I have tried numerous Snapchat tips and tricks to help simplify or elevate the experience of using this cool messaging app. However, it was only recently that I stumbled upon this neat trick to see new messages without the sender knowing about it. I mean, there might be certain instances where you want to see what the other person has said without showing them the “read” or “opened” status. This trick is known as the half swipe, and here’s how to use it to read Snapchat messages without someone knowing.
Read Snapchat Messages Without the Sender Knowing
The use of the half-swipe on Snapchat is to let you partially open a chat and read the message without the sender knowing about it. It is the perfect solution for those times when you need to take a quick glance at a message but don’t wish to respond to it right away. This trick is a game-changer, making it easier than ever for you to stay on top of your Snapchat messages.
How to Use Half Swipe Feature on Snapchat
Now, before telling you how to do it, let me remind you that you need to be very careful while swiping right. A single tap can open the chat and notify the sender. So, for your convenience, I have attached a screen recording of this feature in action below. With that being said, let me show you the steps to half swipe on Snapchat below:
1. Open Snapchat on your Android and iOS device and head over to the chat tab.

2. Gently press your finger on the profile icon of the user whose messages you want to read and swipe right. You will see the message getting revealed slowly. Don’t swipe from the very edge, as it will take you back to the camera UI.
3. Once done, slowly swipe left to close the preview window. And if all goes well, you will be able to see the “New Chat“ status displayed for the conversation. Here is the feature in action:

An important thing to note about the half-swipe feature in Snapchat is that it will only work with text messages. We tried using this same trick with Snaps, but it didn’t work. So, using this feature, you can essentially read text messages but cannot preview a snap without completely opening it.
This feature to read messages without alerting the sender has been around for a while; they won’t see the “Opened” status in the chat. It is operational on both Android and iOS apps. So, go ahead and try out this nifty trick! If you face any issues, do let us know in the comments below.