Snapchat has become the center of visual communication for millions of users. At the heart of this platform lies a feature that many users obsess over—the Snap Score.
If you’re wondering whether your snap score increases with unopened snaps, the answer is straightforward: No, your Snap Score does not increase when you receive snaps that remain unopened. This number only goes up when you actively engage with the app by sending snaps to friends or opening the ones you receive.
Your Snap Score is essentially a measurement of your overall activity on Snapchat. Each time you send a snap, you earn one point. Similarly, opening a snap someone sent you adds another point to your total. But simply collecting unopened snaps in your inbox won’t boost your numbers at all. Snapchat keeps their exact scoring formula under wraps, describing it as a “super-secret, special equation,” but one thing’s clear—it rewards active participation, not passive receipt.
What’s particularly interesting is that your score can jump even during periods when you’re not regularly using the app. When you return to Snapchat after some time away and open those waiting snaps, your score increases accordingly. You might even get bonus points as a “welcome back” reward, showing that Snapchat values consistent user engagement. Since your score is visible to friends, many users actively look for ways to increase their numbers as a form of social status.
In this article, you’ll learn exactly how Snap Scores work, which activities do and don’t affect your score, and discover effective strategies to boost your Snapchat numbers legitimately. Let’s dive into the details of how this mysterious scoring system actually functions.
Does your Snap Score increase with unopened snaps?
The answer is clear: No, your Snap Score does not increase with unopened snaps. Despite what you might have heard from friends or read in online forums, simply receiving snaps without opening them does nothing for your score. Let’s look at exactly what happens with those unread messages sitting in your inbox.
What happens when you receive a snap but don’t open it?
When someone sends you a snap and you leave it unopened, that message sits in your inbox in a completely dormant state as far as your Snap Score is concerned. The snap is essentially waiting for you to interact with it. Until you actually tap and view the content, it won’t trigger any change to your numbers at all.
This creates a common misconception among Snapchat users. Many people think that just having lots of friends sending them content will automatically boost their score, whether they engage with those snaps or not. In reality, this passive approach won’t help your numbers grow one bit.
The confusion makes sense when you consider that your score does increase when you receive AND open a snap. This distinction is crucial but often gets lost in conversations about how Snapchat’s scoring system actually works.
Does unopened snap activity still count?
Definitely not. Unopened snap activity contributes nothing to your Snap Score.
Your score only increases through active engagement with the app, primarily through:
- Sending snaps to others
- Opening and viewing snaps you’ve received
This scoring approach reinforces what Snapchat is all about—active interaction between friends. The app rewards participation rather than passive collection of content. Some users notice that their score jumps when they finally open snaps that have been sitting in their inbox, which further confirms that opening—not just receiving—is what triggers the increase.
Other factors like posting stories and maintaining streaks with friends may influence your score too, but even these require you to take action. Simply having the app installed or collecting unread messages won’t move your numbers at all.
Snapchat’s official stance on unopened snaps
Snapchat keeps some mystery around their scoring system. On their official help page, they describe the Snap Score as being “determined by a super-secret, special equation that combines the number of Snaps you’ve sent and received, the Stories you’ve posted, and a couple other factors.”
Notice they specify “sent and received” snaps, not just “delivered” snaps. This wording strongly suggests that for a received snap to count, you must actually open and view it. The company has never officially stated that unopened snaps contribute to score increases.
The deliberate vagueness around “a couple other factors” leaves room for speculation, but every reliable source confirms that unopened snaps don’t count. The official algorithm remains proprietary, yet in practice, users consistently observe that unopened messages don’t affect their score.
Text messages within the app also don’t affect your score, highlighting Snapchat’s focus on visual communication through snaps and stories rather than text-based chats. This distinction sets Snapchat apart from other messaging platforms.
If you’re trying to boost your Snap Score legitimately, focus on active engagement. Opening snaps promptly and sending snaps regularly will yield consistent score increases, while letting unopened snaps pile up in your inbox won’t help your numbers grow at all.
How Does Snap Score Work?
Your Snapchat score is more than just a random number—it’s a direct reflection of how you interact with the platform. Snapchat calculates this score using what they officially call a “super-secret, special equation” that tracks your activities within the app.
Snaps Sent and Received
The foundation of your Snap Score comes from the snaps you exchange with friends. Every time you send a snap, your score increases by one point. When you open a snap someone sent you, you get another point. This exchange system forms the core of how Snapchat measures activity.
What many users don’t realize is that sending the same snap to multiple friends doesn’t multiply your points—you need to create unique snaps for maximum score growth. There’s also a hidden bonus: when you return to Snapchat after several days away, your first snap sent rewards you with six extra points, encouraging you to stay active on the platform.
It’s worth noting that text messages within Snapchat don’t contribute to your score at all. This highlights Snapchat’s focus on visual communication rather than text-based interactions.
