Snapchat's pending status could mean a lot of things but it's not always the user's fault whenever it occurs. While messages under the pending state might stay stuck in the depths of Snap purgatory, there are methods users can try to get them to their designated recipients. There's a large number of users that rely on Snapchat as their daily means of communication, so knowing what all the status messages mean is key.
About a decade since its launch, the popular social media platform has come a long way, giving its massive userbase a wealth of new features and better security. However, that doesn't mean the service is flawless as there are times when users cannot even use its most basic function, which is to simply communicate with friends and family. Snapchat utilizes various icons and colors to signify the state of a message, and those that failed to send successfully are marked with a gray hue signifying it's still in “pending” status, but what does this really mean, exactly?
Well, for starters, a pending message or Snap doesn't necessarily indicate it will stay in Snapchat limbo forever, it simply means it won't be sent until a couple of issues are resolved. Based on Snapchat's guide, one of the reasons a message gets a pending gray icon might be due to the user's privacy settings. If the user is messaging someone who has not yet accepted their friend request, their message will stay in the pending state until they have been added. On the other hand, if recipients simply want to prevent all messages sent to them from going to pending status, they can try changing their privacy settings by tapping on the gear icon, scrolling down, and switching their 'Who Can Contact Me' option to 'Everyone,' that is, if they don't mind receiving Snaps or Chats from every user.
Snapchat Pending Status: Are There Other Reasons Why It Persists?
Although altering Snapchat Privacy Settings can prevent messages from coming through, that's not the only instance where messages or Snaps get a pending status. Pending state could occur simply because the service is down, as that does seem to happen from time to time. Alternatively, this could also happen when a user's internet signal is weak, but can easily resolve itself once connection speeds are stable again.
There's also the possibility of a glitch in the app that could be causing the pending status, which could be remedied by uninstalling and re-installing Snapchat on the device, or by logging out of their accounts then logging back in, but this should only be assumed if all other conditions are normal. In case data clog is causing some sort of graphical bug in the message status, users can also try clearing the cache by tapping on the gear icon, navigating to the Account Actions menu then picking the 'Clear Cache' option. Of course, there isn't much users can do if they're messaging someone who's added them to their block list, in which case, prevents users from adding them entirely, leaving any message sent to those people to linger in Snapchat's pending purgatory indefinitely.
Source: Snapchat