That sinking feeling when a snap goes unseen for days. You’re wondering: did they block me? It’s one of the most frustrating situations on social media. The uncertainty eats at you because Snapchat doesn’t exactly announce “Hey, this person blocked you.” Instead, you’re left playing detective, trying to figure out if you’ve been ghosted or actually blocked.
Here’s the real talk: how to tell if someone blocked you on Snapchat requires checking a few specific signs. Some are obvious, others are subtle. This guide walks you through every method—from the straightforward checks to the sneakier detective work—so you can stop wondering and know for sure.
The Direct Check: Search Their Username
This is the fastest way to get your answer. Open Snapchat, tap the search icon (magnifying glass), and type in their exact username. Here’s what you’re looking for:
- Their profile appears normally: They haven’t blocked you. You’ll see their Bitmoji, username, and the option to add them (if they haven’t added you back).
- “Couldn’t find [username]” message: This is the red flag. When you can’t find someone by searching their username, it usually means one of two things: they blocked you, or they deactivated their account.
- Their profile is visible but you can’t add them: They might have privacy settings restricting who can add them, or they’ve already removed you from their friends list.
The username search is your first line of defense because it’s quick and doesn’t require any guesswork. If their username doesn’t pull up at all, you’re dealing with either a block or a deactivation. We’ll dig into how to tell the difference later.
Pro Tip: Ask a mutual friend to search the person’s username on their phone. If the mutual friend can find them but you can’t, that’s a strong indicator you’re blocked. If nobody can find them, they likely deactivated.
Look at Your Friends List
Your friends list tells a story. If someone blocked you, they’ll disappear from it completely. Here’s how to check:
- Open Snapchat and go to your Friends list (tap the Friends icon at the bottom).
- Scroll through and look for their name.
- If they’re gone and you know you were friends before, they either blocked you or removed you.
The tricky part: removing someone is different from blocking. When someone removes you, you can still see their profile if you search for them. When they block you, you can’t find them at all. This is why the search method (from the previous section) combined with the friends list check gives you the clearest picture.
If someone is still on your friends list but hasn’t responded to snaps in weeks, that’s not a block—that’s just ghosting, which is a different problem entirely.
Try Sending a Snap or Message
This is where things get real. Send them a snap or a chat message. Pay attention to what happens next:
- Your snap sits on “Pending” indefinitely: This is the classic blocked sign. A pending snap means Snapchat can’t deliver it. It’ll stay there until you manually delete it or until the end of time, whichever comes first.
- Your message shows as “Sent” but never delivers: Similar situation. Messages from blocked users never reach the recipient, and they never show as “Delivered” or “Read.”
- The snap/message sends and shows as opened: You’re not blocked. They might just be ignoring you, which is a whole different issue.
Here’s the thing about pending snaps: they’re the smoking gun. If every snap you send goes to pending and never delivers, you’re blocked. But if one snap is pending and another went through weeks ago, that might just be a network glitch. Send a test snap and wait a day. If it’s still pending, you’ve got your answer.
Safety Note: Don’t spam them with multiple snaps trying to test this. One test snap is enough. Spamming just makes you look desperate if they do unblock you later.
Check Your Conversation History
This is the archaeological approach. Open your chat list and look for your conversation with this person. What you’re looking for:
- The conversation is completely gone: When someone blocks you, your entire chat history disappears from your list. It’s like it never happened. This is one of the clearest signs.
- The conversation is still there but greyed out: You can see the conversation, but you can’t open it or interact with it. This usually means they blocked you after you had an active conversation.
- The conversation is normal: They haven’t blocked you. You can still see the history and potentially send new messages (though they may not be delivered if there’s a network issue).
The conversation disappearing is significant because Snapchat automatically hides chats with people who block you. It’s not something you did—it’s automatic on their end. If you’re scrolling through your chats and suddenly someone’s name is missing, that’s worth investigating further with the other methods in this guide.
The Group Chat Test
Here’s a clever workaround. If you’re in a group chat with the person who might have blocked you, you can test whether they can see your messages:
- Send a message in the group chat that’s clearly directed at them (something like “Hey, are you still there?”).
- Watch to see if they respond or if they acknowledge your message in any way.
- If they respond or react to your message, they haven’t blocked you—they’re just ignoring you in DMs.
- If they never acknowledge it and later messages in the group chat from others get responses, you’re likely blocked.
The group chat test is useful because it shows whether they can actually see you communicating. A blocked person can’t see your individual snaps or DMs, but group chats are trickier because they’re shared spaces. If they’re responding to everyone else but ignoring you specifically, that’s a different situation than a full block.
That said, this isn’t foolproof. Someone might just be ignoring the group chat entirely or taking a break from Snapchat. Use this as one data point, not the final answer.
Blocked vs. Deactivated vs. Deleted
This is where people get confused. Three different things can make someone disappear from Snapchat, and they look similar but have different meanings:
Blocked
When someone blocks you, they’ve actively chosen to prevent you from contacting them. You can’t find them by searching, your snaps go to pending, and your conversation history disappears. They’re still on Snapchat using the app—they just don’t want to see you. If they’re blocked you, you might be able to see their username if a mutual friend mentions it, but you can’t interact with them directly. You might also want to check out our guide on how to unpin someone on Snapchat if you’re managing your contact list.
