Where to find the notification settings for stories

Open Snapchat and tap your profile icon in the top left corner. Then tap the gear icon to open Settings. Scroll down until you see "Notifications" and tap it. Inside Notifications, you will see "Stories" listed as one of your options. Tap "Stories" to see what controls are available for story alerts.

The exact wording and layout can shift slightly between iOS and Android, and Snapchat updates these menus periodically. If you cannot find "Stories" under Notifications, try searching the Settings menu for "story" using your phone's search function within the app, or look for a section called "Manage Preferences" or "Additional Services".

Key Takeaways

  • Story notifications are controlled in Settings > Notifications > Stories, where you can turn them off entirely or adjust which friends' stories trigger alerts.
  • You can mute story notifications from specific people without blocking them or removing them as friends.
  • Turning off story notifications does not prevent you from viewing stories — you can still open the app and watch them whenever you want.
  • If you turn notifications back on later, Snapchat will resume alerting you to new stories from the friends you have selected.

Turning off all story notifications at once

Once you are in Settings > Notifications > Stories, look for a toggle or switch labeled "Story Notifications" or "Notify Me About Stories". Tap it to turn the setting off. This will silence all alerts about new stories from all of your friends.

After you turn this off, you will no longer see badges, banners, or sound alerts when someone posts a story. The stories themselves will still be there in your feed when you open Snapchat — you just will not be notified that they exist. This is useful if you find story alerts distracting but still want to check stories on your own schedule.

Muting stories from specific people

If you want to keep story notifications on overall but silence them from certain friends, you do not have to go back to Settings. Instead, open Snapchat and find the person's name in your friends list or in your chat history. Press and hold their name until a menu appears. Look for an option like "Mute Story" or "Mute Notifications" and tap it.

When you mute someone's story notifications, you will still see their stories in your feed, but you will not get an alert when they post one. You can unmute them the same way — press and hold their name and select "Unmute Story". Muting is different from blocking or unfriending; the person has no way of knowing you muted them.

What happens to stories you have already seen

Turning off story notifications does not affect stories you have already watched. Snapchat tracks which stories you have viewed, and those remain marked as seen in your feed. New stories posted after you turn off notifications will straightforward arrive silently.

If you turn notifications back on, Snapchat will not re-alert you about stories you have already been notified about. You will only receive alerts for new stories posted after you re-enable the setting.

Notifications for direct messages versus stories

Story notifications and direct message notifications are separate settings. Turning off story alerts does not affect notifications for Snaps or messages sent directly to you. If you want to silence those as well, go back to Settings > Notifications and look for "Messages" or "Chats" to adjust those independently.

This separation is useful if you want to stay in touch with close friends via direct messages but do not want constant alerts about who is posting stories. You can customize each type of notification to match how you actually use the app.

Why you might still see story indicators even with notifications off

Even with story notifications turned off, you may see a small dot, ring, or indicator next to a friend's name or profile picture in your feed. This is Snapchat's way of showing that someone has posted a new story — it is not a notification, just a visual marker. The indicator disappears once you view the story.

If these visual indicators bother you, your only option is to mute that specific person's stories or remove them as a friend. Snapchat does not offer a setting to hide the indicators while keeping the person as a friend.

Resetting notification settings if something is not working

If story notifications are still coming through after you turned them off, or if you cannot find the Stories option in your Notifications menu, try closing Snapchat completely and reopening it. Sometimes the app needs to refresh to explore setting changes.

If that does not work, go to your phone's Settings app (not Snapchat's Settings), find Snapchat in your list of apps, and check what notification permissions you have granted it. On iOS, go to Settings > Notifications > Snapchat. On Android, go to Settings > Apps > Snapchat > Notifications. Make sure notifications are enabled at the phone level, or your app-level settings may not work as expected. You can also try uninstalling and reinstalling Snapchat, though this will not delete your account or messages.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will people know if I turn off their story notifications?

No. Snapchat does not tell people when you mute their stories or turn off story notifications in general. They cannot see whether you have notifications enabled or disabled, and muting someone's stories is completely private.

Can I turn off notifications for stories but keep them for messages?

Yes. Story notifications and message notifications are separate settings in the Notifications menu. You can turn off stories while leaving messages, calls, and other alerts on.

If I mute someone's story, will I still see their stories in my feed?

Yes. Muting only stops the notification alert. Their stories will still appear in your feed, and you can watch them whenever you open the app. You just will not get an alert that they posted.

What if I turn off story notifications and then change my mind?

Go back to Settings > Notifications > Stories and toggle story notifications back on. You can also unmute individual people by pressing and holding their name and selecting "Unmute Story". Turning notifications back on does not re-alert you about old stories, only new ones posted after you re-enable the setting.

Why do I still see story indicators next to people's names if notifications are off?

The small dots or rings next to names are visual indicators that someone posted a story, not notifications themselves. Snapchat shows these to help you find new stories in your feed. You cannot hide these indicators without muting that person's stories or removing them as a friend.