What Does "Pending" Mean on Snapchat?

Have you ever sent someone a Snap and seen the status stuck on "Pending" instead of changing to "Received" or "Opened"? I‘ve been there too! As a tech geek and avid Snapchat user, I‘ll walk you through exactly what this mysterious status means and why your Snaps get stuck in limbo.

In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll cover:

How Snapchat statuses work and what each one means
The top reasons your Snaps and Chats show "Pending"
When "Pending" might indicate you‘re blocked
How long the "Pending" status lasts
Troubleshooting tips to fix your own pending Snaps

After reading, you‘ll understand all the possible meanings behind "Pending" so you don‘t have to stress when you see it!

A Quick Refresher: What Do Snapchat Statuses Mean?

Let‘s start with a quick refresher on Snapchat statuses for Snaps and Chats:

Pending: Your Snap or Chat hasn‘t been delivered yet. It‘s still making its way to the recipient.

Received: The recipient has received your Snap/Chat, but hasn‘t opened it yet.

Opened: Your Snap has been opened or your Chat has been viewed.

When you send a Snap or Chat, you want the status to progress from "Pending" to "Received" to "Opened" as your friends view and interact with it.

But sometimes, the status gets stuck indefinitely on "Pending" and never changes. What‘s up with that?

There are a few main reasons why your Snaps and Chats might stay permanently pending instead of being received or opened. Let‘s explore them one by one.

Reason 1: Your Friend Hasn‘t Added You Back

This is the most common reason your Snaps and Chats will get stuck in "Pending" purgatory forever.

Here‘s the typical scenario:

You add someone new as a friend on Snapchat.
You send this person a Snap or Chat.
Since they haven‘t added you back yet, your message stays pending indefinitely.

Until that user adds you back as a friend on Snapchat, your Snaps will never change from "Pending" to "Received" or "Opened." Only after they add you back will your messages start being delivered and opened.

To test if this is why your Snap is pending:

Try sending a Snap to a mutual friend – does it show as received/opened? If so, then the issue is specifically with the one friend who hasn‘t added you back.
You can also remove the friend, then re-add them. Send another Snap. If it‘s still pending, they likely haven‘t added you back yet.

According to Snapchat‘s last reported user statistics, there are over 265 million daily active Snapchatters. With so many potential friends, it‘s common that not everyone will add you back right away.

As of mid-2022, Snapchat users were adding an average of 5 new friends per month. So don‘t take it personally if your new SnapPal hasn‘t added you back yet! Just give it some time.

Reason 2: Your Friend Removed You

Another bummer reason your Snaps might display the dreaded "Pending" status is if you got removed as a friend.

Here‘s how it works:

You and your Snapchat friend are happily Snapping back and forth. Your Snaps display "Received" or "Opened." All good!
One day, your friend removes you from their Snapchat friends list.
Now when you send them Snaps, your existing Snaps in the chat history also change to "Pending."

Unlike blocking (more on that below), removing a friend on Snapchat just stops future Snaps from being delivered. Your previous Snaps/Chats will now show "Pending," but everything else works normally.

For example, you can still view your removed friend‘s public Story and they‘ll still show up in your Chat lists.

So if you notice a friend suddenly switched to "Pending," there‘s a good chance they hit that Remove Friend button. Bummer!

Now at least you‘ll know why your existing Snaps changed from Received/Opened to Pending.

Reason 3: You Got Blocked

We have to discuss the blocking scenario.

On Snapchat, blocking is different and more severe than just removing someone as a friend.

When a Snapchat friend blocks you:

They won‘t receive any of your future Snaps or Chats.
You‘re completely removed from their friends list and Chat feed.
Your Stories and group posts won‘t show up for them either.

So with blocking, not only will your Snaps say "Pending," but the person won‘t see anything from you on Snapchat at all. You‘re essentially invisible to each other!

If you suspect you might have gotten blocked by a friend, here are some ways to test:

Try sending them a Chat. If the message stays "Pending," blocked is likely.
Check if their Bitmoji still shows up in your Chat list. If not, they probably blocked you.
See if you can still view their public Story or location on the Snap Map. If not, blocked again!

Getting blocked stings, but at least solving the mystery of those pending Snaps provides some closure.

Now you know to stop bothering sending Snaps to that person since they won‘t be delivered anyway. Just move on and find new friends!

Reason 4: Your Friend Has No Internet

Before you assume you‘ve been removed or blocked, consider whether your pal just lacks an internet connection before making accusations!

