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How to replay a Snapchat Snap or Story

Maybe you missed something, so here's how to take another look at that Snap

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There are more than 186 million Snapchat users around the world. While you may not follow even a tiny fraction of that amount, those people you do follow are important to you. You probably get frustrated when you’re trying to look at a friend’s Snap or Story and it disappears. Your aggravated cries have been heard. Here’s how to replay a Snapchat Snap or Story so you can take your time absorbing the snappy goodness.

Replaying a Snap

Snapchat

When a friend sends you a message, that’s a Snap. Unfortunately, photo messages can only be seen if you tap on them. When you go back to the chat, the photo closes and you need to open it again to look at it. To reopen the photo you’ll need to hold your finger down on the red square in the chat and then tap the square to replay the photo.

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Beware, after you replay the photo Snap once, you won’t be able to look at it again and if you leave the Friends screen before taking a second look, you won’t be able to replay the Snap, either. You’ll need to take a screenshot it if you want to keep it long-term. If you do screenshot it, a message will be sent to your friend so they know that you took a screenshot. There’s no way to be sneaky with Snapchat!

How to replay a Story

Stories are fun peeks into your friend’s lives, but like life, sometimes they go too fast. Thankfully, Stories have sort of a built-in remote that can allow you to rewind and replay. You can’t see the control buttons, though, so it can be a bit confusing.

To go back and view the last photo you looked at in the Story, just tap on the left side of the screen and the Story will essentially rewind to the last photo you looked at. If you’re at the end of a Story and want to start it over, swipe right on the screen. You can also go to the Stories screen again and tap your friend’s Story to watch it from the beginning.

Alina Bradford
Alina Bradford has been a tech, lifestyle and science writer for more than 20 years. Her work is read by millions each month…
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