{ "slug": "snapchat", "name": "Snapchat", "maker": "Snap", "category": "chats", "verdict": "p", "answer": "Partly. Snap's engineers said in 2019 that Snaps, the photos and videos you send to one friend, are end-to-end encrypted, but Snap's current pages don't repeat that. Snap doesn't say text chats, groups or calls are sealed, and Memories are sealed only in My Eyes Only.", "title": "Is Snapchat encrypted? Snaps, chats and My Eyes Only", "description": "Snap's engineers said one-to-one Snaps are end-to-end encrypted. Snap doesn't say that for chats, groups or calls. Memories are sealed only in My Eyes Only.", "parts": [ { "key": "msg", "status": "p", "words": "Partly", "note": "Snap's engineers said in 2019, and NBC News reported in 2024, that photo and video Snaps sent to one friend are end-to-end encrypted; Snap's current pages don't say so, and text chats aren't covered, as of 25 October 2026.", "sources": [ 1, 2, 3 ], "label": "Messages" }, { "key": "grp", "status": "n", "words": "Snap can read it", "note": "Snap has not said group chats or Snaps sent to groups are end-to-end encrypted, as of 25 October 2026.", "sources": [ 1, 2 ], "label": "Group chats" }, { "key": "call", "status": "n", "words": "Snap can read it", "note": "Snap says it doesn't scan calls to personalise the app or show ads, but it doesn't say calls are end-to-end encrypted, as of 25 October 2026.", "sources": [ 1 ], "label": "Calls" }, { "key": "bak", "status": "n", "words": "Snap can read it", "note": "Chats and Snaps you save in a conversation are kept on Snap's servers, where Snap can hand them over in response to a search warrant.", "sources": [ 7, 9 ], "label": "Backups" }, { "key": "pq", "status": "x", "words": "Not yet", "note": "No post-quantum protection announced as of 25 October 2026.", "sources": [], "label": "Post-quantum" } ], "extra_parts": [ { "key": "memories", "label": "Memories", "icon": "photo", "status": "o", "words": "Only you, once you turn it on", "note": "Memories are backed up on Snap's servers, where Snap labels what's in them, unless you move them to My Eyes Only, which Snap can't open.", "sources": [ 1, 5, 9 ] } ], "keys": "Snap says only you can unlock My Eyes Only, and its engineers said in 2019 that one-to-one Snaps use keys only your devices hold; Snap doesn't say you hold the keys for anything else.", "can_see": "Who you Snap and chat with and when, which Snap uses for features like Best Friends and Streaks and mostly deletes after 30 days, plus anything saved on its servers outside My Eyes Only.", "business": null, "fix": { "title": "Lock private Memories in My Eyes Only", "steps": [ "Swipe up from the Camera screen to open Memories.", "Press and hold a Snap, then tap More › Hide Snap (My Eyes Only). On Android, tap Hide.", "Tap Quick Setup and choose a passcode, or tap Use Passphrase for a longer one.", "On iPhone, you can lock every new save: Settings › Memories › Save to My Eyes Only by Default." ], "after": "Takes about a minute. If you forget the passcode, nobody can open those Snaps again, Snap included. Snap's help page says only photos and videos shorter than 10 seconds can be moved there." }, "fix_line": "Lock private Memories: Memories › press and hold a Snap › More › Hide Snap (My Eyes Only).", "sections": [ { "id": "are-snapchat-messages-end-to-end-encrypted", "q": "Are Snapchat messages end-to-end encrypted?", "a": "Only partly, as far as Snap has said. Snap's engineers said in 2019 that Snaps, the photos and videos you send to one friend, had been end-to-end encrypted since January 2018, and that they wanted to do the same for text and group chats [2]. In that design Snap's servers hand out each person's keys, and the engineers said there was not yet a way to check them [2]. NBC News reported in January 2024 that one-to-one photo messages were encrypted [3].