Spotty internet connections on either the sending or receiving end can cause "Pending" Snaps. Here are some scenarios:

You send a Snap when you only have 1 bar of service. The Snap gets stuck as "Pending" due to your own connection issues.
Your friend is in a subway tunnel with no service when you send your Snap. It pends until they get connectivity again.
You send a late night Snap, but your friend has already turned off their phone for bedtime. The Snap remains pending until they turn their phone on again in the morning.

The key point is that Pending does not always mean your friend is purposefully ignoring you! Temporary tech troubles happen to all of us.

Some ways to test if internet is the issue:

Try resending the Snap when you know you and your friend both have strong WiFi or cellular connections.
Send a test Snap to another friend on a different network. If it goes through normally, your internet is likely fine.
Ask your friend if they had service when you sent the pending Snap. They might confirm they were offline!

As Snapchat itself recommends, always make sure you and your recipients have a strong internet connection before sending time-sensitive Snaps to avoid pending heartbreak.

Reason 5: Your Friend Deactivated Their Account

The final possibility for those persistently pending Snaps is that your friend totally deactivated their Snapchat account.

Here‘s the deal when someone decides to deactivate:

Their account is put in deactivated limbo for 30 days after they start the deletion process.
During this period, they can‘t receive or open any new Snaps or Chats. Your messages will just be pending forever.
After 30 days, their account and all its data is permanently deleted.

So if it‘s been over a month and your Snaps are still pending with no other explanation, unfortunately your friend likely deleted their account entirely.

At least the mystery is finally solved! Now you know your pending Snaps are not because you‘re removed or blocked, but because your friend left Snapchat for good. Time to move on and find new Snapchat besties!

Does "Pending" Definitely Mean You‘re Blocked?

To summarize clearly: No, a "Pending" status does not definitely mean you‘ve been blocked by a friend on Snapchat.

The pending status has a number of possible causes:

Your friend hasn‘t added you back yet.
Your friend removed you from their friends list.
Your friend has no internet access currently.
Your friend deactivated or deleted their Snapchat account.
You got blocked.

So don‘t panic and assume you‘ve been blocked every time you see a Pending status. Consider all the other common reasons first.

If you‘ve ruled out all other options, then yes, pending might mean you got blocked. But there are plenty of benign explanations too!

How Long Does "Pending" Last on Snapchat?

For most cases, a pending Snap or Chat will stay pending forever until:

Your friend adds you back.
Your previously blocked friend decides to unblock you.
Your friend reconnects to the internet after being offline.

So in general, there is no time limit or expiration on pending Snaps. They will indefinitely say "Pending" unless the recipient takes action to receive or view the Snap.

The only exception is if the friend deactivated their account. Then after 30 days, their entire account is deleted along with all your still-pending Snaps. Pof! Gone.

But in all other scenarios, pending means pending forever…or at least until your friend decides to finally add you back or unblock you. The ball is in their court!

Troubleshooting: How to Fix Your Own Pending Snaps

What if you‘re the one sending Snaps that get stuck in pending purgatory? A few tips to make sure your Snaps successfully deliver:

Check your internet connection. Make sure you‘re on a strong WiFi or cellular connection whenever you send time-sensitive Snaps. Send a test Snap to confirm your network is working well.

Close and re-open the app. Force quit and relaunch Snapchat if you notice issues. This clears any glitches.

Update Snapchat. Install the latest version of Snapchat in case it‘s a bug causing problems. Keep the app updated!

Restart your phone. Give your device a fresh start by powering it off and on again. This resets everything.

Clear cache and data. Head into Settings > Apps > Snapchat > Storage to clear stored cache/data. This often fixes app issues.

Contact Snapchat. If all else fails, reach out to Snapchat Support through the app for personalized troubleshooting help.

With a few pro tips, you can get your own pending Snaps delivered lickety split. Don‘t let technical issues prevent you from sending fun Snaps to friends!

The Takeaway on "Pending" Snapchats

Hopefully this inside look demystified what that pesky "Pending" status really means on Snapchat. To recap:

"Pending" means your Snap hasn‘t been delivered yet and is stuck in limbo.
The most common reason is your friend hasn‘t added you back yet. Be patient!
Other explanations are being removed, blocked, no internet connection, or deleted account.
Don‘t assume you‘re blocked every time. Consider all possibilities first.
Most pending Snaps stay pending forever until the recipient takes action to receive them.
Make sure to troubleshoot when your own Snaps get stuck as pending.

The bottom line: Don‘t stress too much if you see Pending. With the right context, it‘s usually not as ominous as it seems!

Now you can breathe easy next time your Snap says Pending, knowing why it‘s stuck in limbo and what needs to happen to change that status to Received or Opened. Mystery solved!