It can be really frustrating to find that random people are adding you on Snapchat. When this happens, obviously you may be concerned that your privacy is in danger, to some extent.
Moreover, there are some people you simply would not want to connect with.
If you recently discovered that people you do not know in real life have started adding you on Snapchat, it means that they found your profile either
- by searching for your profile using your number (apparently, they may have guessed) or
- by looking up your Snapchat username or account name.
However, if strangers can just add you on Snapchat by your phone number or by searching for your profile, then that’s something worth looking into.
In this article, we will delve into why random people are able to add you on Snapchat and how to resolve the issue.
Let’s get started.
Why Are Random People Adding Me on Snapchat?
Let’s address the issue of why and how complete strangers are able to add you on Snapchat in the first place.
Let’s first talk about the “why” – the motive of these random people.
1. Spamming
In most cases, these are just spamming. Spamming on the internet has become so much of an issue that out of the 319 billion emails sent each day, 45% are deemed spam.
If you put that into perspective, if people can actually buy out the time to compose emails and send them for unscrupulous reasons, then they easily do something similar by just using their Social Media apps like Snapchat.
In effect, the majority of those strangers adding you as a friend on Snapchat are only going to eventually send you unsolicited and unwanted messages.
For some, this is a chance for them to sell you something. While they may probably know that this method of “sales and marketing” is not effective, they may be in high hopes that somehow, they could get you to buy something from them.
Some may also have been following a “guru” in the online marketing space who told them they could reach out to random people on Social Media to promote their affiliate links.
And unfortunately for you, they’ve stumbled upon you to make you click on an affiliate link.
2. Scamming
The internet is full of scams and scammers are always looking for someone to prey on.
It turns out that they are able to victimize anyone who is unsuspecting. Hence, if they can reach out to you on Snapchat and lure you into falling a victim, they will certainly do.
On your part, you should not entertain this in the first place. Simply do not click on suspicious links or if you’re unsure, then you’ll be better off not clicking on any link sent by an unknown person on Snapchat.
In any case, you can entirely stop total strangers from adding you on Snapchat. Keep reading for tips on how to do that.
3. Follower Growth
The number of followers one has is simply a metric that is of no real importance in itself.
In fact, some marketers call it a “vanity metric.” Yes, it does not necessarily commensurate with the amount of money someone makes from Social Media or anything like that.
However, people are eagerly looking for these numbers, hence the reason they are adding you on Snapchat. These folks are optimistic that once they add you, you are also likely to add them to increase their follower count.
How Random People are able to add you on Snapchat
Random people are able to add you on Snapchat because of your privacy settings. Your privacy settings by default allow others to add you on Snapchat without any further permission from you.
You have permitted Snapchat to display your username to other users. Anytime someone looks it up or searches for a similar username, you will be discovered in the suggestions.
What’s more, you may have added your contact to Snapchat and even synced your contacts. This implies that any of your contacts can easily find you on the app.
It also means that random people can search and find your Snapchat account by phone number.
Once you are found in any of the above-mentioned ways, these randos can add you up!
How to Stop Random People from Adding you on Snapchat by Phone Number
A common reason why people are able to add you on Snapchat by phone number is the fact that Snapchat works with contacts or phone numbers.
This is why you are able to see on Snapchat the accounts of your saved contacts.
This in itself is a good feature that enables your family and friends to easily discover your Snapchat profile and connect with you.
This is the same feature that some random people capitalize on to add you on Snapchat.
To prevent randos from adding you on Snapchat through phone number:
- Tap on your Bitmoji Avatar at the top left corner of the screen to access your profile.
- Tap the settings gear icon at the top right.
- Tap on Mobile Number.
- Uncheck the box labelled “Let others find me using my mobile number” and save the changes.
Alternatively, you can completely remove your phone number from Snapchat.
How to Stop Random People from Adding you on Snapchat by Search
1. Change your Privacy Settings
One of the categories of people who can contact you on Snapchat is “Everyone.” If for any reason, your account has this activated, then absolutely anyone random can connect with you on Snapchat.
It is imperative, therefore, to put some restrictions in place.
To dictate who can add or contact you on Snapchat, follow the simple steps outlined below:
- Access your Snapchat profile by tapping on your Bitmoji Avatar at the top left corner.
- Tap on the settings gear icon at the top right.
- At the settings section, scroll down to the “Privacy Control” tab and tap on “Contact Me.”
- Specify who can contact you by choosing an option between “Friends” and “Friends and Contacts.”
Obviously, you wouldn’t want to choose “Everyone” since that is what we are avoiding. Putting this setting in place will filter off all random people who could have otherwise been able to add you on Snapchat.
2. Disable Quick Add
“Quick Add” is a feature on Snapchat that suggests mutual friends and provides the functionality of adding them real quick.
While this can be helpful, it contributes to the reason why you’re seeing numerous random people adding you on Snapchat.
Even though you may have disabled the strangers from contacting you (step 1 above), this step is crucial because it ensures that unknown people are not able to add you in the first place.
To disable quick search on Snapchat, follow the steps outlined below:
- Go to your profile by tapping on your Bitmoji Avatar at the top left corner.
- Tap on the settings gear icon at the top right.
- Under the “Privacy Control” tab, press on “See Me in Quick Add.“
- Uncheck the box to disable “Show me in Quick Add.”
Disabling this feature disables your profile from appearing in the “quick search” results.