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Learn to block or set limits on Snapchat using your iPhone’s content & privacy settings
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Whether you want to keep your child from using Snapchat or you’re trying to resist the urge to spend too much time on it yourself, there are times when it’s useful to block or restrict the app. In this article, we’ll describe a few simple ways to limit or completely block access to the Snapchat app and website on your iPhone.
Things You Should Know
- Set limits on when Snapchat is available using App Limits or Downtime in the Screen Time menu.
- Keep Snapchat off your phone altogether with Content & Privacy Restrictions.
- Hide the app from your home screen to make it harder to find.
Steps
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Open Settings on your iPhone. To completely prevent someone from installing Snapchat on an iPhone, use the Content & Privacy Restrictions settings on your phone to block App Store downloads and purchase. Start by opening the Settings app. [1] X Research source
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Activate Screen Time . If Screen Time isn’t already turned on, you’ll need to do so now:
- Select Screen Time from the Settings menu.
- Tap Turn on Screen Time , then tap it a second time or tap Continue .
- Next, you’ll be prompted to select whether the phone belongs to you or your child. [2] X Research source
- Whether you identify the phone as yours or your child’s, you’ll be given the option to set a Screen Time passcode so that nobody else can change your Screen Time settings.
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Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions .
- Make sure the button next to Content & Privacy Restrictions at the top of the menu is toggled on.
- Enter your passcode if you’re prompted to do so. [3] X Research source
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Select iTunes & App Store Purchases . It’s located near the top of the Content & Privacy Restrictions menu. [4] X Research source
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Tap Installing Apps and choose Don’t Allow . This will prevent anyone from installing Snapchat, or any other app, on your iPhone or your child’s iPhone. [5] X Research source
- As an alternative, you can tap Always Require in the Require Password section of the iTunes & App Store Purchases menu. That way, nobody will be able to install apps without entering a password.
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Restrict 12+ apps in the Content Restrictions menu if you prefer. The Content Restrictions menu gives you more control over what kinds of App Store content you can block or allow. If you don’t want to completely block someone from installing apps on your iPhone, you can choose to restrict apps by age category instead. To do this, open the Content & Privacy Restrictions menu, then:
- Tap Content Restrictions .
- Tap Apps in the Content Restrictions menu screen.
- Tap any age ranges you want to restrict. Snapchat is listed as 12+ in the App Store , so you can block it by selecting 12+ . You can also restrict all apps from this screen by tapping Don’t Allow .
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Open the Settings app. Even if you block or restrict the Snapchat app, it is still possible to visit the Snapchat website using a browser app on an iPhone. To prevent this, you’ll need to restrict web content on your iPhone. [6] X Research source
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Tap Screen Time . Open Screen Time in the Settings menu. If you haven’t already turned on Screen Time, you’ll be prompted to do so now. [7] X Research source
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Select Content & Privacy Restrictions .
- If you haven’t already done so, you’ll need to toggle on the button next to Content & Privacy Restrictions at the top of the menu.
- You may also be prompted to enter your Screen Time passcode.
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Tap Content Restrictions . This option is close to the top of the Content & Privacy Restrictions menu. [8] X Research source
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Open Web Content . This will open a new menu screen with several options for restricting web content. [9] X Research source
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Select Limit Adult Websites . This setting will automatically restrict access to many websites, but it also gives you the option to block or allow specific websites. [10] X Research source
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Tap Add Website under Never Allow . A new screen will open where you can enter the URL of the website you want to block.
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Type in the address of Snapchat’s website. In the Add Website screen, type https://web.snapchat.com into the text box next to "URL." When you’re finished, tap Done . The Snapchat website will now be blocked on your iPhone.
- To delete Snapchat from your Never Allow list, tap and hold the URL, then swipe left and tap Delete .
- You can also select Allowed Websites from the Web Content menu to only allow access to a small selection of websites. Snapchat will automatically be blocked unless you add it to the Allowed Websites list.
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Open Settings on your iPhone. If you want to allow Snapchat for a limited amount of time (e.g., 20 minutes or 1 hour) each day instead of blocking it completely, the easiest option is to use the Limit feature in Screen Time. [11] X Research source
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Turn on Screen Time if you haven’t already. In the Settings menu, tap on Screen Time . If it isn’t already active, tap Turn On Screen Time , then tap Continue .
