Blocking stops them from contacting you, but they may notice
When you block someone on Snapchat, they can no longer send you messages, call you, or see your stories. They cannot add you as a friend again unless you unblock them first. The block is when ready — there is no delay or notification queue.
The person you block will not receive a notification that says "you have been blocked." However, they will notice when they try to contact you. Their messages will not go through, their calls will fail, and your profile will not appear in their search results. If they were already your friend, you will disappear from their friends list.
Blocking is different from removing a friend or muting someone. Removing a friend lets them still see your public stories and search for you. Muting stops their messages and stories from showing up in your feed, but they can still contact you and see that you are online. A block cuts off all contact and visibility.
Key Takeaways
- Blocked users cannot message you, call you, view your stories, or find your profile in search.
- They will not get a notification saying they are blocked, but they will figure it out when their messages fail to send.
- You can unblock someone at any time, and they will be able to contact you again when ready.
- Blocking someone does not delete past conversations — those remain in your chat history unless you delete them separately.
- If you block someone who is already your friend, they will see you disappear from their friends list.
How to block someone on Snapchat
Open Snapchat and go to your friends list or find the person's profile. Press and hold their name until a menu appears. Select "Block" from the options. Snapchat will ask you to confirm — tap "Block" again to finish.
You can also block someone from a conversation. Open the chat, press and hold the person's name at the top, and select "Block" from the menu. The result is the same either way.
If you block someone while you are in an active conversation with them, that chat will remain in your inbox, but they will not be able to send new messages. You will still see the old messages you exchanged, but you can delete the entire conversation if you want to remove it from your view.
What the blocked person sees and experiences
When someone tries to message you after being blocked, they will see an error message saying the message could not be sent. If they try to call you, the call will not go through. If they search for your username, your profile will not appear in the results. If they had you saved in their friends list, your name will vanish from that list.
They can still see your username if they remember it or have it written down elsewhere, but they cannot tap on it to view your profile. If you have a public story, they will not be able to see it. Any snaps you send to group chats will still appear in those chats, but they will not be able to interact with you directly.
Some people figure out they are blocked right away. Others may not realize it for days or weeks, depending on how often they try to contact you. There is no way for them to know for certain without trying to reach you or asking someone else.
Unblocking someone and what happens next
You can unblock someone at any time by going to your settings, selecting "Blocked," finding their name, and tapping "Unblock." The process takes a few seconds. Once you unblock them, they can when ready send you messages, call you, and see your stories again.
Unblocking does not automatically re-add them to your friends list. They will need to send you a friend request, and you will need to accept it before they can see your private stories or have a two-way conversation. Your old chat history with them will still be there if you want to look back at past messages.
If you unblock someone and then block them again, the second block works the same way as the first. There is no penalty or cooldown period for blocking and unblocking the same person multiple times.
When blocking is not enough
If someone is harassing you, blocking may not stop them completely. They can create a new account and try to contact you again. If this happens, block the new account as well. You can also report them to Snapchat by going to their profile, tapping the three dots, and selecting "Report." Snapchat takes reports of harassment, threats, and abuse seriously and may suspend or delete the account.
If someone is threatening you or making you feel unsafe, do not rely on blocking alone. Take screenshots of the threatening messages and report them to Snapchat. If the threats involve violence or a crime, contact your local police department and provide them with the screenshots and the person's username.
You can also adjust your privacy settings so that only people you have added can message you or view your stories. Go to Settings, select "Who Can..." and choose "Friends" for both messaging and story viewing. This prevents strangers from contacting you in the first place.
Blocking on Snapchat versus other platforms
Snapchat's blocking works similarly to blocking on Instagram or Facebook — the person cannot contact you or see your content. However, Snapchat does not notify the blocked person the way some other apps do. On Twitter, for example, a blocked user may see a message saying they have been blocked. Snapchat keeps it silent.
Snapchat also does not have a "restrict" feature like Instagram does. Instagram's restrict option lets someone message you, but their messages go to a separate folder and they cannot see when you are online. Snapchat only offers blocking or nothing — there is no middle ground.
If you want to limit contact without a full block, muting is your only option on Snapchat. Muting hides their messages and stories from your feed, but they can still reach you if they try. It is useful if you want to avoid seeing someone's content without cutting off all contact.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can someone tell if I blocked them on Snapchat?
They will not get a notification, but they will figure it out when their messages fail to send or they cannot find your profile. Some people test by trying to call you or searching for your username. If they ask friends about you, those friends might tell them you blocked them.
Will they see our old messages after I block them?
No. Once you block someone, they cannot see your profile or any of your content, including old conversations. However, the messages will still be in your own chat history unless you delete the conversation. You can delete the entire chat by swiping left on it and tapping delete.
What if I block someone by accident?
You can unblock them when ready by going to Settings, selecting "Blocked," finding their name, and tapping "Unblock." They will be able to contact you again right away. If you want to re-add them as a friend, they will need to send a new friend request.
Can I block someone without them knowing I blocked them?
You can block them without a notification, but they will know something is wrong when they try to reach you. There is no way to block someone completely invisibly on Snapchat. If you want to avoid contact, blocking is still the most direct method.
Does blocking someone delete our chat history?
Blocking does not automatically delete your chat history. The conversation stays in your inbox, but the blocked person cannot see it or send new messages to it. You can manually delete the chat by swiping left on it and selecting delete if you want to remove it from your view.