Snapchat’s friend and connection system can sometimes be confusing, especially when you delete someone as a friend but their name still shows up with an “Accept Friend” button.
This seems to happen frequently, leaving users wondering why someone they deleted is still trying to connect with them on Snapchat.
What Does Accept Friend Mean on Snapchat?
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the nuances of Snapchat’s friend feature, analyze the “Accept Friend” prompt, discuss what deleting a friend means, and provide tips on managing friend requests on Snapchat.
Understanding Snapchat’s Friend System
To understand why deleted friends still appear with an “Accept Friend” button, we first need to unpack how connecting with friends works on Snapchat.
The Basics of Adding Friends
When you want to become friends with someone on Snapchat there are a few different ways to add them:
- Snapcode: You can scan their unique Snapcode using your camera and then click the “Add Friend” prompt.
- Username Search: In the Chat tab, you can search for their exact username and add them if they have a public profile.
- Quick Add: Snapchat will recommend friends based on your contacts and social graphs. You can then send friend requests to those suggestions.
Once you add someone as a friend, they will receive a prompt to add you back.
Accept Friend Snapchat Requests:
When someone adds you on Snapchat, you’ll see a prompt in your profile tab notifying you that they “Added Me” along with their username.
At this point, you can:
- Accept the request by tapping the “+” icon next to their name. Once you both add each other, you officially become Snapchat friends.
- Ignore the request if you don’t want to connect with that person. The friend request will expire after 24 hours if left ignored.
Becoming Snapchat Friends
After you mutually accept friend requests, you gain access to that friend’s stories, the ability to message each other, add them to groups, view their score and username color, and more.
Essentially, adding someone back establishes an ongoing Snapchat friendship that allows you both to see each other’s snaps unless your privacy settings differ.
Why Does It Say Accept Friend on Snapchat When I Removed Them?
This section will analyze exactly why Snapchat displays the “Accept Friend” prompt next to people you previously removed or deleted from your friend’s list.
Overview of Removing Friends on Snapchat
First, we’ll outline what happens when you delete or remove someone as a friend on Snapchat:
- Removing a friend deletes them from your friend’s list.
- However, it does NOT remove you from their friends list.
- From their perspective, you still appear as a friend.
This one-sided action is the key to understanding this confusing behavior.
They Can Still View Your Public Content
Because removing a friend only blocks them from your side, they can still view and interact with some of your public Snapchat presence:
- They can potentially see your public stories
- They can send you chat messages (that you’d then have to accept)
- They can view your public profile info
So deleted contacts may try to contact you, not realizing you can’t see them anymore.
Why “Accept Friend” Persists?
Given that removed friends might still have access to your public content, here is exactly why Snapchat still shows “Accept Friend” next to their names:
Snapchat considers them a one-way connection until you either accept removing them or officially block them.
One-way connections display the “Accept Friend” prompt to indicate someone wants to connect with you.
So even though you deleted them, from Snapchat’s view you two still have an asymmetrical, dangling relationship status that needs resolution.
How to Prevent Deleted Friends Re-Adding You?
To fully purge a deleted friend from attempting to reconnect, you need to either:
- Block them (mutually cut off all access)
- Adjust privacy settings (limits their viewability)
Taking these extra steps officially severs the one-way connection for good in Snapchat’s internal system.
The bottom line: Deleting is one-way; blocking is two-way. Block ex-friends to prevent those annoying accept requests from the beyond!
The Meaning of the “Accept Friend” Prompt
The “Accept Friend” button alongside someone’s name means they added you as a friend, but you haven’t added them back yet.
So even if you previously deleted them, they likely still have you added to their friend list and can view any content you post publicly.
What Friends Can See?
Depending on your privacy settings, friends who you haven’t added back can potentially see and do the following:
- View your public stories
- Send you chat messages (that you then have to accept)
- View your public profile and any public content
- See your snap score and any public personal details
However, they won’t be able to see your private stories or send snaps unless you add them back.
The “Accept Friend” prompt is Snapchat’s way of notifying you that someone wants to connect. It’s then up to you whether to officially befriend them back or not.
The Implications of Deleting a Friend
Deleting a friend on Snapchat unilaterally removes you from their friend list. However, it does not remove them from yours.
This one-sided action is why deleted friends can still try to add you – from their perspective, you may still show up as a friend.
What Does Accept Friend Mean on Snapchat?
When you delete someone, here is what happens:
- For you: They are removed from your friend list and stories. You cannot see their profile or snaps anymore.
- For them: You still appear on their friend list. They can technically try to view your public content until they realize you deleted them.
Since removing a friend only blocks that person from your side, they have no indication they were deleted unless they try to view your profile.
As a result, deleted friends may still attempt to snap or chat with you, not realizing you no longer see their profile. Their only clue is if their messages go unread indefinitely.
Private Profiles Add More Confusion
To make matters even more confusing, someone with a private profile that gets deleted may still display “Accept Friend” for the deleting user.
This is because even without adding back users with private profiles, Snapchat still has them “connected” in some capacity internally.
So in summary:
- Deleting someone does not remove their access to your public profile or posts.
- They can still send you friend requests and messages.
- Private profiles further complicate the deletion process.
