If you’re someone who uses Snapchat a lot, you’ll agree that the service has a similar approach to Facebook in terms of how you interact with others like you would on Facebook. Unlike TikTok, Twitter, or Instagram, all the people you follow are your mutual friends on Snapchat and following isn’t a one-way affair.
In a move to promote Safer Internet Day, Snapchat will soon allow you to unclutter your friends’ list on the messaging service so that your shared content remains within your closed circle and doesn’t go beyond that. In this post, we’ll explain to you about the upcoming feature, what can you do with it and how you can unfriend the people you’re no longer connected to.
What is “Friends Check-Up” on Snapchat?
Snapchat is rolling out a new feature called “Friend check-up” to its social messaging app bringing in the ability to unfriend those people you no longer talk to. The feature comes as a privacy measure so that the people who can see your stories and your location (if enabled via Snap Map) are the ones you actually want to share with.
The Friend checkup feature is a good way to help you find if you have someone in your friends’ list whom you’re not connected to anymore. The update matches Snapchat’s sentiment about being an app that’s developed more for close friends than a large group of them.
What is the “Snapchat is for real friends” notification?
The Friend check-up feature isn’t set to roll out for another few weeks but Snapchat is previewing the feature rollout as part of the Safer Internet Day campaign that’s taking place today on February 9. The preview of the feature can thus show up some users’ profiles as a notification that reads “Snapchat is for Real Friends”.
Users who are greeted with the “Snapchat is for Real Friends” notification can directly access the “Friend checkup” feature and remove unwanted people from your friends list on Snapchat.
How to review your friend list on Snapchat
When the Friend check-up feature rolls out on your device, you will be shown the “Snapchat is for Real Friends” notification. You can simply tap on the notification to review your friends’ list on Snapchat and remove those people whose updates you don’t want to see or those you don’t talk to anymore.
The “Snapchat is for Real Friends” notification can be accessed inside the profile picture page on the Snapchat app. You will be able to get to the profile page by tapping your profile picture inside the Snapchat app’s home screen.
If you wish to review your friends’ list before the Friend checkup feature is available on your device, you can do that by first opening the Snapchat app and then going to your profile by tapping your profile picture at the top left corner.
Inside your profile, tap on the ‘My friends’ option.
You will now be able to see a list of your people you have befriended on Snapchat.
To remove a person from your friends’ list, tap and hold on to their name. 
This should bring up a popup menu on your screen. You need to tap on the Remove friend option to unfriend the selected person from your list. 
You will now be asked to confirm whether you want to remove the person from your friends’ list. Confirm the removal by tapping on the ‘Remove’ button from the dialog that appears. 
What happens when you remove a friend?
When you remove a friend on Snapchat, you will not be able to view them under the ‘My friends’ screen inside your profile page. Once they’re removed from the list, you can no longer view their stories or see their location inside Snap Map. At the same time, your posts and location will also get inaccessible for the person you just removed.
You will still be able to message the person and send them snaps in the future as long as they’re visible on Snapchat’s search bar. This applies to the other person as well and they will be able to message you just as you can.
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