6 Ways to See When Someone Was Last Active on Snapchat

If you’re wondering when a friend was last using Snapchat, there are ways to find out. While the social app will only display this information with certain privacy settings, this guide shows other ways of checking when someone was last active on Snapchat.

1. Check the Chat

Snapchat can show you which people are using the app. To check whether a friend is on Snapchat at that time or when they were last seen, open a conversation with them.

Open the Snapchat app on your phone, and tap on the Chat icon at the bottom.

Find the person, and tap on their name to open the conversation. If you haven’t talked to the person before, press the blue New chat button in the lower-right corner. To start a chat with someone, add them as your Snapchat friend. You can’t message people who aren’t your friends on the app.

If the other person is online, you’ll notice a small Bitmoji avatar in the lower-left corner. The avatar’s face will be fully visible when the other party is typing. If you can’t see the avatar, it means the other person is not viewing the conversation, but they may be online on the app.

To know more about your friend’s online status, make sure to check at the top of the chat underneath their name. If they have enabled their location and Activity Indicator (modify that by going to Settings -> Privacy controls -> Activity Indicator), you will see their last seen status. If not, this information won’t be available to you.

2. Check for New Stories

Another way to tell whether someone has been online on Snapchat recently is to check whether they posted any new Stories.

Open Snapchat and switch to the People tab at the bottom.

Your friend’s Story (if they have posted one) will appear among the first bubbles at the top. Tap on the Story to view it. Below your friend’s username, you’ll see how long ago the Story was posted.

To make sure you never miss a Story from your friend, go to Settings -> Notifications (under My Account).

Make sure the toggle next to Stories from Friends is enabled.

3. See Who Viewed Your Stories

Alternatively, try posting a Story yourself, then check who viewed it. Once your friend shows up on the list, you’ll know that they’ve been online recently.

Those with a Snapchat+ subscription can check what time their Story was viewed.

4. Chat Delivery Status

If you still can’t tell if your friend was recently online, try sending them a Snap. If they open it, you’ll know they are online on Snapchat.

Open the chat, and send a picture or video, then go back to your Chats overview. Look underneath your friend’s name. It should say Opened X minutes.

5. Take a Look at Snap Maps

Another way to see when someone was last online on Snapchat is by viewing your Snap Map.

Keep in mind that if your friend has opted not to use their location on Snapchat, or if they tweaked their settings to not allow others to view their location, this information won’t be available.

Open Snapchat, and go to the Map tab.

Tap on your friend’s bitmoji avatar to view their location on the map.

If there are more than one at the same location, you should be able to see when all of them were last seen online.

You can also use your location to quickly view Snapchat stories near you.

6. Check The Snapscore

If you’ve been keeping an eye on your friend’s Snapscore, check again to see if it’s now a larger number. Snapscores increase once people exchange Snaps with others and/or post Stories. If the score is now larger, your friend has been active on the app recently.

To check a person’s Snapscore, open Snapchat, and press the Chat icon to go to your messages. Tap on their profile image.

Check on the small icon underneath their profile’s self-generate QR code to view their current Snapscore.

If the term Snapscore is unfamiliar to you, this tutorial shows what Snapscore is on Snapchat and how to increase it.

If you prefer to have a more elusive presence on the app, learn how to create a private Story on Snapchat and other privacy tips.

Image credit: Pixabay. All screenshots by Alexandra Arici.