Snapchat is an excellent app for chatting and connecting with friends, but does it allow users to check each other's mutual friends? Mutual friends on social media platforms can play an important role in connecting people with others who have similar interests and social circles. Additionally, seeing mutual friends can help build trust and credibility with new connections, as it provides a sense of familiarity and reassurance.

Even so, Snapchat doesn't reveal the list of mutual friends with users. To maintain privacy, the app that pioneered the concept of disappearing messages doesn't show the names of mutual friends between two users. Snapchat friends cannot check each other's friends list, let alone mutual friends. In contrast, Instagram shows a person's followers and following lists, along with any mutual followers. Similarly, Facebook users can also check their list of mutual friends with another user on the platform. However, Snapchat does allow a way to view the number of mutuals while adding new friends on the platform.

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Snapchat Hides Mutual Friends For Privacy

Three screenshots showing the Quick Add screen on Snapchat

To view mutuals, open Snapchat, tap on the Bitmoji in the top-left corner of the screen, and under the 'Friends' section, tap on 'Add Friends.' The next screen will show the names of users under two headings – 'Added Me' and 'Quick Add.' The 'Added Me' section displays the list of Snapchatters who have added the user on Snapchat. Users who want to add new friends based on mutual friends should look for names under the 'Quick Add' section. In this section, users will see random Snapchat users whom they might know, along with the number of mutual friends.

On its official support page, Snapchat mentions that friend recommendations in the Quick Add section are based on who users are friends with on the app. However, even in the Quick Add section, Snapchat doesn't show the exact number of mutual friends. Instead, the app provides users with an indicative number. For instance, under the Quick Add section, Snapchat shows the usernames of other Snapchatters, followed by "X+ Mutual Friends," where 'X' could be 3, 10, or 20. Tapping on a person's Bitmoji doesn't reveal who those mutual friends are, either.

Turning Off Quick Add

That said, Quick Add is not the most reliable way to add friends on Snapchat, as users have reported seeing strangers in the Quick Add list. Further, only users who have enabled the 'Show Me in Quick Add' setting will appear in the list. In its privacy policy, Snapchat mentions that it collects the names of Snapchatters users are friends with, along with how often they communicate with these friends. Snapchat knows about users' mutual friends, but doesn't allow users to access this list.

For the more privacy-conscious users who don't want to appear in 'Quick Add', opting out of the feature is simple. Users should head to their profile and tap the settings (gear) icon at the top right of the window. Then, scroll down to ‘Privacy Controls’ to find an option that says ‘See Me in Quick Add.’ Tapping that button will bring users to the page where they can disable the feature. Users will see ‘Show me in Quick Add’ with a checkmark in the box beside it if they currently appear in Quick Add. Uncheck the box to stop being shown in Quick Add. There are plenty of other ways to add friends on Snapchat, including sending requests to users in contacts, searching for people with their usernames, and adding users with Snapcodes.

Source: Snapchat 1, 2