What Does Tap to Chat Mean on Snapchat?

If you’re over the age of 22 and are joining Snapchat for the first time, it might be a bit difficult for you to catch up. It’s nothing personal, nor does it say anything about your future on the platform. It’s just how the default system is since Snapchat’s main target audience is Gen Z. It has a completely different language, design, and an overall different vibe in comparison to other social media platforms. Although Instagram hosts the most Gen Z users, it also has a much larger number of older users. So, in order to be convenient for all users, Instagram had to switch to a neutral tone.

However, Snapchat isn’t bound by this criterion and is, therefore, the hangout spot for young users. But don’t worry; you can still work your way in easily as long as you know a few important pointers.

As far as the features are concerned, don’t worry; we’ll be talking about a few of them in detail today. This blog discusses what tap to chat means on Snapchat.

What Does Tap to Chat Mean on Snapchat?

Coming to your initial question, what does it mean when you see “tap to chat” on Snapchat? Well, it just means that all you need to initiate a conversation with the user in question is to tap on their chat and type away. This receipt also appears when you open someone’s snap but don’t directly go to their chat.

This option generally appears in three situations:

This user was just added to your network.
You added them, but they haven’t added you back.
You open one of your friends’ snaps or videos.

In all other cases where your Snapchat friends are involved, there will be different read receipts.

Instead of tap to chat, you’ll see different colored read receipts to indicate the chat’s position. A better way to understand how these work is to think of the read receipts on WhatsApp. There are four types of read receipts of a chat: new, opened, received, or sent. This is different regarding different formats of communication as well.

For example, a single grey tick means the message was sent, two grey ticks mean delivered, and two blue ticks mean it has been read. So, in Snapchat, there are also different read receipts that’ll tell you where your stand in this chat.

There are three conversation formats on Snapchat, which are all given equal importance, unlike WhatsApp, which prioritizes text messages. You can send a chat (text message), snap (image), or a snap with audio (video). They are indicated with the colors red, blue, and purple, respectively.

Chat read receipts on Snapchat.

So, here’s how chat read receipts on Snapchat work: a filled blue arrow under the name of a user on your chats page indicates that a chat has been sent from your side. When that same arrow becomes hollow, you’ll see the word opened next to it. This means the user has seen the message.

The same hollow blue arrow with received next to it means the user has sent you a chat that you’ve seen, but you haven’t replied yet. Lastly, when you see a blue-colored, rounded square chat bubble with the words New Chat next to it, you already know what it means.

Snap read receipts on Snapchat.

Instead of arrows, snaps are indicated with red, rounded squares. You must’ve seen a red square with the words New Snap next to it, which appears when the user sends you a snap.

Once you see the snap, the red box becomes hollow, and the receipt alternates between hold to replay and tap to chat every few seconds. But once you perform either of those actions, it will change to describe the read receipt of your message.

Video read receipts on Snapchat

Videos are called snaps with audio on Snapchat and are indicated with a purple rounded square, similar to snap receipts. The rest of it is the same: including the receipt alternation after opening a video.

Exception: If a user doesn’t allow replays of their snaps/snaps with audio, then there won’t be a hold to replay option.

What if the “tap to chat” option is grey?

Now, what if, instead of being red or purple, the tap to chat option on your screen is grey? Well, in simple words, it just means whatever you send them won’t reach them. This could happen for a few reasons.

If you’re sure they were your friends on Snapchat, they’ve removed you since then, or vice versa. It’s also possible that they’ve deactivated their Snapchat account. It could also be an indication of the fact that they haven’t added you back as a friend on Snapchat yet.

You can rule out one of the above possibilities by clicking open their chat. If, at the top of the chat page, there’s a message saying Snaps and chats will be pending until [username] adds you back as a friend, then be patient.

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What Does Tap to Chat Mean on Snapchat?