Have you ever come across a mysterious lock icon on someone’s Snapchat story? Unlike the disappearing snaps you’re used to, this story seems shrouded in secrecy. If you’re new to Snapchat or a casual user, this little padlock might leave you scratching your head. This blog post will shed light on the meaning behind locked Snapchat stories, why people prefer them, and much more.
What Does Lock Mean On Snapchat Story?
The presence of a lock icon on a Snapchat story signifies a Private Story. Unlike a standard story visible to all your connections, Private Stories offer a more selective audience. The creator selects a specific group of friends who can view their snaps, making them ideal for sharing targeted content or maintaining a higher level of privacy to keep the snaps under wraps.
Essentially, the lock icon serves as a visual cue for viewers, indicating they’ve been granted access to a private gathering amongst select friends. Simply, seeing the lock symbol on a Snapchat story means you are one of the few people that the person allowed to view that particular story.
So, the lock acts as a symbol for both viewers and within the app to indicate that the story is private and not accessible to everyone.
What Are Snapchat Private Stories?
Snapchat offers a feature called Private Stories that lets you share snaps with a chosen group of friends, instead of everyone on your list. This way, you can control exactly who sees your content. You can create multiple private stories, giving each one a name and selecting the specific friends who can view it.
These private stories function similarly to regular Snapchat stories. You can add photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours. It’s important to remember that even though your content disappears, recipients can always screenshot or screen record your snaps, so keep that in mind when sharing anything private.
Why People Prefer Private Stories?
There’s a certain intimacy and vulnerability that comes with sharing private stories. Here are some reasons why people might choose to share these stories in a private setting:
Sense of Security: Personal stories can touch on sensitive experiences or emotions. Keeping them private lets you control who hears them and reduces the risk of judgment or misunderstanding.
Deeper Connection: Sharing private stories fosters a sense of trust and emotional connection with the listener. It shows a willingness to be vulnerable and creates a space for deeper conversation.
Tailored Feedback: In a private setting, you can tailor your story to the specific listener, making it more relevant and impactful. You might choose details you wouldn’t share with a wider audience.
Unfiltered Expression: Knowing only a chosen few will hear your story allows for a more honest and unfiltered expression. You might feel freer to explore complex emotions or messy experiences.
Seeking Advice: Sometimes, private stories are shared to seek advice or support. A trusted confidante can offer a safe space to vent and gain a different perspective.
Processing Experiences: Talking about a personal experience, even with just one person, can be a way to process it and gain clarity. Sharing your story can help you understand yourself better.
Building Trust: Sharing private stories can be a way of building trust within a friendship, family, or romantic relationship. It shows a willingness to be open and strengthens the bond.
How To Create A Private Story?
Ready to share snaps with just your inner circle? Here’s how to create a Private Story on Snapchat:
- Open the Snapchat app on your device.
- Tap on your Bitmoji/profile icon in the top left corner to create a private story on Snapchat.
- Look for the “+ New Story” icon next to your My Stories. This icon usually opens a menu for creating a new custom story.
- Select “New Private Story” from the options. This ensures only your chosen friends can view your snaps.
- Choose the specific friends you want to invite to view your Private Story. You can search for them or browse your friend list.
- Capture photos and videos as you normally would and add them to your Private Story.
- Use all of Snapchat’s creative tools like text, drawings, filters, and more!
- To edit a private story, tap the profile button again and then the setting button (three vertical dots) and select “Story Settings”.
- From there, they can rename the story, delete snaps, and add friends to it.
Things to know about Private Stories:
- You can create up to 20 Private Stories at once for different friend groups.
- Remember, snaps disappear after 24 hours, but friends can still screenshot or screen record them, so choose your content wisely.
- Private Stories are for sharing with a select audience. Snapchat’s My Eyes Only feature is a super-secure vault protected by a passcode only you know. Use My Eyes Only for snaps you want to keep entirely private for your viewing.
Now you have the power to share snaps with just your inner circle! So go forth and create captivating Private Stories on Snapchat.
What Does The Lock Colors Represent?
