Turn off all Snapchat notifications in your phone's settings
The fastest way to stop Snapchat notifications is to disable them at the operating system level, not inside the app. On both iPhone and Android, you can tell your phone to block all alerts from Snapchat without deleting the app or changing anything inside it.
On iPhone, open Settings, scroll to Snapchat, and toggle off Allow Notifications. On Android, open Settings, go to Apps or Application Manager, find Snapchat, tap Notifications, and toggle off Allow notifications. This stops every type of alert — messages, friend requests, stories, and everything else — immediately.
This method works even if Snapchat updates its notification settings later, because your phone's operating system overrides the app's preferences. You can turn notifications back on the same way if you change your mind.
Key Takeaways
- Disabling notifications in your phone's Settings app stops all Snapchat alerts at once, without opening Snapchat itself.
- Inside Snapchat, you can turn off specific notification types — like messages only, or stories only — while keeping others on.
- Do Not Disturb mode silences Snapchat along with other apps during set hours, but notifications still arrive when the schedule ends.
- Muting individual friends or group chats stops notifications from those conversations without affecting notifications from everyone else.
- Turning off notification badges removes the red number on the Snapchat icon, even if notifications themselves are still on.
Control which types of Snapchat notifications you receive
If you want to keep some Snapchat notifications but turn off others, open Snapchat, tap your profile icon in the top left, then tap the Settings gear icon. Scroll down to Notifications and tap it to see your options.
Here you can toggle individual notification types on and off: Messages, Snaps, Stories, Friend Requests, Group Invites, and others depending on your Snapchat version. For example, you might want notifications when someone sends you a direct message but not when they post a story. Turn off the ones you do not want and leave the rest on.
These settings are separate from your phone's system-level controls, so you can have notifications on in Snapchat's settings but disabled in your phone's Settings app. The phone's setting always wins — if you turned off notifications in your phone's Settings, Snapchat's internal settings will not override it.
Mute notifications from specific friends or group chats
You can silence notifications from one person or one conversation without affecting notifications from everyone else. Open a chat or conversation, press and hold the person's name or the group name at the top, and select Mute Notifications. A clock icon appears next to their name, showing they are muted.
By default, muting lasts for eight hours. You can change this by tapping the muted conversation, selecting the clock icon, and choosing a different duration — one hour, four hours, eight hours, 24 hours, or indefinitely. When the mute period ends, notifications from that person or group turn back on automatically.
Muting a conversation does not delete messages or hide the chat from your inbox. New messages still arrive and sit unread; you just will not see a notification alert or hear a sound.
Use Do Not Disturb to silence Snapchat during specific hours
Do Not Disturb mode pauses notifications from all apps, including Snapchat, during hours you set. On iPhone, go to Settings, tap Focus, and create a new Focus schedule (or use the built-in Do Not Disturb). On Android, go to Settings, tap Notifications, and turn on Do Not Disturb, then set your quiet hours.
When Do Not Disturb is active, Snapchat notifications will not make sounds or light up your screen. However, messages still arrive in the background — you just will not be alerted. Once your Do Not Disturb window ends, notifications resume normally.
This method is useful if you want to silence Snapchat only at night or during work hours, rather than turning notifications off permanently. You can set multiple schedules if you need different quiet times on different days.
Turn off notification badges on the Snapchat icon
The red number that appears on the Snapchat app icon is called a badge. It shows how many unread messages or notifications you have. You can turn off badges without disabling notifications themselves, so you will still hear sounds and see alerts but the icon will stay clean.
On iPhone, go to Settings, tap Snapchat, scroll to Notifications, and toggle off Badges. On Android, open Settings, find Snapchat, tap Notifications, and toggle off Show notification badges. The red number disappears, but notifications still arrive as normal.
This is useful if you find the badge distracting but still want to know when someone messages you. You can always open Snapchat to check for new messages without the visual reminder on your home screen.
Stop notifications from Snapchat Stories and Discover
Snapchat can send notifications when friends post stories or when new content appears in Discover. Inside Snapchat Settings under Notifications, look for Stories and Discover and toggle them off individually. This stops alerts about new stories without affecting message notifications.
You can also mute stories from specific friends without muting their direct messages. Swipe left on a friend's story in the Stories feed, tap the three dots, and select Mute Story. You will still see their story if you look for it, but you will not get a notification when they post one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will turning off notifications stop me from seeing messages?
No. Turning off notifications only stops the alert sound and badge. Messages still arrive and sit in your inbox unread. You can open Snapchat anytime to see them — you just will not be notified when they come in.
Can I turn off notifications for one friend but keep them for others?
Yes. Mute that specific conversation by pressing and holding their name and selecting Mute Notifications. You can set the mute to last one hour, four hours, eight hours, 24 hours, or indefinitely. Everyone else's notifications stay on.
What happens to notifications when Do Not Disturb ends?
Notifications resume normally once your Do Not Disturb schedule ends. Messages that arrived during the quiet hours will still be there, and you will start receiving alerts again as usual.
If I turn off notifications in my phone's Settings, can Snapchat turn them back on?
No. Your phone's operating system setting always takes priority. Even if Snapchat's internal settings have notifications turned on, your phone's system-level block will prevent them from reaching you.
How do I know if a conversation is muted?
A small clock icon appears next to the person's or group's name in your chat list. This shows the conversation is muted. Tap the clock to change the mute duration or unmute it.