What Does the Lock Mean on Snapchat
Snapchat lets you upload stories so you can share quick and brief moments with your friends! As you might know, the platform is constantly implementing new features to provide users with more control of their profiles.
One of these features is private stories, which are shown with a little padlock icon on your friends’ stories page.
If you have seen your friends or other users posting stories, and a regular lock appears in the stories section, then you are probably wondering what the lock symbol means.
In today’s article on our website, we will be giving you all the details you are looking for about the following topics:
- What does the lock mean on Snapchat?;
- How do Snapchat private stories behave?;
- Everything you must know about private Snapchat stories and the padlock icon.
What Does the Lock Mean on Snapchat?
The padlock symbol on a Snapchat story means that you are seeing a private story on Snapchat.
As it happens in almost any other similar social media app, Snapchat allows you to upload private stories to your profile page.
These stories are only shared with specific friends, which means that only users you select will be capable of seeing these stories posted.
Thus, in order to let them know that they are part of your chosen small group, a lock symbol will appear next to your private Snapchat story.
Understanding Private Stories on Snapchat
Private stories live on your profile are meant to be seen only by a few people. If you want to upload specific stories to a specific person, or group of persons, you can do so.
Does Snapchat notify whenever you add users to a Snapchat private story? No, it doesn’t.
How many users can you add to your private Snapchat story? As many as you want! There doesn’t seem to be a person limit when you create the private story.
Private stories require you to select viewers manually, and they also are disappearing stories since they will vanish after just 24 hours.
If you want to learn more about private stories and their differences from regular Snapchat stories, check out our related post: Private Story on Snapchat.
Custom Story vs. Private Story
There seems to be a confusion between custom stories and private stories. According to the Snapchat Website, there are the main differences:
- Other Snapchatters can contribute to your custom story, while the same users will now be able to upload Snaps submitted to a private one;
- The lock icon will only appear on individual Snaps that are private stories;
- Uploading a private story basically means that you control each person that can see it on the Snapchat app;
- Android users cannot upload custom Snapchat stories, but they can indeed create a private story from their Snapchat account.
Types of Padlock Symbol on Snapchat Stories
Depending on the color that the lock symbol has, its meaning will change in a private story.
1. Purple Lock on Snapchat Story
If you see little purple locks on your Snapchat list of stories, it means that you haven’t seen the story yet.
When users tap and see the private story, then the purple lock symbol will disappear.
2. Grey Lock on Snapchat Story
Snapchat stories turn grey after you see them. Therefore, a grey lock will appear next to a private story after you completely check the Snapchat story from your profile. It will remain grey for a while before disappearing.
How to Create a Private Story with a Lock Symbol on Snapchat
Now that you know what the lock symbol means, it’s time to learn how you can make one.
Fortunately, you can easily post a private story regardless of the version of Snapchat you use. Most features, such as Clearing Recents on Snapchat, are really easy to find and use both on Android and iOS devices.
Step 1: Open the Snapchat App
Firstly, open the Snapchat application as you normally do.
Step 2: Tap on Your Profile Icon and then Tap on “Add to My Story”
Then, you need to tap on your profile icon, which appears at the top left corner of the screen. This will take you to your settings, and right above the stories Snap map, you need to find the option that says “Add Snapchat Story.”
Step 3: Select “New Private Story” and Upload It
Then, select “Create New Private Story,” and select the content you want to upload.
Then, Snapchat will ask you to pick users from your friends’ list who will be capable of seeing the private story. The lock icon will appear next to the private story whenever a person sees it.
That will be all! We hope this article helped you. For more content such as this one, check out everything we have for you at GrowFollowing.
FAQ
Can You Check Who Sees Your Private Story on Snapchat?
Yes. Only the person who created the story can check the story viewers without any limitations.
How Many Private Stories Can You Create at the Same Time?
You can post up to three private stories at the same time. If you want to upload more stories, you can do so with a custom one or a normal one if you please.
Karen is a senior technical writer and copywriter at Hypegrowth. Her area of expertize are social media apps and new media.