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Is Snapchat encrypted?

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Infographic: Encryption at a glance. Content types with E2EE, 1; Types Snap can access, 5; FTC settlement year, 2014; Encrypted in transit, 100%.

By Mical Robert · Filed under Privacy and location

The short answer

Partly. Snap says snaps themselves are end-to-end encrypted. Text chat has never carried that same guarantee, and Stories and Memories are encrypted in transit and at rest instead. This is not Signal.

Key takeaways

  • End-to-end encryption on Snapchat applies to snaps, not uniformly to everything in the app.
  • Text chat is protected in transit but has not been described as end-to-end encrypted.
  • Memories are stored on Snap's servers in a form Snap can access, which is what makes recovery and moderation possible.
  • Snapchat received an FTC settlement in 2014 over overstated claims about disappearing messages — the reason to read the current documentation rather than the marketing.
On this page
  1. The short version, and why it is not simpler
  2. Why metadata matters more than people think
  3. The 2014 FTC settlement, and why it is still relevant
  4. What screenshotting does to all of this
  5. If you need stronger guarantees
  6. Frequently asked questions
  7. Sources

The short version, and why it is not simpler

Is Snapchat encrypted is really three questions wearing a trenchcoat: is it encrypted in transit, is it encrypted at rest, and is it end-to-end encrypted. The answers are yes, yes, and only for some things. Most of the confusion online comes from articles that pick one of the three and present it as the whole answer.

What protection applies to what
Content typeEncrypted in transitEnd-to-end encryptedCan Snap access it?
Snaps (photo/video messages)YesYes, per SnapNot in normal operation
Text chat messagesYesNot stated as E2EEYes, subject to retention
StoriesYesNoYes
MemoriesYesNoYes
Spotlight and public contentYesNoYes — it is published
Account metadata (who you message, when)YesNoYes

Why metadata matters more than people think

Even where content is end-to-end encrypted, the surrounding facts are not. Who you sent it to, when you sent it, how often you two exchange messages, and roughly where you were — that information exists on Snap's servers regardless of encryption, because the service cannot route a message without it.

Snap's own transparency reporting describes handing over account records in response to lawful requests. The existence of that process is itself a useful answer to the question: a service that could not read anything at all would have nothing to hand over.

We may preserve or disclose information about you to comply with a law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request.

Snap Privacy Policy, on disclosure
Infographic: Encryption at a glance. Content types with E2EE, 1; Types Snap can access, 5; FTC settlement year, 2014; Encrypted in transit, 100%.

The 2014 FTC settlement, and why it is still relevant

In 2014 the US Federal Trade Commission settled a complaint against Snapchat over claims that messages would "disappear forever." The FTC's position was that the app's representations to users overstated what the product actually did — video snaps, for instance, could be retrieved from the device outside the app.

That case is old and the product has changed a great deal since. It is worth knowing about for one reason only: it establishes that the gap between what an ephemeral-messaging app implies and what it delivers is a real, documented thing rather than internet cynicism. Read the current security documentation; do not infer guarantees from the ghost logo.

Encryption at a glance
1Content types with E2EESnaps
5Types Snap can accessChats, stories, memories, public, metadata
2,014FTC settlement yearOver disappearing-message claims
100%Encrypted in transitAll traffic uses TLS
Counts reflect the categories in the table above, based on Snap's published documentation as of the last review date.

What screenshotting does to all of this

Encryption protects a message on the way to the recipient. It does nothing about the recipient. Once a snap is on someone else's screen, that person can photograph it with a second phone, and no cryptography ever invented prevents that.

Snapchat's screenshot notification is a social deterrent, not a technical control, and it does not fire in every context — see when screenshot notifications actually appear. Assume that anything you send can be kept.

If you need stronger guarantees

Snapchat is a social app that happens to delete things by default. It is not built as a secure messenger, and using it as one is a category error. If your threat model involves anything more serious than a nosy sibling, a dedicated end-to-end encrypted messenger with published, audited protocols is the right tool.

Related: what Snapchat retains after a message disappears and how to actually turn off location.

Frequently asked questions

Are Snapchat messages end-to-end encrypted?

Snaps — the photo and video messages — are described by Snap as end-to-end encrypted. Text chat has not been described the same way, and Stories and Memories are not end-to-end encrypted at all.

Can Snapchat employees read my messages?

Not snaps in normal operation. Text chats, Stories and Memories are stored in a form Snap can access, which is what makes moderation, recovery and lawful disclosure possible.

Is Snapchat safer than WhatsApp or Signal?

No. Both of those apply end-to-end encryption to all messages by default. Snapchat applies it to snaps and not uniformly across the app, so it offers weaker guarantees overall.

Does encryption stop someone screenshotting my snap?

No. Encryption protects a message in transit. Once it is displayed on the recipient's screen they can screenshot it, or simply photograph the screen with another device, and nothing prevents that.

Sources

Every source below was checked and returned a valid response at the time of the last review. Each note says which claim in this guide it supports.

  1. Snap Privacy Policy — Snap Inc.Supports: What categories of data Snap stores and the circumstances in which it may be disclosed.
  2. Snap Transparency Report — Snap Inc.Supports: That Snap responds to lawful requests with account records, implying server-side access to non-E2EE content.
  3. In the Matter of Snapchat, Inc. (FTC File No. 132-3078) — U.S. Federal Trade CommissionSupports: The 2014 settlement over claims about messages disappearing, cited in the history section.

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