- If you’re turning on Screen Time for your own phone, tap This is My iPhone . If you’re setting restrictions on a family member’s phone, tap This is My Child’s iPhone instead.
- You can also activate Screen Time on all your devices at once by swiping up and then selecting Share Across Devices .
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Tap App Limits . This will allow you to set daily limits on certain apps or categories of apps. [12] X Research source
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Select the Social category. If you want, you can simply tap the radio button next to Social in the apps list to set limits on all social media apps, including Snapchat. But if you want to add a limit on Snapchat specifically, tap the category name to expand the list of social apps. [14] X Research source
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Tap the Snapchat icon in the list. When you successfully select the app, the circle to the left of the Snapchat icon will turn dark blue and a checkmark will appear in it.
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Choose Next . This will take you to the next screen, where you can set a time limit on Snapchat.
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Set your desired time limit. Use the wheel menu to set the amount of time you want Snapchat to be available each day. For example, select 0 hours from the hours menu and 20 min from the minutes menu to limit Snapchat use to 20 minutes every day. [15] X Research source
- Once you’ve selected your time limit, you can tap Customize Days to assign time limits to specific days.
- For instance, you might allow 20 minutes a day on weekdays, but 45 minutes on Saturday and Sunday.
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Tap Add to apply your time limits. You’ll be taken back to the main App Limits screen, where you’ll be able to see Snapchat in the list of limited apps. [16] X Research source
- Whenever someone uses the Snapchat app, they’ll see a notification 5 minutes before the allowed amount of time runs out. After that, the app will be blocked until all your limits are reset at midnight. [17] X Research source
- If you’re setting limits on your child’s iPhone , you might want to set a passcode so that only you can make edits to the limits you’ve set. To do this, scroll down in the Screen Time menu and tap on Use Screen Time Passcode , then follow the prompts to set up your passcode.
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Open the Settings app. The Downtime feature makes it easy to block all your apps, including Snapchat, for a set period of time each day. For instance, if you don’t want to get distracted by Snapchat while you’re at work, or if you want to keep your child from using it during school hours, activate Downtime during that period.
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Activate Screen Time if you haven’t already. In the Settings menu, tap Screen Time . If Screen Time isn’t set up yet, tap Turn on Screen Time , then Continue . [18] X Research source
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Tap Downtime .
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Toggle on Scheduled . In the Downtime screen, toggle on the button next to "Scheduled" to set the time period when you want Downtime to be active.
- If you prefer to just schedule Downtime for the rest of the day, tap Turn On Downtime Until Tomorrow . Snapchat and any other apps you haven’t chosen to allow will be blocked until midnight.
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Set the days and times when you want to schedule Downtime. You can either select Every Day or Customize Days , depending on when you want to have Snapchat and other apps blocked. Set the From and To times to specify the hours when you want Downtime to be active each day. [19] X Research source
- If there are some apps you still want access to during Downtime, you can select them under Always Allowed in the main Screen Time menu.
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Press and hold the app icon on your home screen. If you want to hide Snapchat without completely removing it from your phone, you can remove it from your home screen. Start by pressing and holding the app icon until a menu pops up. [20] X Research source
- The Snapchat app icon looks like a white cartoon ghost on a yellow background.
- This technique only works in iOS 14 and later. In earlier versions of iOS, you only have the option to delete the app completely. You can always redownload it from the App Store.
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Tap Remove App . You’ll see this option listed in red at the very top of the pop-up menu.
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Select Remove from Home Screen . A new dialog box will pop up asking you if you want to remove Snapchat. Tap the Remove from Home Screen option.
- You’ll still be able to access Snapchat from your App Library, but you won’t be able to see it on your home screen any longer.
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Remove the app from search to make it harder to find. After you remove Snapchat from your home screen, it will still be possible to find it by searching or scrolling through your App Library. To make it a little more difficult to find: [21] X Research source
- Open your iPhone's Settings .
- Tap Siri & Search .
- Scroll down to the list of apps, then tap Snapchat .
- Turn off Show App in Search , Show Content in Search , and any other search settings that might make it easier to find Snapchat (e.g., Show on Home Screen and Suggest App in the Suggestions section).
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