Is Snapchat going cuckoo? You’ve sent a message to one of your contacts, but it’s showing as “pending.” This doesn’t happen often, and you’ve probably got no idea what’s going on. So, what’s the deal?
“Pending” on Snapchat means that your message can’t be delivered for some reason. It could be that the contact you’re messaging hasn’t yet added you as a friend, they’ve blocked you, you’re offline, or the app is just glitchy. To fix it, try checking your internet connection and update Snapchat.
It can be quite frustrating when your Snapchat messages don’t go through, especially if you don’t know why. So, let’s take a closer look at why this might happen and what you can do about it.
What Does It Mean When You See “Pending” on Snapchat?
Receiving the note “Pending” after sending a message is Snapchat’s way of telling you that it’s aware you’re trying to send a message, but it can’t complete your request for some reason. You’ll receive the pending message in the following situations:
Your Friend Request Hasn’t Been Accepted
The most probable cause for a pending message on Snapchat is that you’re not friends with the contact you’re messaging.
It may be the case that you added them to your friends list, but they didn’t add you back yet. Snapchat designed the app this way so that you don’t find yourself in a random person’s friends list. Once the person accepts your friend request, the message will automatically be delivered to them.
It could also be that your friend has removed you from their friend list. The message will be delivered with a blue tick as soon as they add you back.
You’ve Been Blocked
A pending message could also mean that the person you’re trying to message has blocked you. Snapchat doesn’t send you notifications every time a contact blocks or unfriends you.
Search for the contact’s name to see if they’ve blocked you. If their name doesn’t appear, they’ve either deleted their account or blocked you. It’s also possible that they changed their username.
A contact blocking you means they no longer want you to be part of their friend list. You cannot view their profile or send them messages.
You’re Offline
Is your internet connection working? When you get disconnected from the internet, you won’t be able to send messages — or do pretty much anything on the app. Your message will remain pending until you’re back online.
Try disabling and enabling your mobile data or Wi-Fi connection. You can even switch to a different network to see whether it fixes the issue.
There’s a Glitch in the App
Like other social platforms, Snapchat’s servers go down every now and then, causing a mass shutdown. When this happens, no one’s able to use the app properly. The app may crash, and messages will go unsent.
There’s little you can do in such a case. Wait for Snapchat to fix the problem on their end before you can resume using the app as usual.
In the meantime, check whether there are glitches in your app. Clear its cache to free up storage and update it to the latest version to remove any bugs present.
How to Troubleshoot
The first thing to do is to confirm whether you’re friends with the contact and that they haven’t blocked you. In both cases, you can only wait for them to add you back to their friends list before Snapchat delivers the message to them.
Next, confirm that your internet connection is working properly. Reset your router, change to a different network, enable and disable airplane mode — do anything to get your connection up and working again.
Finally, if the problem is with Snapchat, wait for them to fix it on their end. As they do so, clear the Snapchat cache and update your app to make sure it’s ready to go as soon as things have been resolved.
Clear the Snapchat Cache
Here’s how to clear Snapchat cache:
- Tap your avatar or Bitmoji in the top left corner.
- Tap Settings > Clear Cache.
- Select Clear.
Update the App
To update the app on iOS:
- Open the App Store.
- Tap your profile icon at the top of the screen.
- Scroll to pending updates.
- Look for Snapchat and tap Update.
On Android:
- Open the Play Store.
- Tap your profile icon at the top of the screen.
- Select Manage Apps & Device.
- Go to Snapchat and tap Update.
Message Delivered
Now you know what causes a pending message on Snapchat and how to troubleshoot it. Hopefully, the issue is only with your internet connection or Snapchat servers. This way, you can go back to sending messages once the issues are resolved.
But if the contact you’re trying to message has blocked or unfriended you, it’s important that you respect their decision.