Skip to main content

How to Find Someone on Snapchat Near You: Methods, Tips and Tricks

Last updated: November 21 2024

Written and researched by experts at Avada Learn more about our methodology

Everyone now joins at least one social media platform. They set the profile; then, the next thing would be discovering your friends on it. Snapchat is a widespread social media app that lets you send photos, text, videos, and drawings to your beloved friends. In case you have just joined the Snapchat platform and are curious to know how it functions, especially about finding someone on it, then there will be a couple of ways to do that.

The least complex approach is to find that Snapchat account using the username and add it to your list, but apart from that method, you may need to utilize some other ways by using Snapcode or other Functions. Therefore, this article on "How to find someone on Snapchat" will help you with that problem. I am here to give you some tricks and tips on how to discover your companions with and without a phone number or username. Let’s dive in!

Finding Someone on Snapchat: A Detailed Guide

How to Find someone on Snapchat with username of phone number

This section will be less complicated: finding your friends when you already know their username or phone number. Unlike searching for Snapchat people near me, where location services and specific settings are required, adding friends with a username or phone number is straightforward.

How to find someone on Snapchat via contacts

Step 1: Open your Snapchat application by tapping the yellow icon on the screen and ensure you have logged in.

Log in your Snapchat account

Step 2: Swipe down on the camera screen to open your profile page.

Step 3: Tap the "My Friends" button. It’s toward the bottom of the profile page screen. Subsequently, tap on the "My Friends" button, which lies on the lower part of the profile page screen.

Tap My Friends

Step 4: Navigate to the "Add Friends" section under the Friends menu in your profile.

Step 5: Tap "All Contacts" in the upper-right corner of your Quick Add list.

Add your friends

Scroll through your contacts to find the person you are looking for.

  • Each contact’s username is displayed below their full name and their Bitmoji (if available).
  • If a contact has an “Add” button, they are in your contacts but are not yet friends with you on Snapchat.
If a contact has an Add button, they are in your contacts but are not yet friends with you on Snapchat
  • If you see an “Invite” button, the contact is not on Snapchat. Tapping this sends them an invitation to join Snapchat and connect with you.

Step 7: Finally, you just have to look again to ensure this individual has been added to your Friends list. Snapchat will also require your added friends to add you back before they can see any snaps received from you by default.

How to find someone on Snapchat with username

Snapchat usernames can not be changed, so basically, you just need to follow the simple steps below to find and add someone.

  • Step 1: As usual, open your Snapchat application on the screen and log in.
  • Step 2: Next, swipe down on the camera screen to open your page.
  • Step 3: Then, just tap on Add Friends the profile screen to go for finding your friends
Choose Add Friends
  • Step 4: Choose the Add by Username option, which appears under the title Add Username at the highest point of the page. As a result, you will be able to see your own username and public name recorded underneath the bar.
Tap Add Username
  • Step 5: The next step is to type your friend’s username into the search bar in a precise way. If it is correct, you will see that account pops up immediately.
Find your friend's account
  • Step 6: The last and easiest step is tapping the + Add button that lies on one side of the user’s name. You have now done adding the account to your friend’s list.

How to Find someone on Snapchat without username or phone number

In case you don’t have or lost your friends’ username or number, the process would be a bit more challenging. But don’t worry just simply follow the steps below to find friends:

How to find someone on Snapchat with Snapcode

Snapcode is a special approach to finding someone’s Snapchat account, as you can easily scan Snapcode with the Snapchat app camera.

  • Step 1: Open your Snapchat app. This step is simple but important because you can not do anything without opening it.
  • Step 2: Ask your friend to swipe down on the camera screen to open their profile page. Then, have them click "Create My Bitmoji" to set up their avatar. If you're scanning from an online page or poster, you can skip this step.
Your friends need to Create their Bitmoji
  • Step 4: Once the Snapcode is in view, press and hold it on your screen. After a moment, your friend’s profile will appear, making it easy to add them.
  • Step 5: Now, you have to open your Snapchat app and click the “Add Friends” button on the right corner of the browse option.
Click the Add Friends button on the right corner of the browse option.
  • Step 6: Select the Snapcode in your Camera Roll and add as your friend.
Select the Snapcode in your Camera Roll and add as your friend

How to find someone on Snapchat via “Find Nearby” function

Using the “Find Nearby” feature on Snapchat is also another way to easily add nearby Snapchat friends. However, the location permission is usually disabled by default, so you need to enable it. Here is how you can do it: 

On Android:

  • Step 1: Open your device Settings.
  • Step 2: Navigate to AppsApp ManagementPermissionsLocation under App Permissions.
  • Step 3: Select a location access option other than Don't allow.
  • Step 4: Turn on the Precise Location toggle for accurate friend suggestions based on your location.
App permission on Android

On iPhone/iOS

  • Step 1: Open Settings on your device.
  • Step 2: Scroll to SnapchatLocation → Choose any option other than Never (preferably While Using the App).
  • Step 3: Toggle on Precise Location for better suggestions.
Location permission on iPhone/iOS

Once you've enabled location access, follow these instructions to add friends with Snapchat using the “Find Nearby” function.

