Snapchat is an instant messaging application that allows you to share photos, videos and ephemeral messages with your contacts. But what should you do when you receive a friend request from someone you don't know? Should you accept or refuse? What are the risks and precautions to take? In this article, we are going to give you some tips for handling unknown friend requests on Snapchat.
What is an unknown friend request on Snapchat?
An unknown friend request on Snapchat is a notification you receive when someone wants to add you to their contact list. This person may have found your Snapchat nickname by different means: by scanning your Snapcode , by searching for your name or phone number, by using the “ Add nearby friends ” function or by accessing your profile from another application (for example example, Instagram or TikTok ).
When you receive an unknown friend request, you have three options to choose from:
- Accept : you add the person to your contact list and you can exchange snaps and messages with them.
- Ignore : You do not respond to the request and you no longer see the notification .
- Block : You prevent the person from contacting you again and report their behavior to Snapchat .
How to recognize an unknown friend request on Snapchat?
When you receive an unknown friend request on Snapchat , you can see the nickname, name, and profile picture of the person who sent it to you. You can also see if this person has communicated with you in the past, if they have mutual friends with you, or if they are part of your telephone contacts. If none of this information means anything to you, it's probably an unknown friend request.
What are the risks of unknown friend requests on Snapchat?
Accepting an unknown friend request on Snapchat can carry certain risks, including:
- Harassment : the person may send you insulting, threatening or unwanted messages, or broadcast your snaps to other people without your consent.
- The scam : the person may try to extract money, personal information or compromising photos from you, by pretending to be someone else or by blackmailing you.
- Danger to minors : the person may be an adult who seeks to make contact with minors, by pretending to be a young person or using stolen photos.
What are the precautions to take when dealing with unknown friend requests on Snapchat?
To avoid unpleasant surprises , here are some precautions to take when dealing with requests from unknown friends on Snapchat :
Verify the person's identity
Before accepting a request , try to find out who the person is contacting you. You can ask for their name, age, city, school, or job, and check if that information matches their profile. You can also ask them to send you a live photo or , to see if it matches their profile photo.
Do not share your personal information
Never give your full name , address , telephone number , password or banking details to anyone you do not know. Also, don't click on the links she sends you, as they may contain viruses or spyware .
Don't share your intimate photos
Never send photos or videos of yourself, naked or in your underwear, to someone you don't know. These images can be used against you to blackmail or damage your reputation.
Use privacy settings
You can limit access to your profile and stories by choosing who can add you as a friend, who can view your story, and who can contact you. You can also activate ghost mode to hide your geographic location .
Report and block suspicious people
If you receive inappropriate, threatening or offensive messages, do not hesitate to report and block the person sending them to you. You can do this by long-pressing their name in your contact list, then selecting “ Report ” and “ Block ”.
Here is a short video that may be useful to you:
See also the other articles on Snapchat:
FAQs About Unknown Friend Requests on Snapchat
How do I know if an unknown friend request is a fake profile?
There is no foolproof method for detecting a fake profile on Snapchat , but there are a few clues that can tip you off:
- The nickname is weird or unrelated to the profile photo.
- The profile photo is blurry , pixelated or too perfect.
- The profile has no Snapchat score or a very low score.
- The profile has no story or a story that does not match their age, gender or location.
- The profile sends you messages as soon as you accept their request, without introducing themselves or without a valid reason.
- The profile asks you for personal information , money or intimate photos.
If you're unsure about the identity of someone contacting you on Snapchat, you can reverse search their image on Google Images or TinEye . This will allow you to find out if the photo was stolen from another site or if it belongs to a celebrity.
How to avoid receiving unknown friend requests on Snapchat?
If you don't want to receive unknown friend requests on Snapchat , you can change your privacy settings to limit access to your profile. Here's how to do it:
- Open the Snapchat app and tap your profile photo in the top left.
- Tap the gear icon at the top right to access settings.
- In the section "PRIVACY CONTROLS” choose the options that suit you:
- “ Add me ”: You can choose who can add you as a friend on Snapchat. You can opt for “ Everyone ”, “ My Contacts ” or “ Nobody ”.
- “ View my story ”: You can choose who can see your story on Snapchat. You can opt for “ Everyone ”, “ My Friends ” or “ Custom ” (to select the people you want to exclude).
- “ Contact me ”: You can choose who can send you snaps and messages on Snapchat. You can opt for “ Everyone ” or “ My friends ”.
There are other ways to limit unknown friend requests on Snapchat, here are some tips to follow:
Make your account private
In the app settings you can choose who can add you as a friend. My Friends option which only allows people you have added to your friends list to send you requests. Phone Contacts option which only allows people who have your phone number in their directory to send you requests.
Do not share your nickname or Snapcode
If you don't want strangers to find your Snapchat account , avoid posting your nickname or Snapcode on other social networks, or giving them to people you don't know well. You can also change your nickname in the app settings if you think it's too easy to guess.
Use the “Do Not Disturb” feature:
If you are receiving too many unknown friend requests on Snapchat, you can enable the “ Do Not Disturb ” feature which allows you to turn off notifications from the app. You'll still be able to view your friend requests whenever you want, but you won't be bothered by unwanted alerts.
How to delete an unknown friend request on Snapchat?
If you received an unknown friend request on Snapchat and don't want to respond to it, you can delete it by following these steps:
- Open the Snapchat app and tap the chat icon at the bottom left.
- Tap the new friend icon in the top right.
- Tap the unknown friend request you want to delete.
- Tap the “ Skip ” button at the bottom right.
The friend request will then be deleted and you will no longer see the notification.
How to accept an unknown friend request on Snapchat?
If you have received an unknown friend request on Snapchat and want to accept it, you can do so by following these steps:
- Open the Snapchat app and tap the chat icon at the bottom left.
- Tap the new friend icon in the top right.
- Tap the unknown friend request you want to accept.
- Tap the “ Accept ” button at the bottom right.
The person will then be added to your contact list and you will be able to exchange snaps and messages with them.
How to block an unknown friend request on Snapchat?
If you have received an unknown friend request on Snapchat and want to block it, you can do so by following these steps:
- Snapchat app and tap the chat icon at the bottom left.
- Tap the new friend icon in the top right.
- Long press on the unknown friend request you want to block.
- Tap the “ Block ” button at the bottom right.
The person will then be blocked and will no longer be able to contact you or view your profile. You can also report their behavior to Snapchat by tapping the “ Report ” button at the bottom left.
Conclusion
Snapchat is a fun and easy-to-use app, but it can also be dangerous if you're not careful. Faced with requests from unknown friends, you have to be careful and not accept just anyone. You must also protect your personal data and images , and report abusive behavior. This way, you can enjoy Snapchat safely.
