While being locked out of Snapchat may not ruin your life (or even your day), it could definitely take some of the fun out of it. And since it seems like this dilemma seems to be happening on the regular these days, you may be wondering, "Why is Snapchat temporarily locked?" As it turns out, there could be a multitude of reasons. The good news is that they are easy to resolve, for the most part.
If you happen to be a prolific Snapchat user, being locked out of the social media messaging app will probably be a bit more irksome to you than it would be for, say, someone like me whose Snapchat game is woefully slack. While it might bring you comfort knowing that often times users are only temporarily locked out for a few hours, you should also know that it is possible to become locked out of Snapchat for an extended period of time. So, you know, it may be best to keep your fingers crossed and pray to the social media gods such a fate is not in your future.
In the meantime, though, here's what you need to know about the steps you should take if your Snapchat is temporarily locked:
1. You've Been A Naughty Snapchatter
One possible reason for your temporary Snapchat exile? You've been engaging in illicit Snapchat activities. This includes spamming people or sending otherwise unsolicited Snaps and messages, as well as engaging in any behavior that Snapchat deems abusive. Stay on the straight and narrow, dear Snapchatters... or else.
2. You Spaced On Verifying Your Phone Number
When you first signed up with Snapchat, you were supposed to verify your phone number. If you're anything like me, you procrastinated until you got locked out. Because while Snapchat does give you a generous grace period, eventually they'll throw up a roadblock (or lock, as it were) if you go around adding too many friends without verifying your number. To fix this situation, you'll need to have the verification email resent.
3. You're Using A Third-Party App Or Plugin To Spice Up Your Snapchat Game
Don't feel bad! These are actually quite popular — think Snap Upload, Casper, Snap Crack, etc. Everyone's doing it... which, come to think of it, may be the reason lockouts are happening increasingly often. The reason for this is that third-party tweaks like apps and plugins are not supported by Snapchat. This is actually outlined in the Terms of Service that you probably glossed over when creating your account. Since these can compromise the security of your account, you should always switch up your password occasionally. You'll need to make 100 percent certain all third-party programs are deleted before you try to unlock your account, or it could result in permanent locking. Yikes!
4. You Forgot Your Login Info, AGAIN
Ugh, story of my life. They tell you your login info should be unique for every site you use, but how is one person supposed to store all that info in their already stuffed brain? While Snapchat hasn't explicitly confirmed this as a reason for being locked out it appears that if you don't have the correct login info and try logging in too many times, the app could assume you are a spammer — or a hacker.
5. Your Phone Is On the Fritz
If you get locked out, there are a few steps to follow. First, you'll need to head to https://snapchat.com/unlock. This will walk you through logging into Support and give you instructions, most likely including creating a new password and logging back in. If this doesn't work, you've deleted all your third-party apps and plugins, and you're still locked out, you may need to go old school and reboot your phone and/or reset your internet connection.
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