What are time-sensitive notifications on Snapchat?

What are time-sensitive notifications on Snapchat?
Credit: Snapchat

What are time-sensitive notifications on Snapchat?
Credit: Snapchat

iPhone users may have noticed that they’ve been receiving time-sensitive notifications on Snapchat, getting some of them worried and confused about these alerts.

Snapchat's recent rollout of multiple new features has sparked mixed reactions among its user base. While the ChatGPT-powered My AI annoyed Snapchat Plus subscribers and regular users alike, the introduction of time-sensitive notifications left many scratching their heads.

Now, what are Snapchat’s time-sensitive notifications? Are they good or bad? Can users remove them from their phones? Keep reading and find out about these odd little updates from the app.

What are time-sensitive notifications on Snapchat?

Time-sensitive notifications on Snapchat give some notifications higher priority than others on the app so you don’t miss anything important - even when your iPhone is in Focus mode.

Introduced in iOS 15, time-sensitive notifications let apps mark or classify notifications that require immediate attention as urgent, ensuring users don't miss important alerts even in Focus mode or with muted app notifications.

Commonly, emergency alerts, calendar events, and delivery notifications are marked as time-sensitive, but recently some Snapchat notifications have also been classified as time-sensitive.

While it makes sense for delivery applications and emergency alerts to be marked as time-sensitive, Snapchat notifications, on the other hand, hardly warrant such labels since they are just messages from friends.

On another note, for users concerned about privacy or eager to explore the Snapchat location-specific features, using a VPN is beneficial.
By using a Virtual Private Network, you can change your virtual location, introducing an additional layer of security to your online activities.

If our friends had something urgent to tell us, they would likely call us directly. So, why Snapchat, why? Why mark them as if they require immediate attention?

Why are some Snaps time-sensitive?

It is unclear why some Snaps are marked as time-sensitive, while others are not. The criteria Snapchat employs to determine which notifications merit the "time-sensitive" label remain undisclosed.

We believe that no Snap truly requires the time-sensitive label since users have the flexibility to view them at their convenience when they have available time.

However, Snapchat's time-sensitive notifications can be helpful in certain situations, such as maintaining Snapstreaks. Time-sensitive notifications can remind users when they are about to lose a Snapchat streak, ensuring they have the opportunity to continue it.

How to turn off time-sensitive notifications on Snapchat

We can all agree that time-sensitive notifications on Snapchat are annoying and can disrupt our focus. Fortunately, Snapchat provides an option to disable these time-sensitive notifications.

Here's how you can turn off time-sensitive notifications on Snapchat:

  • Open Settings on your iPhone.
  • Tap Notifications
  • Select Snapchat from the list of apps
  • Turn off the toggle next to Time-Sensitive Notifications.

That’s all users need to know about Snapchat time-sensitive notifications. For more on the app, here’s how to change Snapchat cameo selfies and explanations for certain Snapchat slang.