Snapchat is a popular social media service. However, it differs from other platforms, giving it a unique appeal. Other platforms immortalize your comments and messages to the extent that they are nearly impossible to eliminate from the internet.
To retrieve cleared conversations on Snapchat, you use the Flies app on your phone and copy them to a third-party app (Android only), go into the app and get the folders via email link and open it on your computer, or contact Snapchat’s customer services department.
Many online sources suggest less conventional ways of retrieving your Snapchat. Some such methods may work, while Snapchat has blocked others. So, let’s take a closer look at the problem of retrieving Snapchat messages and how you can best solve it.
How to Clear Your Snapchat Conversations
You can quickly clear Snapchat conversations. However, it may not work the way you expect. You clear your copy when you clear conversations and other data from Snapchat.
The data is no longer visible from your account, but the recipients of your messages still have access. The messages will only disappear from their accounts once the original expiration time (by default, 24 hours) has passed.
If that is all you want to do, the steps are simple:
- Open the Snapchat app.
- Navigate to your profile.
- Tap the gear-shaped icon at the top right of the screen to open Settings.
- Scroll down to find Clear Conversations.
- Under the submenu, you’ll see a list of your contacts.
- Tap the X next to the names of the people whose conversations you want to clear.
Can You Recover Cleared Snapchat Conversations?
Unfortunately, there are no easy shortcuts to retrieve cleared Snapchat conversations. There is a lot of misinformation that suggests there are clever apps that will make the process easy.
A few third-party apps exploit your app data and successfully restore some of your messages. But unfortunately, they come at a cost. They generally either infect your phone with advertising malware or install stalkerware that gives the developer access to all your data.
The Third-Party Approach
You can replicate the steps that those third-party apps take. However, doing so requires technical know-how. Unfortunately, once you have saved the files that contain your chat history, you still need a third-party app to access said data.
The following steps only work on Android devices:
- First, open your phone’s file system using the Files app.
- Then, navigate to the App Data folder.
- Find the folder called Snapchat. In the folder, you will find two subfolders. One is the OBB folder, and the other is the DATA folder.
- Copy both folders to your phone’s Documents folder.
Once you have completed these steps, you can use a third-party app to retrieve the data.
Note: This approach breaches your agreement with Snapchat’s T’s & C’s.
The Correct Way
Snapchat does offer easier ways to retrieve your data. The first option works right from within the app.
- Open the Snapchat app.
- Navigate to your profile.
- Tap the gear icon in the top right of the screen.
- On the Settings page, navigate to My Data. That will open a webpage that contains information regarding your data.
- At the bottom of the screen is a form requesting your email address. You will need to enter it twice.
- Below the form is a calendar widget that allows you to select the date range for the data you want. Select the dates and finalize your request.
- After a short wait, you will receive a link to your data by email. Open this link on your PC.
- The link will download a zipped folder. Inside the zipped folder are two more folders. One is titled HTML, and the other is JSON.
- Create a new folder anywhere on your PC and copy both folders here.
- Open the HTML folder and find the file titled Accounts.html.
- When you open the file, it should open in your default browser. If the file does not open in your browser, right-click on the file and select the Open With… option.
- Select your browser as the default app for opening HTML files. Once the file is open in your browser, you will see a screen that looks like a basic website.
- On the left-hand side, you’ll see a navigation panel. Select the Chat History Metadata option.
- Now you should see a list of logged chats.
Unfortunately, this process only sometimes works. Often the messages you want to restore are not available. Some users report the “Chat History Metadata” page is blank, showing no chat history.
The Best Way
The best way to retrieve your Snapchat messages is by contacting the Snapchat customer service center. They may require additional information regarding your reason for wanting the data. They will also request information to confirm your identity.
Snapchat has the right to deny sharing this kind of data, but if you have a legal reason for your request, they should comply. Additionally, a court order can force them to share your data. It is the best way because it protects all users from anyone who has nefarious reasons for requesting the data.
While you may not receive the data you want, the answer you get is conclusive and takes your rights and the rights of other users into account. The latter can keep you out of legal trouble.