The color of the lock on a Snapchat story depends on where you see the story and whether you’ve viewed it yet. Here’s the breakdown:
Purple Lock: This indicates a Private Story you haven’t viewed yet. You’ll see this color when viewing stories from the Stories tab (represented by a purple circle icon).
Grey Lock: This signifies a Private Story you’ve already viewed. The lock appears grey on both the Stories tab and in your friend’s chat (represented by a blue circle icon).
No Lock: This means it’s a regular public story visible to all your friends.
Here’s a table to summarize:
| Lock Color | Story Type | Where You See It | Viewed Status |
| Purple | Private Story | Stories Tab | Not Viewed |
| Grey | Private Story | Stories Tab or Chat | Viewed |
| No Lock | Public | Stories Tab or Chat | Doesn’t Apply |
How To Know If You’re On A Friend’s Private Story on Snapchat?
While Snapchat doesn’t directly notify you when you’re added to a friend’s Private Story, you can use visual cues within the app to determine if you’re viewing one.
Here’s how:
- Open Snapchat and log in to your account.
- Swipe left to go to the Stories tab.
- Under the Friends section, you will see circular icons for each friend’s story.
- Look for a lock icon next to the username. This signifies a Private Story and can be viewed by those selected group of people.
- If you don’t see a lock icon, it’s a public story visible to all their friends.
- Additionally, a friend’s Bitmoji with a sparkle around it in the Stories tab might indicate a new update to their story, potentially including a Private Story you’ve been added to.
Also Check:
FAQs:
Yes, if you see a lock emoji next to a story, it means it’s a Private Story. You can only watch it if the creator has added you to their viewing list.
Unfortunately, there’s no way to view someone’s Snapchat story without them knowing, especially for Private Stories. Snapchat notifies users when someone views their story, including Private Stories. However, some people use Ghost Mode, temporarily disabling the internet connection, or using third-party apps, yet be cautious as they may violate Snapchat’s terms of service.
Private Stories on Snapchat allow you to share snaps (photos and videos) with a chosen group of friends instead of all their followers. You control who sees them by selecting specific people from your friend list. Only those chosen friends can view your Private Story.
You can create up to 20 Private Stories at once on Snapchat. This allows you to tailor content for different friend groups.
No, a custom story is not the same as a Private Story. Custom Stories are public stories (multiple users) with a custom background or layout that everyone on your friend list can see (photos and videos to a shared story). On the other hand, Private Stories are for sharing with a select audience you choose by the story poster.
Posting to your Private Story is quiet! No alerts go out to your viewers. They’ll just see your story when they open Snapchat and check their friends’ stories. That said, they might see a little sparkle around your Bitmoji in the Stories tab, hinting at a new update (including maybe a new Private Story they can view).
Conclusion:
In short, seeing a lock on a Snapchat story means you’ve been chosen by a friend to view their private content. It’s a way for them to share more selectively on the platform. So next time you spot a lock, consider it a compliment – your friend trusts you to see their snaps!
8 Responses
Wow, this is super informative! I never knew there was so much to private stories on Snapchat. The breakdown of why people use them and how to create them is really helpful. Thanks for putting this together!
This is a fantastic resource! It clearly explains what private stories are and how they work on Snapchat. I especially liked the table that summarizes the lock color meanings. Now I finally understand why some stories have locks next to them!
Very interesting article! Are there any limitations on who you can add to a private story? For instance, can you only add people from your friend list?
Yes, there’s only one limitation. You can only add people you haven’t blocked on your friend list. Otherwise, you can choose any number of friends.
This is great! Does Snapchat notify users when they’ve been added to a private story? I’m curious if there’s a way to know for sure.
Snapchat values user privacy, especially regarding private stories. Unlike regular stories, there are no in-app notifications when you’re added to a friend’s private story. To check, navigate to the Stories section within the app. If you see a lock icon next to a friend’s username, it indicates a private story you may have access to. While their Bitmoji might sparkle, hinting at a new story, this doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a private one.
This is really helpful! I’m wondering if there’s a way to tell if someone has viewed your private story, similar to how you can see who viewed your regular story.
Unlike public stories, Snapchat doesn’t show you a list of viewers for private stories. There’s no way to see exactly who viewed your snaps within a private story.