Snapchat has become one of the most popular social media apps, with over 300 million daily active users. The app allows users to send photo and video messages that disappear after being viewed. One handy Snapchat feature is shortcuts – custom icons you can create for quickly accessing favorite friends.
But over time, your shortcuts list may become cluttered with contacts you no longer chat with regularly. Thankfully, Snapchat makes it easy to delete shortcuts you no longer need. In this ultimate guide, you’ll learn multiple methods for removing shortcuts on both iOS and Android devices.
How to Delete Snapchat Shortcuts on iPhone
Deleting Snapchat shortcuts is easy on iPhone devices running recent iOS versions. Here is the step-by-step process:
1. Open Snapchat
The first step is to launch the Snapchat app on your iPhone.
- Tap the yellow Snapchat icon from your iOS home screen
- Login to your account if not already signed in
You’ll see the Snapchat camera screen.
2. Go to your Chat Screen
From the Snapchat camera:
- Swipe right, or tap the chat bubble icon in the top-left of the screen
This will open your messages/friends list.
3. Press and Hold the Shortcut Icon
Here you can see all current Snapchat shortcuts at the top of your friends list.
To remove one:
- Press and hold the shortcut icon you want to delete
- This will make the icon start shaking and bring up an “X” mark
4. Tap the Red X Button
While still holding the shortcut icon:
- Tap the red X that appears in the top left
- This will delete the Snapchat shortcut
Once removed, you’ll see a blank space to add a new shortcut icon if desired.
That’s all there is to it! By holding shortcut icons then tapping the X, you can delete Snapchat shortcuts with just a few taps on iPhone.
Now let’s look at shortcut removal on Android devices.
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Removing Snapchat Shortcuts on Android
Similar to iPhone, deleting Snapchat shortcuts on Android is a quick and simple process:
1. Open the Snapchat App
To start, launch Snapchat on your Android phone or tablet.
- Tap the yellow Snapchat icon on your home screen or app drawer
- Sign into your account
The camera screen appears once the app opens.
2. Navigate to Chat Screen
From the Snapchat camera:
- Tap the chat bubble icon in the top left corner
- Alternatively, swipe right across the screen
This will bring up your Snapchat contacts/friends list.
3. Long Press the Shortcut to Delete
Up top you’ll see any current Snapchat shortcut icons.
To remove one on Android:
- Press and hold the shortcut icon you want to delete
- An X mark will appear in the top right corner
Keep holding the icon.
4. Tap the Red X While Holding
While still pressing the shortcut icon:
- Tap the red X in the top right
- Release your finger
This will instantly delete the shortcut icon, leaving an empty space.
Similar to iPhone, you can remove any unwanted Snapchat shortcuts in just seconds by long pressing then deleting on Android.
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How to Restore Deleted Snapchat Shortcuts
What if you delete a Snapchat shortcut icon by accident? Or change your mind later on?
Thankfully, Snapchat allows you to easily restore recently deleted shortcuts. Here’s how:
1. Go to the Former Shortcut Friend’s Profile
After accidentally deleting a shortcut icon:
- Open your Snapchat friends list
- Tap the name of the friend whose shortcut was removed
This will open their profile.
2. Tap the Add Shortcut Button
In your friend’s Snapchat profile, you should see an “Add Shortcut” button, similar to when you first made them a shortcut.
- Tap the “Add Shortcut” button
- This instantly adds them back as a shortcut icon
The contact will re-appear in your shortcuts row after tapping.
And that’s all there is to it! You can easily fix shortcut deletion mistakes by heading to friends’ profiles and adding them back.
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What Are Snapchat Shortcuts?
Snapchat shortcuts are custom icons you can make for friends you direct message frequently on the app. Instead of manually searching for those friends each time, you can tap their shortcut icon from the chat screen to instantly start a new message thread.
This saves you time when messaging best friends and close groups. Up to eight shortcuts can be pinned to the top of your Snapchat chat list.
Why Delete Snapchat Shortcuts?
Over time, your messaging habits may change on Snapchat. You might talk to new friends more regularly, or lose touch with some former besties.
Keeping old shortcuts around can waste space and make accessing your current favorite contacts more difficult. Deleting old shortcuts helps keep your Snapchat friends list organized.
Some common reasons you may want to remove Snapchat shortcuts include:
- The contact is no longer a frequent messaging friend: When you stop regularly chatting with a shortcut contact, their icon just takes up valuable space for people you do talk to more these days.
