Snapchat’s Update Took Away the Ability to Half Swipe and People Are Bummed

One of the best (or worst depending on your situation) features of the popular social media app Snapchat is the ability to half swipe. As the photo and video sharing app has gone through multiple updates over time, users noticed that the ability to half swipe on people’s messages was no longer an option.

So, what exactly is half swiping on Snapchat, and how do you get the feature back? We have all the details below!

The half swipe on Snapchat has always been one of the most loved features on the app. The ability to half swipe allows users to swipe halfway on a direct message and only read part of the message. You can read the gist of what was being said while still portraying it as unread to whoever sent the message.

“To [half swipe], simply place your finger on the left side of the screen, next to the bitmoji of the person’s chat you want to ‘half swipe.' Slide and drag your finger to the right side of the screen but don’t let go of the screen, don't slide all the way,” a user on Quora advised. “Only as far as you need to, to be able to see their message. Once you can see their message, whilst still holding the screen, simply slide the chat back to the left side. Then let go.”

Basically users could leave messages on “unread” while still being able to know what was said. In April 2020, Snapchat removed this feature from the application and users were not happy. When you try and swipe on the message, it now takes a user to the maps page rather than half opening the message.

When the new update went through on Snapchat, users were less than thrilled when they realized that the ability to half swipe was no longer an option. One user wrote, “WTF is this Snapchat update? You can’t half swipe people's messages.” Another user echoed, “Snapchat taking the half swipe away with the new update has ruined my whole night.” 

Some people were tagging Snapchat directly to air their grievances over the removal of the half swipe and the overall update of the app. One user wrote, “@Snapchat please take away the new update, I can’t half swipe anymore.” While another Snapchat user wrote, “bruh @Snapchat can you get rid of this update because: 1. I cant half swipe people anyway 2. It is very extra 3. It is just unnecessary. You were working perfectly fine before.”

In order to get back the option to half swipe messages on Snapchat, you need to undo the Snapchat update. Here is a list of steps to undo the Snapchat update, courtesy of Republic World.

1. Go to the Settings tab.
2. Go to Apps or Applications.
3. Search for the Snapchat application in the list and select the application.
4. Reinstall Snapchat on your device.
5. Enter your username.
6. Click on the button that says Forgot Password.
7. Make sure to reset your password through a mobile phone.
8. Click on the pictures of the ghosts to justify that you are not a robot.
9. Enter your mobile number and click on continue.
10. Enter the confirmation code that you will receive from Snapchat into the app.
11. Set a new password.
12. Reopen the application.

The reinstalled version of Snapchat should be the one that you had been using earlier that includes the ability to half swipe.