Does Your Snap Score Increase With Unopened Snaps? Here’s The Truth
Many Snapchat users wonder if their snap score increases when they leave snaps unopened. The platform’s scoring system often leaves users confused as they notice daily changes in their numbers. Your activity on Snapchat determines your score, but each interaction works differently.
Your Snapchat score goes up by one point whenever you send or receive a snap. Here’s the truth – those unopened snaps sitting in your inbox won’t add any points to your score. I’ve really broken down this topic and can tell you that just collecting unread snaps won’t boost your numbers, even though many users think it does.
Let me break down how Snapchat scores actually work in this piece. You’ll learn what makes your score climb and discover the truth about unopened snaps and how they affect your overall score.
Understanding Snapchat Score: What It Really Measures
Snapchat’s scoring system remains one of the platform’s most mysterious features. Users check their scores often and wonder if certain actions like receiving unopened snaps affect their numbers. Let’s take a closer look at what this numerical value really means.
The official definition from Snapchat
Snapchat’s support page states that your score “is determined by a super-secret, special equation that combines the number of Snaps you’ve sent and received, the Stories you’ve posted, and a couple other factors”. This definition stays purposely vague but highlights the key elements that affect your score.
Your profile screen shows this number right under your username. The score shows how active you’ve been on the platform since creating your account. Unlike other social networks that focus on followers or likes, Snapchat chose this unique way to measure user activity.
How scores are calculated behind the scenes
Snapchat hasn’t revealed their exact formula, but several factors definitely affect your score:
- Snaps sent and received: Each snap sent or received adds to your total score
- Stories posted: Your Story posts increase points
- Other app interactions: More undisclosed factors play a part
Your Snap Score never goes down—it either stays the same or goes up. The app updates scores periodically instead of live, which explains why you might not see changes right after sending snaps.
Many users have a common question about unopened snaps. The evidence shows your score doesn’t increase from unopened snaps. You need to actively engage with the content to boost your score.
The app’s text messages (chats) don’t seem to matter much compared to photo or video snaps. Group chats might count differently than one-on-one messages. Streak maintenance could also play a role, though Snapchat hasn’t confirmed this.
Why Snapchat keeps the exact algorithm secret
Snapchat has good reasons to keep their scoring formula private. The main one? They want to prevent users from manipulating the system. If everyone knew how to maximize their score, it wouldn’t be a reliable measure of genuine engagement.
On top of that, this mystery creates buzz around the platform. Users get curious and talk about it, which naturally leads to more engagement. My friends often compare scores and try to figure out why certain activities seem more valuable than others.
The hidden algorithm lets Snapchat adjust their engagement measurements without making announcements. They can update the formula based on what they want to encourage or discourage on the platform.
Keep in mind, Snapchat’s secretive approach might tie into bigger business plans. They learn about platform usage patterns by tracking how users interact with different features, without revealing which actions matter most.
The score’s role has changed with time. Snapchat used scores for trophy rewards until 2020. Now it seems to work mainly as a general activity indicator rather than unlocking special features.
Does Your Snap Score Go Up When You Receive a Snap?
The mystery behind Snapchat scores boils down to one big question: do you get points just by receiving snaps, or do you need to open them? Let’s clear this up once and for all.
The difference between receiving and opening
Snapchat tracks receiving and opening snaps as two separate actions. A snap shows up in your inbox with a solid square icon – red means no audio, purple means there’s audio. This solid square tells you the snap is sitting there unread.
Opening the snap changes that solid square into a hollow one. This shows you’ve seen what’s inside. This is a vital part of how your Snap score gets calculated.
These visual clues help users quickly see what’s happening with their messages. The app keeps track of everything: sent, received, delivered, and opened. Each of these states affects your score differently.
Testing the unopened snap theory
Some users think their score goes up just by getting snaps, even if they don’t open them. Testing shows this isn’t true.
Multiple sources confirm your Snap score won’t budge if you leave snaps unopened. People often get confused because scores can increase while offline – but that’s only from snaps you sent before going offline, not from unopened ones you received.
Users have put this to the test. They got lots of snaps and left them unopened to see what would happen. The results were clear: unopened snaps don’t add points until you actually open them.
Yes, it is confirmed by trusted sources: you must open received snaps to gain points toward your Snap score.
What Snapchat support says about unopened snaps
Snapchat keeps its scoring system mysterious, calling it a “super-secret, special equation”. Notwithstanding that, their support materials give us some clues about how it works.
The official word shows sending and receiving both count – with a catch. When Snapchat talks about “receiving” snaps as part of your score, they mean snaps you’ve opened, not just ones sitting in your inbox.