- You want to replace shortcuts with new friends: Snapchat only allows up to eight shortcuts. To pin new favorites, you’ll need to delete old icons first.
- A friend has a new Snapchat account: If a shortcut contact abandoned their old Snapchat username, you’ll want to delete their outdated shortcut.
- You want to delete a former friend/partner: Eliminating an ex’s Snapchat shortcut can provide a feeling of relief after a breakup.
Whatever your reasons, Snapchat makes removing unwanted shortcuts quick and simple.
Alternative Snapchat Shortcut Deletion Methods
We just covered the two main ways of removing Snapchat shortcuts – by holding and deleting icons from your chat screen. But there are also a couple alternative deletion options.
Delete via Settings Menu
Rather than manually holding each one, you can delete Snapchat shortcuts in bulk from the app’s settings menu:
- Open your Snapchat profile by tapping the Bitmoji or profile icon
- Tap the gear icon to access settings
- Select Manage under Additional Services
- Choose Friend Emojis
- Tap the X icon next to any shortcuts you want to remove
- Confirm the deletion
While more steps, this does let you delete multiple Snapchat shortcuts at once.
via Snapchat Support
You can also contact Snapchat support to remove shortcuts. The support team can delete shortcuts on your behalf:
- Useful if you don’t have access to the mobile device
- Also helpful for removing old shortcuts from kids/teens accounts
So in recap, the main methods of deleting Snapchat shortcuts are:
- Holding and tapping shortcuts’ X icons (the quickest way)
- Via Snapchat settings menu
- Through Snapchat customer support
Choose the option that makes most sense for your situation!
Troubleshooting Snapchat Shortcut Issues
While removing Snapchat shortcuts is normally quick, you may occasionally run into issues. Here are some common problems and fixes.
Can’t Hold Shortcut to Delete:
- If pressing and holding a shortcut icon isn’t working, first close and re-launch the Snapchat app. This refreshes things.
- You also may need to update Snapchat to the latest version of the app. Open your device’s app/play store and check for Snapchat updates if needed.
- Finally, check Snapchat hasn’t hit the shortcut icon limit. You can only have 8 pinned, so may need to delete one before adding another.
Deleted Shortcut Keeps Reappearing:
- In some cases, a Snapchat shortcut you already deleted will mysteriously re-appear. This is normally caused by the Snapchat apps getting confused.
- When this happens, delete the shortcut again. Then completely close out of Snapchat – don’t keep it running in the background. Give things 10-15 minutes before reopening Snapchat. This forces the app to clear out old data.
- Haven’t talked to the shortcut in a while? Also try disabling notifications for them in your device settings, as this sometimes triggers shortcuts restoration.
Can’t Add Back Recently Deleted Shortcuts:
- If you try adding back a recently deleted Snapchat shortcut but don’t see the option, close and re-open Snapchat. As above, this refreshes the app.
- First check you didn’t hit the 8 shortcut limit too. If no luck, try uninstalling then reinstalling Snapchat entirely. This wipes old data causing issues.
Be sure you still see the friend in your Snapchat contacts too! They may have deleted their account if not.
The Bottom Line
And that covers everything about removing and troubleshooting Snapchat shortcuts! To recap key points:
- Hold and tap the X to delete unwanted shortcuts
- Head to befriend’s profiles to restore deleted shortcuts
- Force close and update Snapchat to fix issues
We hope this guide helps keep your Snapchat friends list organized by easily deleting and managing shortcuts. Happy Snapping!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
To delete a Snapchat shortcut on iPhone, press and hold the shortcut icon, then tap the red X that appears.
On Android, press and hold the shortcut icon you want to delete, then tap the red X in the upper right corner while still holding.
If you’re unable to delete Snapchat shortcuts, first close and relaunch the app. Also make sure Snapchat is updated to the latest version.
Deleting a Snapchat shortcut removes the custom icon from your chat screen. It doesn’t delete or block the user.
Yes, recently deleted Snapchat shortcuts can be restored by going to the friend’s profile and tapping “Add Shortcut” again.
Yes, Snapchat currently only allows up to 8 shortcut icons to be pinned at once. You’ll need to delete existing ones to pin new shortcuts.
If a shortcut reappears after you delete it, close Snapchat completely and wait 10-15 minutes before opening the app again to force it to refresh.
Reopening Snapchat, ensuring the app is updated, reinstalling Snapchat, and checking your friend still has an account can all help fix issues with adding back recently removed shortcuts.