users receive notifications whenever someone takes a capture of their conversation screen, which is great.
Nevertheless, these levels of privacy also prevent Snapchat users from using standard features that can be found on other apps, such as knowing if someone is online.
Snapchat does not show a “last on Snapchat” feature, so how do you know if another Snapchat user is online? There are a couple of ways to do so, and we are going to show you them all.
Keep on reading to learn more about:
- How to see if someone is active on Snapchat;
- Does Snapchat have an “active status” feature?;
- How to check all your friends active states on the Snapchat app.
How Accurate Is Snapchat Last Active?
As we mentioned before, there is no last active feature on Snapchat.
This means that you can’t simply go to a chat screen and check the online status of anyone.
Other platforms, such as Instagram and Messenger, do show you how long ago your friend was online, but there is no direct way to do so with any person on the Snapchat application.
This might confuse new Snapchat users, but that’s how things work on the platform.
But worry not - even if there is no active feature to stalk all the friends you have, there are other ways to check the current status of a friend on Snapchat without forcing the app’s existent features.
So, when it comes to accuracy, then these methods are not the best around, but they are your only shot if you want to see if someone is online on Snapchat
How to See if Someone Is Active on Snapchat
If you want to see the status of a person or a user on the Snapchat app, then you would need to spend a little while of your time and follow any of the five methods we have gathered for you.
Without further ado, learn how to see if someone is indeed active on Snapchat even if there is no online status on the app!
Method #1: Check Snap Map to See Active Friends
The first option you have is to use the Snap Maps feature to check the location of your friends and their current status on the app.
In order to do this, you must open Snap Map, and look for a friend on the next screen.
This is how you do it:
- Open Snapchat on your phone, and at the bottom left corner of the camera screen, you will see the Location Services icon;
- Tap on this icon at the lower left corner, and the Snap Map screen will open. Here, select Friends, and each Snapchat Profile of your friends will appear;
- Tap on a certain friend, and you will see where that person is alongside a short status message.
This message can say “X minutes ago,” “X hours ago,” or “Seen Now.”
The Seen Now message indicates that they are now online on the app.
This is the best way to check if a user is online, but it doesn’t always work.
What is Ghost Mode On Snapchat?
Ghost Mode is a Snapchat location feature that prevents others from checking your location on the Maps.
The aforementioned method doesn’t always work simply because any user can enable Ghost Mode, which will make it impossible for you to check the Snap Maps to know the current status of someone.
Method #2: Check Snapchat Score
The Snap Score of a person changes every time they open the app, depending on the way they participate on Snapchat (see how Snapchat Score is calculated here).
Thus, you can use this Snap Score info to know if someone is online or not:
- Open Snapchat, and on the camera page, tap on the chat icon;
- Once the chat window is open, go to the top left corner of the screen to look for your friends list;
- Tap on the profile picture of your friend, and open their profiles. Then, select the Snap Score button.
If the Snapchat Score (marked as a little Snapchat icon) changes, then that means that the person is online.
If, after a while, you check for a Snap Scores update, but the score remains the same, then that means that the person hasn’t logged into Snapchat for a while.
Method #3: Look For Opened Snap Chat Message
If you send a message to a friend, you can know when they open it by looking for the empty blue arrow icon.
If this icon appears on your friend’s chat, then that means that they have recently opened Snapchat and checked your messages.
We know this isn’t the best method around, but it works!
Method #4: Look for Snapchat Users Bitmoji
When you send private snaps to your friends, you get instant alerts whenever they answer, and although there are no push notifications when someone reads your chat, you can go to their chat page and check if they are there or not.
Open Snapchat, and go to a conversation.
There, if the person is online and has the chat opened, you will see a blue dot and a small bitmoji avatar right there.
Your friend’s bitmoji on the chat means that that person is currently online and checking up on your conversation, so that’s an accurate way to know if they are active or not.
Method #5: Check Snapchat Stories
At last, you can check if a person uploads a new story. If they do so, then they are online and receiving Snaps from others!
Nevertheless, remember that they can manage story notifications, so they don’t show up on your account if they want, so this method also isn’t that reliable.
You can also upload a new story, check your Snapchat story views, and, based on the list of users who have seen it, have an idea of the people that are currently online.
Summary: How to Know When Someone Was Last Active On Snapchat
Even if there isn’t a “current status” feature on Snapchat, you can still check if someone was recently online thanks to the following methods:
- Snap Maps is your friend, so don’t forget to use it!;
- Look for open chats you have recently sent;
- Check if your friend’s bitmoji avatar appears on the chat screen;
- Upload a story and check out the views;
- and, at last, look for constant updates on their Snapchat scores.
For more Snapchat guides, GrowFollowing has got your back.
FAQ
Can My Friends Know If I’m Online On Snapchat?
They can, but only if they follow the methods aforementioned in this guide. Otherwise, they won’t see an “online status” on your profile whatsoever.
Karen is a senior technical writer and copywriter here at GrowFollowing. Her area of expertize are social media apps and new media.