So this explains why your score doesn’t jump up right after someone sends you snaps. The score stays put until you jump in and look at those snaps.
There’s another reason to be careful here. Some less reliable sources say unopened snaps might count. But looking at all the evidence, especially from trusted sources and real testing, everything points to unopened snaps not affecting your score.
The takeaway for anyone looking to boost their Snap score is simple: you need to involve yourself with the app by sending snaps and opening the ones you get.
Factors That Actually Increase Your Snap Score
Let’s dive into what actually makes your Snap score go up, now that we’ve covered what doesn’t count. Our research into official sources and user experiences shows several activities that consistently add to your Snapchat score.
Sending photo and video snaps
Your Snapchat score grows mainly through sending snaps. You get one point each time you send a photo or video snap. The app gives you a point for each person when you send the same snap to multiple friends. Here’s a cool bonus – your first snap after being inactive earns you six points instead of one.
The app rewards visual communication. Regular text messages won’t help your score at all. You’ll need to send unique snaps to earn points, as Snapchat specifically states that “you need to send a unique Snap to get a point”.
Opening received snaps
Your score won’t budge just by receiving snaps. You must open them to earn points. Each snap you open adds a point to your total.
Replaying snaps won’t give you extra points – each snap counts only once when opened. Your best strategy is to open received snaps quickly rather than letting them pile up unopened.
Posting to your story
Your Snapchat Story posts help boost your score. Each story update gives you one point, so regular posts work well to steadily increase your score.
Stories reach your entire friend list at once and might get them to interact with you more often. This creates a positive loop – more interactions lead to more chances to send and receive snaps, which further raises your score.
Maintaining streaks with friends
Snap Streaks happen when you and a friend swap snaps daily, shown by a fire emoji and a number that displays the streak’s length. These streaks can substantially raise your score in multiple ways.
Daily snap exchanges through streaks automatically boost your score. Long streaks might even make each snap worth more points.
Multiple simultaneous streaks create a multiplier effect – each streak buddy means daily snap exchanges that build your score steadily. Try maintaining streaks with several friends instead of focusing on just one long streak.
Remember, both you and your friend must send a photo or video snap (not just text) at least once every 24 hours to keep the streak going.
Does Your Snapchat Score Go Up Without Opening Snaps?
People keep asking one burning question in the Snapchat community after looking at multiple sources and test results: can your score go up without opening incoming snaps?
The definitive answer based on testing
The most reliable evidence points to a clear answer: your Snapchat score does not increase when you receive snaps but leave them unopened. Users have consistently found through extensive testing that unopened snaps in their inbox don’t add anything to their score.
We found your score only increases when you actively use the app by:
- Opening received snaps (not just receiving them)
- Sending snaps to others
- Posting content to your Story
The system works differently for senders. Your score can still increase even if you go offline after sending snaps. This happens because you get points when your friends receive what you’ve sent, whatever your app status at that moment.
The Snapchat score system rewards people who actively participate instead of passively receiving content. You need to view the content for the app to count it toward your total score.
Common misconceptions debunked
Many people think their score automatically goes up whenever someone sends them a snap. The truth is that unopened snaps don’t affect your score at all.
There’s another myth that claims opening the app increases your score. Testing showed that just launching Snapchat without using any content won’t make your numbers go up.
Some users notice unexpected score increases during inactive periods.
This usually happens because:
- Recipients opened their previously sent snaps while they were offline
- Friends viewed their Stories during their absence
- Score updates sometimes come in batches instead of immediate changes
Text messages in Snapchat create confusion too. Sources of all types agree that regular text chats boost your score nowhere near as much as photo or video snaps. This shows Snapchat’s emphasis on visual communication over text messaging.
The most reliable evidence ended up confirming that unopened snaps in your inbox won’t increase your score, despite some sources saying otherwise.
Does Snap Score Go Up With Chats and Other Activities?
Snapchat users often wonder what other activities might boost their snap score besides sending snaps and stories. Let’s get into what really counts for different types of platform interactions.
Text messages vs. photo/video snaps
Your snap score won’t budge from text-based communication on Snapchat. Regular text messages sent through the app do not increase your snap score at all. You won’t see any score increase from chatting with friends unless you exchange actual photo or video snaps.
Photo and video snaps (marked by red or purple indicators) will boost your score directly. Snapchat’s scoring system rewards visual communication more than text-based messaging. This difference matters a lot to users who want to build their scores – they should focus on sending and opening visual content instead of text chats.