Posting Stories and Using Features
Beyond direct snap exchanges, your Stories play a significant role in building your score. Each post to your Snapchat Story adds one point to your total, making regular story sharing an effective strategy for boosting your numbers.
Snapchat rewards users who explore the platform’s full range of features. While the exact point values remain undisclosed, actively using different snap types (both photos and videos) seems to positively influence your score. This approach aligns with Snapchat’s goal of encouraging users to engage with all aspects of the app.
Snap Streaks and App Engagement
Snap streaks offer another pathway to a higher score. When you and a friend exchange snaps for consecutive days, you create what Snapchat calls a Streak, marked by the 🔥 emoji that appears after a few days of consistent snapping.
Maintaining multiple streaks with different friends creates a reliable method for steadily increasing your score over time. The longer your streaks last, the more opportunities you have to send and receive points-generating snaps.
Your overall pattern of engagement matters too. Snapchat seems to favor consistent, daily interaction rather than sporadic heavy usage. Regular daily activity typically yields better score growth than occasional binges of snap-sending.
Hidden Factors Influencing Score
Beyond the publicly known elements, Snapchat acknowledges there are a “couple other factors” in their scoring algorithm. These mysterious components add to the platform’s gamified experience.
Some sources suggest that adding new friends may contribute to score increases. Additionally, returning to the app after a period of inactivity seems to trigger bonus points, encouraging users to maintain regular engagement.
The secrecy around these hidden factors serves a purpose—it prevents users from gaming the system while keeping an element of surprise. In essence, your Snap Score functions more as an engagement metric than a popularity contest.
Through all these mechanics, one fact remains consistent with what we’ve already established—unopened snaps don’t affect your score at all. The system rewards active participation, not passive receipt of content.
What Does NOT Affect Your Snap Score
If you’re trying to boost your Snap Score, knowing what doesn’t count is just as important as knowing what does. We’ve already established the answer to our main question: No, your Snap Score does not increase with unopened snaps. But there are several other Snapchat activities that many users wrongly believe will boost their numbers. Let’s clear up these common misconceptions.
Text Messages and Chats
Despite how much you might text your friends on Snapchat, these messages have absolutely zero impact on your Snap Score. Your score stays exactly the same no matter how many text-based communications you send or receive.
This includes:
- Regular text chats with friends
- Group chat messages
- Quick chat replies to stories
- Emoji and Bitmoji reactions
The reason is simple—Snapchat built its scoring system to encourage visual communication through photos and videos, which represents the app’s core purpose. You get a point for sending a snap and a point for opening one, but texting alone won’t move your numbers at all.
Viewing Stories Without Interaction
Watching your friends’ stories might keep you in the loop, but it does nothing for your Snap Score. This passive consumption falls completely outside Snapchat’s scoring formula.
To earn points from stories, you need to post your own rather than just viewing others’. This approach reinforces Snapchat’s focus on content creation over consumption—they want you actively contributing, not just scrolling.
Unopened Snaps From Others
This point deserves special emphasis given our main question. When someone sends you a snap, you must actually open it to get any points. The snap sitting unopened in your inbox does absolutely nothing for your score.
If you return to Snapchat after being away for a while, you might notice a bigger score jump than expected when you finally open those waiting snaps. This is Snapchat’s “welcome-back gift” that happens after you return and engage—not while the snaps sit unopened.
Inactive Usage or Background Activity
Your Snap Score stays frozen during periods when you don’t use the app. Simply having Snapchat installed or running in the background won’t mysteriously increase your numbers.
Some users believe their score might somehow increase automatically over time—this simply isn’t true. Snapchat doesn’t bump up your score if you haven’t been active on the app.
Even adding celebrities or popular accounts to your friends list won’t magically boost your score. This myth persists despite having no basis in reality.
The bottom line? Snapchat rewards active engagement through specific actions: sending unique snaps, opening received snaps, and posting stories. Everything else—from texting to passive viewing to collecting unopened snaps—falls outside their scoring system completely.
How to Increase Your Snap Score Effectively
If you’re looking to boost your Snap Score, you need to focus on active engagement—not collecting unopened snaps. Here are strategies that actually work to increase your numbers.
Send Unique Snaps Daily
The fastest way to boost your Snap Score is through consistent, original content. Each unique snap you send adds one point to your total.
Keep in mind that sending the same snap to multiple friends doesn’t multiply your points—you’ll need to create different snaps for maximum impact. Try making snap-sending a natural part of your daily routine, capturing interesting moments throughout your day rather than firing off bulk content all at once.
Open Snaps Promptly
Opening snaps is just as important as sending them. Each snap you open adds a point to your score. Setting up notifications for Snapchat ensures you don’t miss incoming snaps and can respond right away. This practice not only boosts your score but also encourages friends to send you more content, creating a positive feedback loop of engagement.
Post to Your Story Regularly
Your Snapchat Story is a powerful tool for score building. Each story post increases your score by one point.
