What does the lock mean on Snapchat?

If you’re a frequent Snapchat user, you might have spotted a mysterious lock symbol appearing on someone’s story.

Snapchat is known for its innovative approach to sharing photos and videos, offering users multiple ways to express themselves with their friends and followers.

One of the app‘s most popular features is Stories, which allows you to share snaps for 24 hours with friends. While Stories provide a fun glimpse into daily life, they aren’t always meant for everyone on your contact list.

To give users more control over their audience, Snapchat introduced features like a lock icon on certain stories. For those unfamiliar, this lock may raise questions about what it means and how it differs from regular stories.

UNSPLASH: Souvik Banerjee

What does a lock on a Snapchat story mean?

The lock icon on a Snapchat story indicates that it’s a Private Story. Unlike standard stories, which are visible to all your friends or followers, Private Stories are shared with a handpicked group.

The creator of the story has chosen specific friends who can see the snaps, offering a higher level of privacy. This feature is perfect for users who want to share more personal or exclusive content without broadcasting it to everyone in their contact list.

The lock icon acts as a visual cue that you belong to a smaller, more private audience. If you see this symbol, it means the person has granted you and a select few the ability to view that story, creating a more intimate sharing experience.

If you want to create your own Private Story and choose who can view it, doing so is easy. Just go to your Profile, tap ‘New Private Story‘ if you’re creating one for the first time, or ‘+ New Story‘ if you already have a Private Story. Then, choose who can view your Private Story and give it a name.

If you want to learn more about how to use Snapchat, you can check out some of our other guides, including how to turn off Quick Add on Snapchat and how to allow camera access on Snapchat.