Where to find the story notification settings
Open Snapchat and tap your profile icon in the top left corner. From there, tap the settings gear icon in the top right. Scroll down until you see "Notifications" and tap it. You'll see several notification categories listed — look for "Stories" in this menu.
The Stories section controls whether you get notified when friends post to their stories, when friends are added to group stories, and when stories you've posted get views or replies. Each of these can be turned on or off separately, so you can silence some types of story notifications while keeping others active.
Key Takeaways
- Story notifications are found in Settings > Notifications > Stories, where you can turn them off completely or adjust specific types.
- You can disable notifications for friends' stories, group story additions, and replies to your own stories independently of each other.
- Turning off story notifications does not delete stories or prevent you from seeing them — you just won't get a ping when they arrive.
- If you only want to silence one friend's stories, use the mute feature on their profile instead of changing your global settings.
Turning off all story notifications at once
In the Stories section of your Notifications menu, you'll see a toggle next to "Stories." Tap it to turn the toggle off. This silences all story-related notifications — you won't get alerts when friends post, when you're added to group stories, or when people view your stories.
After you turn this off, Snapchat will stop sending you notifications about stories, but the stories themselves remain in your feed. You can still open the app and watch them whenever you want. The notification is simply gone. This is the fastest way to stop all story alerts if you find them distracting throughout the day.
Muting one friend's stories without changing global settings
If you want to keep story notifications on overall but silence them from one specific person, go to that friend's profile. Tap the three dots in the top right corner of their profile card. Select "Mute Story" from the menu that appears.
When you mute someone's story, you'll stop getting notifications about their posts, but you can still see their stories in your feed if you scroll to them. You won't see them pinned at the top of your feed the way unmuted stories appear. This is useful when one friend posts very frequently but you want to keep notifications from others. You can mute as many people as you want without affecting notifications from anyone else.
Controlling notifications for replies to your own stories
In the same Stories section of Notifications, look for an option related to story replies or story views. Some versions of Snapchat separate "Story Replies" from general story notifications. If you want to post stories but don't want to be notified every time someone replies, you can turn this specific toggle off.
Your story will still be posted and people can still reply to it — you just won't get a notification when they do. You can check replies manually by opening your story and looking at the replies section. This setting is useful if you post frequently and don't want constant notifications interrupting your day.
Notifications for group stories
Snapchat also sends notifications when you're added to a group story or when people post to a group story you're part of. If you're in group stories that post frequently and the notifications are distracting, you can turn off "Group Story" notifications separately from regular story notifications.
Turning this off means you won't get pinged when someone adds you to a group story or posts in one you're already in. You can still see and participate in group stories — you just have to check them manually instead of being notified. This keeps your notification center cleaner while still letting you stay connected to group conversations.
What happens after you turn off story notifications
Once you disable story notifications, Snapchat will not send you any alerts about the types of stories you've muted. You won't see a badge on the app icon, and you won't get a notification sound or vibration. Stories will still appear in your feed, but you have to open the app to see them.
You can turn notifications back on at any time by going back to Settings > Notifications > Stories and toggling them back on. The setting is not permanent — it's just a preference you can change whenever you want. Many people turn story notifications off during work hours and turn them back on in the evening.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will people know I turned off their story notifications?
No. Turning off story notifications is completely private. Friends cannot see whether you have notifications on or off, and muting someone's story is also invisible to them. They won't know you're not getting alerts about their posts.
Can I turn off notifications for stories but keep them for messages?
Yes. Story notifications and message notifications are separate settings. You can turn off stories in Settings > Notifications > Stories while leaving message notifications on. Go to Settings > Notifications > Messages to control those separately.
If I mute someone's story, can I unmute it later?
Yes. Go back to their profile, tap the three dots, and select "Unmute Story." You can mute and unmute people as many times as you want. There's no limit to how many people you can have muted at once.
Do I still see stories from people I've muted?
You can still see their stories in your feed, but they won't appear at the top with a notification. You have to scroll down to find them. If you don't want to see their stories at all, you can block or unfriend them instead of just muting.
What's the difference between muting and blocking?
Muting only stops notifications — the person can still see that you viewed their story and you can still see theirs if you scroll. Blocking prevents them from seeing your profile, stories, and messages entirely. Muting is better if you just want fewer notifications; blocking is better if you don't want contact with someone.