This nuance explains why previously deleted friends inexplicably show “Accept Friend” requests – from their view, you’re still connected.
The only way to fully remove them is to block them, which we’ll cover next.
How to Permanently Remove Deleted Friends on Snapchat?
If the “Accept Friend” prompt persists from a friend you already deleted, the nuclear option to permanently remove them is blocked.
Block or Unfriend?
Snapchat gives you two options when attempting to disconnect from someone – Block or Unfriend. What’s the difference?
| Block | Unfriend | |
|---|---|---|
| Effect on Them | Removes you from their friend list | No change to their friend list |
| Prevents Them From… | Viewing your stories or profile, sending you snaps or chats | Nothing – they can still view public content |
| Use When They Are… | Harassing you or you never want to reconnect | An old friend you may reconnect with later |
Key Takeaway: Block fully removes you from their connection list; unfriend simply removes them from yours.
So if you want to permanently stop a deleted user’s annoying friend requests, blocking is the way to go.
How to Block Someone on SnapChat?
Blocking a user prevents them from viewing your profile or posting public snaps and stories to you.
To block a friend:
- Open your friends list and hold your finger on their name.
- Select “More”.
- Choose “Block” to confirm.
And that’s it! Blocking someone mutually removes you both from each other’s accounts. Once blocked, the only way to reconnect is if you unblock them later.
Blocking is the only way to stop a deleted friend from attempting to add or contact you again through Snapchat. It permanently severs the connection on both ends.
Extra Tips for Managing Friends
Beyond blocking stubborn deleted friends who won’t leave you alone, here are some additional pointers on cleaning up your friends list:
- Adjust Privacy Settings
Lock down privacy settings like toggling your account to private, limiting story visibility, disabling quick add, etc. to control what those deleted friends can access if they add you again.
- Remove Followers
Occasionally check who is subscribed to view your public content and remove any unwanted followers.
- Approve Friend Requests
If you want to keep friends limited to only people you know, manually approve each request rather than letting strangers auto-add you.
Proactively managing your friends and followers will prevent unwanted deleted contacts from slipping through the cracks!
FAQs About Deleted Snapchat Friends
Let’s recap the common questions around why removed friends still appear requesting to add you again:
- Q: If I deleted a friend, why do they still show up in my Snapchat suggestions list?
A: Even if you’ve deleted someone, Snapchat may still have their profile data saved to recommend reconnecting. This is why deleted contacts reappear in your “Quick Add” list.
- Q: Can someone I’ve deleted still view my Snapchat stories?
A: Yes, anyone you delete can still view public stories you post to Snapchat. To prevent them from seeing stories, you must change your settings to private or block them.
- Q: Does deleting a friend delete our chat history?
A: No, deleting a friend does not automatically erase your chat history. To remove chat logs, you must clear conversations individually – this will remove them from both your and your deleted friend’s message history.
- Q: If you delete your Snapchat account, do your friends get notified?
A: No, Snapchat does not notify your friends if or when you delete your account. Your username will simply disappear from their friend’s list without explanation.
- Q: I noticed my Snapchat score decreased – does this mean someone deleted me?
A: Possibly! A sudden drop in your Snap score could indicate someone you frequently Snapchatted deleted you, thus decreasing your total sent Snaps number that the score is based on.
- Q: Why can’t I remove followers on Snapchat without blocking them?
A: Unlike friends, Snapchat does not give you the option to individually “unfollow” followers. You have to fully block unwanted followers to prevent them from accessing your public content.
- Q: Can someone on my Blocked list buy Snapchat Spectacles using my account?
A. No, blocking someone prevents them from interacting with your profile in any way, including accessing your saved payment information to purchase Specs under your account credentials.
- Q: What happens if you send a Snap to someone after they’ve deleted you?
A: If you send a Snap to someone who has deleted you, the Snap may get delivered from your end but will not transmit to the recipient’s account or device since you no longer appear on their current friend’s list in the app.
- Q: How can you tell if a friend deleted their Snapchat account versus just deleting you as a friend?
A: There’s no definite way to confirm if someone specifically deleted their account rather than just removing you as a friend. In both cases, their username will simply disappear from your friends list if they delete you or their entire account.
- Q: If I delete a friend while they have me added, can they still view my private Stories if I post one?
A: No, anyone you specifically delete will no longer be able to view your private Stories – even if they still have you added to their Snapchat friend list. Private Stories are only visible to friends who mutually follow each other.
Hopefully, these common questions provide more insight into how Snapchat’s quirky friend management works!
In Summary…
While confusing at first glance, the reasons behind deleted friends still displaying “Accept Friend” stems from how Snapchat networking functions:
- Deleting someone only removes them from your connection list.
- Those deleted friends may still have you added and attempt to contact you.
- You must block unwanted friends to fully remove their access.
So if an already deleted friend persists with follow requests or attempted Snaps, don’t pull your hair out! Just simply block them to sever all ties.
Snapchat’s friend system certainly takes some getting used to. But once you master the ins and outs of adding, removing, and blocking friends, you can easily clean up your connections list and keep it limited to only desired chats.
Did this guide help explain your annoying deleted friends continuing to add you? Let us know if you have any other Snapchat questions!