Changing Their Name on Snapchat: Do They Know?

Here’s everything about contacts knowing when you change their name on Snapchat:

Typically speaking, if you change the name of a contact on Snapchat, they have no idea that you have done it or what name you chose.

This is a Display Name (or a nickname) that you can pick, and Snapchat does not alert users when these changes are made.

They will only know about this if you show them.

So if you want to learn all about how others could know if you changed their name on Snapchat, then this article is for you.

Keep reading!

Changing Their Name on Snapchat: Do They Know? (Know All)

What Does a Name Change Do on Snapchat?

Young serious woman looking pensive lying on sofa with smartphone

If they can’t see when you change their name, then what does the feature actually do?

Essentially, you have the ability to choose nicknames for any of your contacts on Snapchat.

This is similar to how you can choose the names in the contacts of your phone.

With Snapchat, this is a client-side service, but it is locked to your specific account, and it only impacts how things look on your end.

So, you’re changing the name that you see, but you aren’t impacting anyone else’s user experience in any way.

To emphasize this point, Snapchat does not provide any type of notification when someone changes a nickname.

But, it’s worth knowing that these changes are account-wide.

The change you make is saved in your account user settings.

That means that the change is stored on the Snapchat servers.

You only have to change it once, and it will update on any device that you use.

How Do Snapchat’s Friend Suggestions Work?

Two best friends sitting in coffee bar or restaurant after shopping

Snapchat has just offered you yet another contact to add?

Here’s how Snapchat comes up with those suggestions.

Snapchat suggests friends based on the information you provide to the app.

This includes your contacts, existing friends, and user data that is generated every time you interact with the app.

All of this data is run through sophisticated software, and the result is a list of suggested friends.

Learn all about how Snapchat’s friend suggestions work here.

How Could They Find Out If You Change Their Name on Snapchat?

There is no automated feature that will alert someone when you change their nickname on your account, but are there any other ways that they could know?

Naturally, if you show or tell them the new nickname, they’ll see it that way.

Otherwise, it’s an unlikely scenario.

It’s possible that if you logged into your account on their device and then forgot to log off, they could incidentally see the nickname you picked for them.

Conversely, they might look over your shoulder while you use the app and see it that way.

Generally speaking, they won’t know unless you tell them or they have access to your account.

How Do You Change the Name on Snapchat?

focused young woman using cellphone while lying in bed

Changing nicknames can be fun.

It can also make it easier to keep track of users and friends on Snapchat, so it’s a nice feature.

How do you make use of it?

These steps are for changing a name on iOS, but they’ll be extremely similar no matter which platform you are using.

Launch the app.
Tap on “My Friends.”
Find the name on the list that you want to change and tap it.
Tap the settings icon (it should be on the right).
Tap “Edit Name.”
Type in the new name.
Tap “Save.”

That’s it.

That’s all it takes, and you have a new nickname for a user.

You can change these names as often as you like and for as many users as you like.

There are no limitations.

What Are the Different Types of Names in Snapchat? (3 Types)

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Changing names on Snapchat is pretty easy, and it can be quite convenient.

It’s also a potential source of fun if you like giving people amusing nicknames.

But, the idea can easily get confused with other names that exist on Snapchat, so a little clarity can go a long way.

If you look up how to change a nickname on Snapchat, you’re probably going to see articles about Display Names.

You might also run into information related to usernames.

The truth is that all three kinds of names exist on the app, so we’re going to take a minute to clarify each one to ensure that everything above fully makes sense and is easy to navigate.

#1 Nickname

Some people use the Display Name and nickname interchangeably.

In fact, even with Snapchat’s support, it seems that these two concepts are the same.

So, we’re going to create a small distinction here just to make the conversation a little easier to follow.

The Display Name refers to the name you pick for yourself (which will be in full detail in the next section).

The Nickname is the “display name” that you see for other users when you utilize the app.

This is the name that you can change without impacting other users.

It’s the name that was discussed in all of the sections above.

All it is is a name that you see when using the app.

Every single contact you have on Snapchat has a nickname, even if you didn’t go through the effort of specifically picking a nickname for every user.

#2 Display Name

This might make more sense with a clearer definition of a Display Name.

This is the name that appears when other users see you on Snapchat.

You can pick your own Display Name, and it doesn’t have to reflect your username at all (more on that in a bit).

Here’s how it works.

If you pick your Display Name, then that is the default name that other users will see when they interact with you on the app.

If they want, they can change your Display Name to a nickname of their choosing, but only they will see it.

So, any time you look at a user, and you didn’t pick a nickname for them, you are seeing their Display Name.

If someone changes their Display Name, it will automatically update and change for users that have never changed their Display Name to a nickname.

#3 Username

Ok. Here’s the last name you need to know.

The username is the one you pick when you first set up your Snapchat account.

This name is locked in stone, and you can never change it.

If you want a different username, you have to create a new account.

That’s why Display Names exist.

If you don’t like your username (or maybe it’s confusing), then you can just change your Display Name without having to worry about it.

This system simplifies things.

The username is really only needed to sign into Snapchat and manage your account.

Otherwise, it’s not something you often have to think about or interact with.

But, if you never set up a Display Name, then your username is what people will see by default.

How Much Data Does Snapchat Use?

Confident afro woman in red coat messaging on smartphone

Okay. Now you know about Snapchat’s naughty airplane mode secret.

How much data does Snapchat use, though?

Is it possible that Snapchat is causing your high cellular data usage?

You will consume about 160 MB if you send snaps continuously for an hour.

Each snap takes up about 1 MB of traffic.

Comparatively, sending a text message takes about 20 KB (1 MB is 1000 KB), but sending about 10 stories takes about 20-25 MB.

Learn all about Snapchat’s data usage here.

Author

Theresa McDonough

Tech entrepreneur and founder of Tech Medic, who has become a prominent advocate for the Right to Repair movement. She has testified before the US Federal Trade Commission and been featured on CBS Sunday Morning, helping influence change within the tech industry.

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