Could your Snapchat friends list use some downsizing? If you’ve accumulated tons of friends that you don’t even remember adding, Snapchat’s Friend Check Up feature will encourage you to clear out these unwanted users.
It’s Time to Clean Up Your Friends List
A post on the Snap Newsroom highlights Friend Check Up, a new feature unveiled just in time for Safer Internet Day. Friend Check Up will appear as a notification on Snapchat, and will prompt you to review your friends list.
The notification will say, “Snapchat is for Real Friends. Tap to review your friends list.” Selecting the notification will lead you to your list of friends, where you can proceed to cut off unwanted connections.
The goal of this tool is to help you delete any users that you might’ve added accidentally, as well as anyone who you just don’t want on your friends list anymore. Having this reminder is also a great safety feature—after all, you might unknowingly be giving certain users access to your Stories and your location.
According to Snapchat, this feature will be launched on Android devices in the coming weeks, and on iOS in the coming months.
That said, you don’t have to wait until Snapchat releases this feature in order to start cleaning up your friends list. You can do this right now by heading to your Snapchat profile and tapping My Friends. Long press on the user you want to erase, tap More, and then hit Remove Friend > Remove.
Other Ways Snapchat Is Improving Safety
In the same blog post, Snapchat announced that it’s also partnering with Connect Safely in the US and ChildNet in the UK to display educational filters. Swiping up on these filters will link you to internet safety resources from the relevant organization.
In addition, Snapchat is expanding its integration with the Crisis Text Line in the US, and plans to launch a similar feature in the UK. The platform is also working with The Trevor Project to provide in-app resources for LGBTQ youth.
Snapchat Hones in on Close Friends
The Friend Check Up feature is just another way that Snapchat is trying to strengthen its image as a platform for close friends, not complete strangers.
The platform prides itself on the fact that it doesn’t encourage communication between people who don’t know each other well. It’s built for close friends, which is demonstrated by the platform’s 64-member cap on Groups, and the fact that you can’t communicate with anyone unless you both accepted each other’s friend request.