Deactivated
When someone deactivates their Snapchat account, the entire account goes dormant. Their username won’t show up in searches for anyone—not just you. Their profile is inaccessible. Deactivation is temporary; they can reactivate their account within 30 days. If you search for them and get no results, and a mutual friend also gets no results, they probably deactivated rather than blocked you.
Deleted
If someone deletes their account (rather than deactivating), it’s permanent. After 30 days, the account can’t be recovered. To an outside observer, a deleted account looks similar to a deactivated one—the username doesn’t show up in searches. The difference is intent: deactivation is temporary, deletion is forever.
How to tell the difference: Ask a mutual friend to search for the person. If the mutual friend can find them, you’re blocked. If nobody can find them, they deactivated or deleted. If they reappear a few weeks later, they had deactivated. If they never come back, they deleted.
What Happens After You’re Blocked
So you’ve confirmed it—you’re blocked. What now? Here’s what you need to know about life on the blocked list:
- You can’t send snaps or messages: Any attempt results in a pending snap or unsent message. It’s a one-way wall.
- You can’t see their story: Their story won’t appear in your story feed, even if you follow them.
- You can’t see their profile: Searching their username won’t pull up their profile anymore.
- You can’t see their location (if you had it enabled): The Snap Map will no longer show their location to you.
- You can still see old group chats: If you’re in a group chat with them, you can still see the old messages, but they likely can’t see your new messages.
The hardest part about being blocked is the permanence of it—until they unblock you. Unlike some social media platforms, Snapchat doesn’t notify you when someone unblocks you. You’d have to periodically check by searching their username to see if they’ve unblocked you.
Here’s the reality: if someone blocked you, there’s usually a reason. The best move is to respect that boundary and move on. Trying to contact them through alternate accounts, fake profiles, or mutual friends is only going to make things worse if they do decide to unblock you. If you’re dealing with other privacy concerns on social media, you might find our guide on how to comment anonymously on Facebook groups helpful for managing your online presence more broadly.
Real Talk: Getting blocked sucks. It’s rejection, plain and simple. But it’s also a clear signal. If someone blocked you, they’re telling you they don’t want contact. The mature move is to accept that and focus your energy elsewhere. Dwelling on it or trying to find workarounds just keeps you stuck.
Prevention: Keeping Your Snapchat Relationships Healthy
While you can’t prevent someone from blocking you if they really want to, you can reduce the likelihood by being mindful of how you use the platform:
- Don’t spam snaps: Sending 10 snaps to someone in an hour is annoying. Space them out.
- Respect read receipts: If someone doesn’t open your snap for days, they’re probably busy or not interested. Don’t keep sending more.
- Keep it appropriate: Don’t send unsolicited explicit content or messages. It’s one of the fastest ways to get blocked.
- Don’t screenshot without permission: Snapchat notifies people when you screenshot their snaps. Do it repeatedly and they’ll block you.
- Use group chats wisely: Adding someone to a group chat they didn’t ask to join is annoying. Ask first.
Most blocks happen because of repeated boundary violations or one major incident. If you’re respectful and mindful of how you communicate, you’re unlikely to get blocked in the first place.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I see if someone blocked me on Snapchat without contacting them?
– Yes. The username search method is completely passive. Search their name and if you get “Couldn’t find [username],” they’ve either blocked you or deactivated. You can also ask a mutual friend to search for them to confirm whether you’re blocked or they deactivated. If the mutual friend can find them but you can’t, you’re blocked.
What does it mean if I can see someone’s story but can’t message them?
– If you can see their story, you’re not blocked. They might have just removed you as a friend or have their DMs restricted. Try sending them a snap. If it goes to pending, there’s a technical issue or they have settings that prevent you from messaging them. If it sends normally, you’re good.
Does Snapchat notify you when someone blocks you?
– No. Snapchat doesn’t send a notification when someone blocks you. You have to discover it yourself by trying to contact them or search for them. This is different from platforms like Instagram, which notify you when someone blocks you.
If someone blocks me, can they still see my story?
– No. When someone blocks you, they can’t see your story, your profile, or any of your content. The block is mutual in terms of visibility—you can’t see each other on the platform.
Can I unblock myself if someone blocked me?
– No. Only the person who blocked you can unblock you. You can’t do anything from your end except wait and hope they change their mind. If they do unblock you, you’ll only find out by trying to search for them again.
Is there a way to contact someone who blocked me?
– Technically, yes—but you shouldn’t. You could try contacting them through another platform like Instagram, text, or email. But if someone blocked you on Snapchat, that’s a clear signal they don’t want to communicate with you on that platform. Trying to reach them through other means is disrespectful of that boundary. Let it go.
What if my snap is pending but they haven’t blocked me?
– A pending snap can happen for other reasons: network issues, the recipient’s phone being offline, or their settings preventing delivery. Send one test snap and wait 24 hours. If it’s still pending and you can confirm they’re active on Snapchat (by seeing their story or checking a group chat), then they’ve likely blocked you. If it delivers after a few hours, it was just a network glitch.
Does blocking someone on Snapchat delete the conversation?
– From the blocked person’s perspective, yes—their conversation with you disappears. From your perspective (the person doing the blocking), you can choose to delete the conversation or keep it. If you blocked someone and kept the conversation, you can still see the old messages, but you can’t send new ones.