\n\nSnap's current help, privacy and law enforcement pages don't say that Snaps, text chats, group chats or calls are end-to-end encrypted, as of 25 October 2026. The only thing they describe as locked away from Snap is My Eyes Only [1][9]." }, { "id": "can-snapchat-see-my-snaps", "q": "Can Snapchat see my Snaps and chats?", "a": "Snap says it doesn't scan Snaps and chats to personalise the app or show ads, and only looks at them in limited safety cases, for example when someone reports a message [1]. Snap's chief executive told the US Senate in 2024 that Snap scans image and video uploads for known child abuse imagery, and doesn't plan encryption that would stop that [4].\n\nSnap's servers are designed to delete Snaps once everyone has opened them, and chats 24 hours after they're viewed, by default [6]. Anything you save in a chat stays on Snap's servers [7]. Snap keeps records of who you Snap and chat with and when, and deletes most of them after 30 days [8]." }, { "id": "is-my-eyes-only-encrypted", "q": "Is Snapchat My Eyes Only encrypted?", "a": "Yes. Snap says Snaps in My Eyes Only are encrypted and locked with a passcode you choose, and that without it nobody can view them, Snap included [1][9]. If you forget the passcode, Snap can't recover those Snaps [5].\n\nThe rest of Memories is backed up on Snap's servers, where Snap adds labels based on what's in your pictures [1]." } ], "sources": [ { "title": "Privacy by Product", "publisher": "Snap", "url": "https://values.snap.com/privacy/privacy-by-product", "read": "2026-10-25" }, { "title": "Catch Me if You Can: An Account Based End-to-end Encryption for 1/1 Snaps (Real World Crypto 2019)", "publisher": "Snap engineers, IACR Real World Crypto", "url": "https://rwc.iacr.org/2019/slides/snap.pdf", "read": "2026-10-25" }, { "title": "Tech CEOs expected to endorse legislation and preview policy decisions at Senate child safety hearing (30 January 2024)", "publisher": "NBC News", "url": "https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/tech-ceos-make-legislative-policy-announcements-hearing-rcna136466", "read": "2026-10-25" }, { "title": "Written Senate Congressional Testimony of Evan Spiegel (31 January 2024)", "publisher": "Snap", "url": "https://values.snap.com/news/senate-congressional-testimony-of-evan-spiegel-jan-31-2024", "read": "2026-10-25" }, { "title": "How does My Eyes Only work?", "publisher": "Snapchat Support", "url": "https://help.snapchat.com/hc/en-us/articles/7012317537556-How-does-My-Eyes-Only-work", "read": "2026-10-25" }, { "title": "When does Snapchat delete Snaps and Chats?", "publisher": "Snapchat Support", "url": "https://help.snapchat.com/hc/en-us/articles/7012334940948-When-does-Snapchat-delete-Snaps-and-Chats", "read": "2026-10-25" }, { "title": "When I save a Snap in Chat, where is it stored?", "publisher": "Snapchat Support", "url": "https://help.snapchat.com/hc/en-us/articles/7012354501524-When-I-save-a-Snap-in-Chat-where-is-it-stored", "read": "2026-10-25" }, { "title": "About Snap and Chat Metadata", "publisher": "Snapchat Support", "url": "https://help.snapchat.com/hc/en-us/articles/7012318664852-About-Snap-and-Chat-Metadata", "read": "2026-10-25" }, { "title": "Snapchat Law Enforcement Guide (updated 19 August 2026)", "publisher": "Snap", "url": "https://assets.ctfassets.net/dwtpq5hdcqjg/4jI8Swj0BHjUD0VzbCcxkk/af8a03458903122e9e1294b829f6293f/Snapchat_Law_Enforcement_Guide__Updated_August_19__2026___1_.pdf", "read": "2026-10-25" } ], "changes": [ { "date": "2026-10-25", "text": "First published." } ], "related": [ "instagram", "tiktok", "whatsapp", "signal" ], "url": "https://isitencrypted.com/snapchat/", "checked": "2026-10-25" }