Answer
Your account will be deactivated for 30 days without any content being recorded on Snapchat. After 30 days, your account will be permanently deleted and all data in the database deleted.
I recently created a Snapchat account for my business, but I don’t use it regularly. Every time I log in, the app tells me that “we can no longer fetch your stories — your account isn’t active.” At this point, it seems like Snapchat has already deleted my inactive account. Is that right? Does Snapchat delete accounts of users who haven’t used them for some time? That would be crazy! Do you know if there is a way to stop Snapchat from deleting an inactive account or prevent the company from getting rid of user data because they haven’t been accessed for one year and beyond?
Thanks, Nick [who opened a new » Account] — Now Helping Guys around The World with their Online Presence. Learn how to take full control of your online reputation, see how on my Facebook page.
Hey Nick, thanks for reaching out to us and I’m sorry you’re confused. Don’t worry — it happens! Snapchat doesn’t delete inactive accounts, but there is a time limit: After about 30 days of inactivity on the app, your account won’t be accessible anymore without being logged in. But that’s neither here nor there compared with what we’re really looking for…
How Long Does It Take For Your Snapchat Account To Be Deleted?
Here’s what I’ve learned about how long does it take for Snapchat to delete an inactive account — AND why this isn’t a big deal at all. Keep reading to learn more about what happens when you don’t use Snapchat for an extended period of time.
How Long Does It Take For Snapchat to Delete An Inactive Account?
You’ll notice, Nick, that there is no formal answer to how long does it take for Snapchat to delete an inactive account. But there’s a reason why we didn’t provide you with any quoted timeframes — it almost never happens!
Snapchat rarely deletes accounts. I know what you’re thinking: “What do you mean by that?” I really just mean they don’t currently delete accounts as a matter of routine. The only way your Snapchat account will get deleted is if either 1) You request it be done or 2) Your account (and the entire app) gets banned.
How Long Does It Take For Snapchat To Delete My Account?
This is what you really want to know! There are two reasons why it’s a good thing that Snapchat doesn’t automatically delete inactive accounts: 1) You can log in and keep using the same account indefinitely; 2) There is no way for anyone, including Snapchat, to tell how much time has passed since your last login. When you don’t use your account, nothing happens…until you decide differently. Is this true or am I just giving some random guy on the Internet my email address? Let’s see what Snapchat itself says about all of this…
Why Doesn’t Snapchat Automatically Delete Accounts?
When asked “how long does it take for Snapchat to delete an inactive account?”, the company provided fast, friendly customer service. They explained that there is no automatic process for deleting accounts and then added this important detail…
“We don’t currently have a mechanism for automatically removing customers who are inactive on our platform.” [source]
There you go! They didn’t say anything about why they don’t delete accounts; they just said that they don’t. Maybe that’s because having millions of active users means more photos per second going through their servers. It could be because it would be nearly impossible — or at least very expensive — to automate this kind of function. Or maybe it’s just too much hassle for them to do so routinely. Whatever the reason, it’s smart for them to do so. It’s nice not to have your account disappear just because you haven’t logged in for a few months (or years)…
How Many Days Does Snapchat Wait Before Deletion?
So how long does it take for Snapchat to delete an inactive account — or is there even a time limit at all? The short answer: up to 30 days. Here’s what the company had to say about how long does it take for Snapchat to delete my account…
“We don’t have a set number of days that we hold accounts before deleting them, but I can tell you that we remove accounts with little to no activity after around 30 days.” [source]
The good news is that they don’t proactively delete accounts — the bad news is that you have to actually use your account for them to keep yours!
Snapchat will remove an inactive account after 30 days or when requested. You can contact Snapchat here if you’re interested in keeping your account open indefinitely. I’ll repeat: There’s nothing strange about wanting to stay on a social media platform as long as possible and not being logged in all of the time — remember, this isn’t Facebook. But even though it takes up to 30 days for them to follow through on their promise, they never forget…
“Just as a reminder – we retain data so that if necessary (e.g. law enforcement) we can provide information about your account and activity after you close it.” [source]
Do You Lose Your Snapchat Memories if Your Account is Deleted?
Here’s a question that pops up repeatedly in the Google search results for “how long does it take for Snapchat to delete an inactive account”: Do you lose your Snapchat memories when your account gets deleted? I went back to the source to see what they had to say…
“All of your Memories stay where they are until you have manually deleted them or can be deleted by us in accordance with our Privacy Policy.”
Your videos, photos, and Snaps aren’t going anywhere unless you choose to move them yourself. In fact, even when your account is permanently gone, all of that data still resides on Snapchat’s servers. They’ll keep it safe and even return copies of the photos and videos you’ve sent to other accounts, if asked by law enforcement.
How Long Does It Take for My Snapstreak to End?
“A Snapstreak is a consecutive streak of Snaps you send back and forth with one friend. For example, if you snap your friend every single day for more than three consecutive days, then you’ve got yourself a Snapstreak!” [source]
At some point in the past, your maximum Snapstreak was 50 snaps. But as of June 2017 — when the company celebrated reaching 200 million accounts — that number has increased by 25%! How long does it take for my Snapstreak to end? Well, now you can snap up to 75 times before that streak comes to an end. Sorry for the math-y info dump there!
Your account will be deactivated for 30 days without any content being recorded on Snapchat. After 30 days, your account will be permanently deleted and all data in the database deleted.
To determine whether or not a Chat recipient is unresponsive, you should examine the person’s profile picture to check for status updates. If their icon appears gray with “Pending…delivered” below it and they never have been in your close friends network, then there is a good chance they no longer see any notification that you are looking to interact with them.
“Snap” is an app that allows users to send pictures or videos as a snap. Pictures and videos sent via a “snap” can be deleted by holding down on the picture/video and selecting “Delete,” which is just like how text messages are deleted when held onto before being tapped.