Group chat dynamics
The rules for group chats work just like individual conversations. Text messages in group chats won’t affect your score. The good news is group chats can help build your score through visual content sharing.
A snap sent to a group earns you one point, no matter how many people are in that group. Each snap you open in a group chat adds one point to your overall score. Active group chats with lots of photos and videos can really help grow your score.
Adding new friends
Your snap score doesn’t go up just by adding friends. A bigger friend network helps your score grow over time though. More friends means more chances to send and receive snaps.
Users with more friends tend to see their scores climb faster because they have more people to swap snaps with. Each new friend could lead to more streak opportunities, which builds your score through regular exchanges.
Using filters and lenses
Snapchat’s creative tools like filters and lenses won’t boost your score on their own. These features help grow your score by making your snaps more engaging and encouraging others to respond.
Face filters, location tags, and AR effects make your content more fun to look at. This often leads to more interactions and snap exchanges, which helps your score climb through increased activity.
Troubleshooting Snap Score Issues
Understanding Snap scores doesn’t guarantee they’ll update correctly. Technical problems can make it look like your activities aren’t counting. Here’s what you need to know about these issues and how to fix them.
Why your score might not be updating
Your Snap score can take time to reflect recent activities. The system doesn’t show changes right away—updates can take up to a week. Many users get confused about whether unopened snaps affect their total score.
Bad internet connection usually causes these problems. Your score won’t sync properly with Snapchat’s servers if your connection is weak. My experience shows that switching between Wi-Fi and mobile data fixes most update issues.
Your app version could be the reason for frozen scores. Snapchat releases updates that fix various bugs, including score calculation problems. The older version on your phone might stop your score from updating.
How to report score discrepancies
Your score still looks wrong after trying the simple fixes?
You can tell Snapchat about it:
- Open your profile screen
- Tap the gear icon for Settings
- Scroll down and select “I Need Help”
- Choose your specific issue from the list
- Follow the prompts to submit your request
Give details about the problem in your report. Tell them when you first noticed it and what you’ve tried to fix it. Snapchat usually sends automated responses for these issues, so you’ll need some patience.
Common glitches and their solutions
Snap scores face several known issues, but most have easy fixes:
Frozen Friend Scores: Log out, update your app, and log back in if your friends’ scores stay frozen. This usually fixes display problems.
Score Stuck at Zero: New accounts created after December 2020 might show zero to others but display correctly to owners. This seems to be Snapchat’s privacy feature rather than a bug.
Sudden Large Updates: Scores sometimes jump up after being frozen. This happens because Snapchat groups updates instead of processing them one by one.
App Crashes Affecting Scores: Snapchat might not count snaps sent during app crashes. Your device needs enough memory to run smoothly. Close other apps to prevent these crashes.
Conclusion
Snapchat scores might seem complex initially, but the concept is straightforward. Our extensive research and testing confirms that unopened snaps do not increase your score. Active participation propels score growth effectively.
Your Snapchat score showcases genuine engagement through opened snaps, shared photo or video content, and story posts. Regular text messages and passive activities like receiving unopened snaps will not boost your numbers. Technical glitches can affect score updates occasionally, but most problems resolve automatically within days.
Note that Snapchat created this system to reward real interaction, not artificial engagement. A high score can be entertaining to maintain, but authentic connections with friends matter more than pursuing numbers. Meaningful exchanges make the platform truly valuable.
FAQs
Q1. Does your Snapchat score increase when you receive unopened snaps?
No, your Snapchat score does not increase just by receiving unopened snaps. Your score only goes up when you actively engage with the app by opening received snaps, sending snaps, or posting stories.
Q2. How can I increase my Snapchat score quickly?
To boost your Snapchat score rapidly, focus on sending and opening snaps frequently, posting stories regularly, maintaining streaks with friends, and using the app daily. The more you actively engage with Snapchat’s core features, the faster your score will grow.
Q3. What happens if I don’t open snaps for a long time?
If you don’t open snaps for an extended period, they will eventually expire. Snapchat automatically deletes unopened one-on-one snaps after 31 days. Additionally, not opening snaps means you’re missing out on potential score increases.
Q4. Can someone’s Snapchat score increase if they’re not actively using the app?
Generally, a person’s Snapchat score will not increase if they’re not actively using the app. However, there can be a delay in score updates, which might make it seem like someone’s score has increased even when they haven’t been active recently.
Q5. Do text messages or chats affect your Snapchat score?
Text messages and chats within Snapchat have minimal impact on your score compared to photo and video snaps. The scoring system primarily rewards visual communication, so sending and receiving picture or video snaps will increase your score more significantly than text-based interactions.