When you unblock someone on Snapchat, the app does not automatically reconnect you. The person is simply removed from your blocked list. You and the other person will not become friends again, you won’t see each other’s private content, and no notifications are sent to either side.

If you want to communicate again, one of you must send a new friend request, and the other person must accept it. Until that happens, Snapchat treats you like two unrelated users.

This question is trending because people frequently block others during conflicts, breakups, or privacy concerns-and later reconsider. Snapchat’s behavior is also less intuitive than other platforms, leading to confusion when users expect chats or snaps to reappear automatically after unblocking.

Additionally, viral posts and short videos often claim that unblocking “restores everything,” which is inaccurate and drives more searches for clarity.

What’s Confirmed vs What’s Unclear

Confirmed facts:

  • Unblocking does not restore friendship status.
  • Old chats, snaps, and saved messages do not come back.
  • The unblocked person receives no alert.
  • You must wait up to 24 hours after unblocking before re-adding someone.

What’s unclear or misunderstood:

  • Whether the other person can see your profile immediately (they can only see limited public info unless re-added).
  • Whether Snapstreaks resume (they do not; streaks are permanently lost once broken).

What People Are Getting Wrong

  • “They’ll know I unblocked them.” Not true. Snapchat sends no notification.

  • “Our chats will reappear.” False. Blocking permanently clears the chat history from both sides.

  • “Unblocking adds them back automatically.” Incorrect. A new friend request is required.

  • “Snapstreaks come back.” They do not. Once broken, they’re gone.

Real-World Impact (Everyday Scenarios)

Scenario 1: Personal relationship You block someone during an argument, then unblock them later. Nothing happens visibly. If you want to talk again, one of you must send a friend request. Until then, there is no private communication.

Scenario 2: Business or creator contact If a creator blocks and later unblocks a follower, that follower cannot DM them again unless re-added. Any previous conversations are permanently lost, which matters for ongoing collaborations.

Benefits, Risks & Limitations

Benefits:

  • Gives you control without confrontation.
  • No awkward notification or alert.
  • Clean separation when blocking is intentional.

Risks and limitations:

  • Permanent loss of chat history and streaks.
  • Easy to assume reconnection happened when it hasn’t.
  • Re-adding too quickly after unblocking may fail due to the 24-hour cooldown.

What to Watch Next

If Snapchat updates how blocking works-as other platforms sometimes do-it may eventually restore partial history or improve clarity. As of now, there is no indication this behavior is changing.

What You Can Ignore Safely

  • Claims that Snapchat secretly notifies users.
  • Advice suggesting unblocking “resets” the relationship.
  • Viral hacks promising to recover old chats after unblocking.

None of these are supported by how Snapchat currently functions.

Can they message me after I unblock them? No. Not unless one of you sends a friend request and it’s accepted.

Can I see their stories after unblocking? Only public stories. Private stories require friendship.

Do they disappear from my blocked list immediately? Yes, once unblocked, they’re removed from that list.

Can I block and unblock repeatedly? Yes, but repeated actions may trigger temporary restrictions on adding friends.