Snapchat recommends posting 20-40 snaps to your public Stories daily for maximum impact. This might seem like a lot, but even a few daily story updates will steadily increase your numbers over time.
Maintain Streaks with Friends
Snap streaks happen when you and a friend exchange snaps for at least three consecutive days, marked by the 🔥 emoji next to their name. These streaks are score-building gold mines.
Maintaining multiple streaks creates a reliable system for daily score increases. Just remember that streaks require sending a snap every 24 hours—set reminders if needed to avoid breaking your streak chain.
Add and Engage with New Friends
Growing your Snapchat network creates more opportunities for sending and receiving score-boosting snaps. Look for users with similar interests who are likely to engage regularly.
When you connect with new friends, you create fresh possibilities for starting streaks and exchanging content that increases both your scores. This approach adds variety to your Snapchat experience while naturally growing your numbers.
The key to legitimate score growth isn’t complicated—it’s about consistent, active engagement. By making these activities part of your regular routine, you’ll see your Snap Score steadily climb without resorting to tricks or hacks that don’t actually work.
How Often Does Snap Score Update and How to Track It
Snapchat scores don’t update in real-time—especially for unopened snaps which, as we’ve established, don’t increase your score at all. Let’s look at how the update system actually works and the best ways to keep tabs on your numbers.
Real-time vs delayed updates
Your Snap Score primarily updates whenever you send or receive and open snaps, but these changes aren’t instantaneous. Snapchat processes updates in batches to prevent server overload, creating delays that range from a few minutes to several hours before your score reflects your recent activity. You’ll typically see updates to your own score faster than when you’re checking a friend’s numbers.
What’s interesting is that your score might show different totals across various devices. This isn’t a bug—it’s actually a security feature. Snapchat doesn’t sync scores immediately between all devices. Your main device updates quickly, while your friends’ devices might take hours or even days to display your current score.
If your score seems frozen, you might be experiencing connectivity issues or server glitches.
Here are a few quick fixes you can try:
- Close and reopen the Snapchat app
- Make sure you’re running the latest version
- Log out of your account and back in
- Clear the app’s cache in your settings
How to check your own score
Looking up your own Snapchat score is simple:
- Open the Snapchat app
- Tap on your Bitmoji or profile icon in the top-left corner
- Find your score displayed directly below your name and username
This number represents your total Snapchat activity since you first created your account.
How to view a friend’s Snap Score
If you’re curious about someone else’s score, here’s how to check:
- Open Snapchat
- Tap the chat icon
- Find your friend in your messages list or use the search function
- Tap on their Bitmoji or profile picture
- Look for the number below their display name
Remember that you can only view someone’s score if you’re mutual friends on the platform. Unlike when you view stories, checking someone’s score is completely anonymous—they won’t receive any notification that you looked.
For Snapchat+ subscribers, there’s an additional feature worth noting: you can see exactly how much a friend’s score has changed since you last checked. This premium feature helps you track engagement patterns more precisely if you’re particularly interested in monitoring score growth.
Final Verdict on Snap Score and Unopened Snaps
Throughout this article, we’ve answered the question that brought you here: does your Snap Score increase with unopened snaps? The answer is unequivocally no. Your Snap Score will not increase from snaps sitting unopened in your inbox, no matter how many you collect. Active engagement is the only way to boost your Snapchat numbers.
The most effective strategies for increasing your score involve consistent interaction with the platform. Sending unique snaps daily, opening received snaps promptly, and regularly posting to your story all contribute significantly to score growth. Maintaining streaks with multiple friends creates a reliable system for steady score increases over time.
Though Snapchat keeps certain aspects of their scoring algorithm secret, the basic mechanics are clear: scores reward active participation rather than passive receipt. If you’re looking to boost your numbers, focus on genuine engagement instead of letting unopened content pile
FAQs
Q1. Does your Snapchat score increase when you receive unopened snaps?
No, your Snapchat score does not increase from unopened snaps. The score only increases when you actively engage with the app by sending snaps, opening received snaps, or posting stories.
Q2. How can I effectively boost my Snap score?
To increase your Snap score, focus on active engagement. Send unique snaps daily, open received snaps promptly, post stories regularly, maintain streaks with friends, and add new friends to expand your network.
Q3. What activities don’t affect your Snapchat score?
Text messages, chats, viewing stories without interaction, and unopened snaps do not contribute to your Snap score. Additionally, inactive usage or simply having the app installed won’t increase your score.
Q4. How often does the Snap score update?
Snap scores don’t update in real-time. Updates typically occur in batches, with delays ranging from minutes to hours. Your own score usually updates faster than when checking a friend’s score.
Q5. Can you see how much someone’s Snap score has changed?
Regular users can only see a friend’s current total score. However, Snapchat+ subscribers have access to a feature that shows exactly how much a friend’s score has changed since they last checked.