How to Leave a Private Story on Snapchat

Hey there! Have you ever been added to someone‘s Snapchat private story without your consent? Or stumbled upon private posts from a friend you‘d rather not see anymore?

I‘ve totally been there. Snapchat‘s private story feature is great for sharing exclusive content with selected friends. But sometimes you get added to private stories you don‘t want to be a part of.

If this sounds familiar, don‘t worry – you‘re not alone. Leaving a private story on Snapchat is simple once you know how.

In this detailed guide, I‘ll walk you through everything you need to know about exiting private stories, including:

• How to tell if you‘re part of one
• Step-by-step instructions for leaving
• What happens when you leave (or get left!)
• FAQs about Snapchat private stories

By the end, you‘ll be a pro at discretely removing yourself from any private story list. Let‘s dive in!

How Do Snapchat Private Stories Work?

But first – a quick refresher on how private stories function.

Snapchat‘s private story feature allows users to share photos, videos, messages, and more with a customized list of friends. It‘s different than a normal story which is viewable by all of your Snapchat contacts.

With a private story, you select specific people to add to the viewer list. Only those friends you choose can see the private story content.

Private stories have a small purple padlock icon next to them when you‘re viewing Snapchat stories. This padlock signifies that the story is private and limited to certain friends.

Pretty simple right? Now let‘s get into the details on how to leave these exclusive stories.

How to Know You‘re in Someone‘s Private Story

If you can view another user‘s private story, that means they‘ve added you to the custom friend list. Here‘s how to check:

1. Open up Snapchat and tap the magnifying glass to go to the Stories page (or swipe left from the camera).

2. Scroll through the stories – if you see a purple padlock icon, that‘s a private story.

3. Locate any private stories from people you may want to leave. If you can view it, you‘ve been added!

So if you spot that little purple lock, you‘re on their private viewer list. Easy enough to check.

Now let‘s get into how to remove yourself from private story lists you don‘t want to be on.

Step-by-Step: How to Leave a Private Story on Snapchat

Ready to make your exit? Leaving a private story is a quick 3-step process:

1. Locate the Private Story

First up, you need to find the specific private story you want to leave.

You can either:

• Search for the user‘s username to pull up their private story post

• Go to a mutual friend‘s profile who you think might have a private story

Once you locate the private story, it‘s time to remove yourself from the list.

2. Long Press the Private Story

This next part is key:

Long press directly on the private story title or purple padlock icon. This brings up a menu.

You‘ll need to do this long press for each individual private story you want to leave.

3. Select ‘Leave Story’

Lastly, tap ‘Leave Story‘ in the menu that popped up.

And just like that – you‘ve instantly removed yourself as a viewer of that private story!

Leaving private stories on Snapchat takes just seconds when you follow these steps. Pretty simple process once you get the hang of it.

Now let‘s dig into what happens after you leave a private story…

What Occurs After Leaving a Snapchat Private Story?

Once you leave a private story, that user‘s exclusive content disappears from your Stories page. But here are some other key things to know:

You Won‘t Get a Notification

Snapchat does not send any type of alert when you leave a private story.

The user won‘t receive a "So-and-so left your private story" notification. Your removal is completely discreet.

The Creator Won‘t Know You Left

Similar to above, the private story creator has no indication that you‘ve left their viewer list.

You simply disappear from their list of story viewers. So no need to worry about them knowing you left!

You Can‘t Undo It

Unfortunately, removing yourself from a private story cannot be undone. Once you leave, there is no recovering it.

You‘d have to ask the user to re-add you to their private list if you change your mind later on.

You‘ll Still Appear on Their List

Here‘s a tricky part – even after leaving, you‘ll still show up on the creator‘s private story friend list.

Snapchat doesn‘t automatically remove you from their viewer list. You‘ll simply stop watching their story.

The only sign to the user is if your name disappears from their viewer count. So leaving can be discreet if they don‘t notice this viewer change.

How to Check If You Left a Story

Wondering if you successfully left a private story? Here are two easy ways to check:

1. Look for the private story on your Stories page. If it‘s no longer there, you left the story.

2. Search the user‘s profile. If their story now shows a normal Snapchat ghost instead of a purple lock, you‘re removed!

So in summary, leaving a private story on Snapchat is quick, easy, and most importantly – discreet.

Now let‘s get into the flip side – what happens when someone leaves your own private story.

Can You Tell if Someone Leaves Your Private Story on Snapchat?

Unfortunately, when someone exits your own private story, Snapchat doesn‘t notify you or give any indication.

You may be wondering:

• How do you know who left your private story?
• Will Snapchat notify you if someone leaves your private story?

The answers aren‘t great. Here‘s what you need to know:

No Automatic Notice if Someone Leaves

Snapchat will not send you an alert saying "X person left your private story." There is no official in-app notification.

They Stay on Your Friend List

Even after leaving, the user will still appear on your private story friend list. Their name won‘t disappear.

This makes it impossible to tell who has left your viewer list just from glancing at the list.

Check Who Viewed Your Snaps

The only sign a user may have left your private story is if they stop viewing your new snaps.

But even this isn‘t foolproof. They may have just missed your latest stories.

So unfortunately, Snapchat doesn‘t have any built-in tracking for when people leave your private stories. You‘ll simply notice their name gone from your viewer list if they stop watching.

The good news is you can always add new friends to your private list if your viewer count drops!

Snapchat Private Story Statistics and Data

Now that we‘ve covered the ins and outs of exiting private stories, let‘s look at some interesting stats surrounding Snapchat private stories:

A few things that stand out:

• 1 in 4 Snapchatters have their own private story set up. It‘s a fairly popular feature.

• Around 16 friends is the typical private story viewer list size. Not a huge group, but enough to share more privately.

• Over 40% of people have been added to private stories without their permission. This highlights the importance of being able to leave!

• Why do people leave private stories? Top reasons are too much posting, content they can‘t relate to, and inappropriate/excessive content.

So while private stories can be useful, the data shows many users end up leaving them for various reasons.

Next let‘s dive into some frequently asked questions about Snapchat private stories.

FAQs About Leaving Snapchat Private Stories

Let‘s wrap up with answers to some common private story questions:

Can someone add you to their private story without consent?

Yes – any Snapchat user can add you to their private story without your permission. The only way to know is if you see the purple padlock when viewing their story.

Do you get notified if someone screenshots your private story?

No, Snapchat does not send notifications for private story screenshots. This makes it possible for viewers to save your private content without your knowledge.

Can you recover a private story after leaving?

Unfortunately no. Once you leave a private story, the only way to get re-added is if the creator adds you back themselves.

Is there a limit to the number of people in a private story?

Nope! The creator of a private story can add as many friends as they want. There is no limit on the number of viewers.

Can you see how many private stories you‘re in?

Snapchat doesn‘t have a direct count of your private stories. You‘d have to manually look through your contacts to tally up an estimate.

Can you download private stories?

Most third-party apps that allowed saving Snapchat stories no longer work. So currently there is no way to download private stories.

And that sums up everything you could need to know about leaving private stories!

tl;dr

Let‘s recap the key takeaways:

• Check for a purple padlock to see if you‘re in someone‘s private story

• Long press the private story and tap "Leave Story" to remove yourself

• Snapchat won‘t notify anyone when you leave a private story

• You can‘t tell if someone leaves your own private story

• FAQs: No limits on private list size, can‘t recover after leaving, and more

I hope this guide gave you a full overview of how to exit Snapchat private stories with ease. Never feel stuck in a private story you don‘t want to be in again!

Let me know if you have any other Snapchat questions. Happy Snapping!