Snapchat Half Swipe: How The Latest App Update Affects Half-Swiping

A half swipe on Snapchat is one way to read a message without a delivery notification being sent, but the latest update to the app appears to have removed the ability. Due to the general nature of Snapchat, privacy has always been a central theme and selling point. For those that have tended to half swipe in the past, this is one privacy-related benefit they’ve now lost.

Like many social media and networking apps, Snapchat allows users to send messages to each other. In fact, it is one of the primary features of the app and especially for those that want to send messages that disappear soon after being sent. Also similar to other apps, users tend to be notified when a message has been opened or read, but a half swipe was one way to avoid those notifications.

A number of Snapchat users have taken to Twitter and TikTok to confirm the latest update changes things. Essentially, when a user now half-swipes on a message, their Bitmoji will be visible in the chat. According to the App Store and Google Play Store, both the Android and iOS apps were updated on June 1. Neither of the changelogs for the update specifically mention any changes to half swipes, but the number of user reports circulating online suggest the change has taken place. As to be expected, many of the users are less than happy that Snapchat will now “snitch” on them for peeking at a message.

How The Update Changes Half-Swiping

Instead of swiping left to open a message, half-swiping was an ideal way for Snapchat users to see a message without anyone knowing they had seen it. In reality, a half swipe was not an intended feature, but one that users could take advantage of. The latest update has pretty much ended the ability, with other users now likely to be aware of when a message has been half-swiped on. Again, while not an intended feature, the ability to half-swipe was a hugely popular feature with Snapchat users.

Of course, for those that want to keep half swipes, there is the option to skip the update altogether. However, with updates tending to be important for new features and security purposes, how long a Snapchat user can or should go without updating the app is the question. For those that have already updated the app, be aware that some form of a delivered notification will now be sent when half-swiping on a message. Then again, putting the phone in Airplane mode before half-swiping on a Snapchat message might be a workaround.

Source: alishaali/Twitter

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John Finn
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John Finn is a technology editor and writer for Screen Rant. John has been covering technology since 2014 and focuses on where tech meets the movie and TV industry. A Psychology graduate from England who now lives in the US, John previously worked in the aviation industry as an airline reviewer. You can find John on Twitter (@J_Finns) or contact directly at john [at] screenrant [dot] com.

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