- Using a "half swipe" on the Snapchat conversation page, you can preview an unread message without sending a read receipt.
- To do this, tap the user's avatar and drag it to the right without fully opening it to reveal the Message page and its contents.
Thanks to a technique commonly known as a "half swipe," you can get a sneak peek at a Snapchat message without actually opening it, which would ordinarily send a read receipt and let the sender know you've seen the message. It's cheating, but only sort of, because this workaround is a relatively well-known way to see messages on both iPhone and Android.
How to half swipe on Snapchat
It's worth noting that this half-swipe technique isn't documented by Snapchat and, as a result, it's not clear if it's considered an official feature or a bug that might be removed in a future update to the app. Either way, it works just fine right now.
1. In the Snapchat app, tap the Chat icon at the bottom of the screen.
2. Find a conversation with a new unread message you want to preview. This technique works with conversations with unread and fully read messages, but it's essentially pointless on conversations that don't have unread messages, because there's no reason to be secretive about it.
3. Tap the user's avatar at the left side of the screen and drag it to the right. As you drag the avatar, you should see the message page swipe in from the left. Be sure you tap and drag the avatar — if you drag any other part of the conversation, you'll swipe to the Map page.
4. Continue dragging as far to the right as you like so you can read the message. Don't drag it all the way to the right and release, though, or you'll essentially swipe to the Message page, and the message will be marked as read. Instead, drag it partway to the right, read the message, and then drag it back to the left to return to the Chat page.
Quick tip: You can use this technique to swipe quickly to the message page for any conversation. Swiping to the right and releasing is the same as tapping on a conversation.
Dave Johnson Freelance Writer Dave Johnson is a technology journalist who writes about consumer tech and how the industry is transforming the speculative world of science fiction into modern-day real life. Dave grew up in New Jersey before entering the Air Force to operate satellites, teach space operations, and do space launch planning. He then spent eight years as a content lead on the Windows team at Microsoft. As a photographer, Dave has photographed wolves in their natural environment; he's also a scuba instructor and co-host of several podcasts. Dave is the author of more than two dozen books and has contributed to many sites and publications including CNET, Forbes, PC World, How To Geek, and Insider. Read more Read lessncG1vNJzZmivp6x7o8HSoqWeq6Oeu7S1w56pZ5ufonyowcidnKxnpJqwqXvHqK5mrJ9itaK4xWaqsKGgmnqwuoyspZqok52utQ%3D%3D
