How to Half Swipe on Snapchat

Written By Alex Cherry

Have you ever wondered if you could read a Snapchat without alerting the sender?

Thanks to “half-swiping,” Snapchat users can quickly scan through their communication history. For example, you want to open a message but keep the app from telling the sender that you saw it. If that’s the case, you can read Snapchats without the sender knowing through the half-swipe feature.

Snapchat, like many other social networking apps, includes a chat function for communicating with contacts. However, the unique feature of Snapchat is that messages vanish after being sent instantly or after 24 hours. Learn the technique of the Snapchat half-swipe by reading this article.

What Does a Snap Half-Swipe Mean?

Snapchat’s half-swipe feature lets you read messages without alerting the sender. If there are messages from people that you do not want to send replies to but would like to read their message, this trick will come in handy. It also allows you to consider your reply before confirming receipt of a message.

Though its availability may vary from one Snapchat version to another, many users can now access the feature. Regardless, users shouldn’t put off installing the latest version of Snapchat because doing so means missing out on essential security patches and other updates.

Steps for Half-Swiping on Snapchat

Using the half-swipe feature on Snapchat isn’t tricky, but it may take some practice to master it. The Snapchat half-swipe feature works like this:

1. First, open the Snapchat app and select the conversation button.

2. The second step is to locate a thread where you have new, unread messages you’d like to preview. This method is effective for unread and read chats.

3. Touch the user’s avatar on the left side of the screen and then move it to the right. The message screen should slide from the left as you drag the avatar. Tap and drag the avatar. Swiping anywhere in the discussion will take you to the Map page.

4. Fourth, keep dragging to the right as far as you need to see the text. However, if you slide it to the right and let go, you will swipe to the message screen, and the message will be marked as read. Instead, you can read the message by dragging it to the right and dropping it back into the Chat window.

Is Snapchat’s Half Swipe Feature Still Available?

As of December 2022, Snapchat users can still half-swipe across a message. In addition, according to multiple online sites, half-swiping is still an option on an Android phone.

Since Snapchat’s half-swiping function doesn’t have been implemented on purpose, the company may eventually eliminate it along with other features they deem unnecessary. However, for the time being, you can still access it.

Like other undocumented capabilities in Snapchat, half-swipe allows the user to view a subset of conversations without alerting the sender. So, you have to perform a half-swipe on Snapchat to view the messages without alerting senders.

Key Takeaways

Remember that Snapchat will let the sender know you took a screenshot of their message after seeing it with a half swipe. For example, you take a screenshot of a conversation on Snapchat. In that case, the app will notify everyone with a message reading, “You captured a picture of the chat!” The key to a successful half-swipe is to ignore the notice and not capture a screenshot of the message.

Also, the half-swipe feature, which you can only use for chatting, doesn’t work with Snaps.

Frequently Asked Questions:

How do you get half swipe on Snapchat?

To perform a half swipe on a message, tap and hold the sender’s Profile symbol. To read your message without opening it, swipe your finger from left to right across the screen.

Can you still half swipe on Snapchat?

Yes, as of today, Snapchat still supports the half-swipe gesture. You can now secretly view messages and Snaps without alerting the original sender. However, Snapchat may remove this feature in their future upgrades.

Why can’t I half swipe on Snapchat anymore? 

Half-swiping a Snapchat message allows you to view it without alerting the sender. Swiping in half will open messages but not Snaps. Half-swiping is still an option on Snapchat, but they may eliminate it in future updates.

How to see a snap without opening it? 

If you half-swipe or use a parental control app, you can see Snapchat messages without opening them. The parental control app is the safest option to view Snapchat messages without exposing yourself or your child.