  • Step 1: Open your Snapchat app on your mobile device.
Open your Snapchat app on your mobile device
  • Step 2: Open your profile page by swiping down on the camera screen.
  • Step 3: Scroll down to the Friends section and choose “Add Friends” to add them as per wish.
Choose Add Friends
Choose Add Friends
  • Step 4: Click the “Add Nearby” button. After that, tap OK to allow the location services access for the “Add Nearby” feature, and remember that it will not work if you are not in the same physical area with your friends.
Click the Add Nearby button
  • Step 5: When “Add Nearby” is activated, Snapchat will look for your Snapchat friends. So, there will be a list of all users with Add Nearby turned around you on the screen.
Snapchat will search your friend's account
Snapchat will search your friend's account
  • Step 6: Finally, when you see your friend account pops up, just tap + Add, which lies on the right side of your friend’s username.

How to Find Someone on Snapchat Using Third-Party Apps

Another way to find Snapchat friends near me is to use third-party apps. Some commonly used third-party apps include the Yupo app, Social Catfish, TruthFinder, and Intelius. I will introduce users to choosing the Yupo for finding Snapchat friends.

Step 1: Download the Yubo app from Google Pay or App Store

Download the Yubo app from Google Pay or App Store

Step 2: After installing the app, register with your phone number and the country you are living in. Then tap “Send confirmation code.”

After installing the app, register with your phone number and the country you are living in

Step 3: Enter the received code and hit “Continue.”

Enter the received code

Step 4: Fill in your personal information, including first name, Birthdate, and Gender. 

Fill in your personal information, including first name, Birthdate, and Gender

Step 5: Set your profile picture by tapping the “+” button.  

Set your profile picture by tapping the + button.

Step 6: Once you’ve completed the setup, the app will search for profiles. Here’s how to interact with the results:

  • Swipe Right: If you like a user’s profile and want to connect, swipe right to show your interest.
  • Swipe Left: If you’re not interested, swipe left to pass or ignore.
  • Matched Profiles: If both users swipe right (showing mutual interest), the app will reveal the Snapchat username, allowing you to connect.
Once you’ve completed the setup, the app will search for profiles

To add your Snapchat details to the app:

  1. Tap the Profile Icon at the bottom-right corner.
  2. Under your profile, select the Snapchat Icon in the "Social Handles" section and input your Snapchat username.

Step 7: Once you’ve found a match:

  • Tap the Chat Icon at the bottom-left corner to open your chats.
  • Select the friend you wish to chat with.
  • Within the chat screen, tap the Snapchat Icon at the top-right corner to open the Snapchat app with their username revealed, allowing you to add them as friends.

How to Find Someone on Snapchat using the “Quick Add” Mode

Quick Add is the easiest way to showcase friends from your contact book or Snapchatters you know. 

  • Step 1: Go to the Snapchat app 
  • Step 2: Access the Quick Add in different tabs such as the Add Friends, Search, or Chat screens. 
  • Step 3: Click the Quick Add button to view all the contacts. Then, use the “+Add” button to contact those you want to add friends. 
  • Step 4: Once the specific contact accepts your request, the contact will be added to your friend list. 
How to Find Someone on Snapchat using the Quick Add Mode

Final thoughts

That’s all, four instructions above are ways to find someone on Snapchat with and without a username. It’s a piece of cake, right? I’m certain that you can now search for your friends regardless of whether you don’t know their username. Let’s get a try, and let me know whether you succeed or face any issues via comment below. Good luck!

FAQs:

Snapchat’s “Add Nearby” features allows you to discover users near your location. To use this:

  • Step 1: Enable location permission for Snapchat in your device settings (ensuring Precise Location is turned on).
  • Step 2: Open Snapchat and go to your profile.
  • Step 3: Tap "Add Friends"Quick Add or search for the Add Nearby option.
  • Step 4: Snapchat will display nearby users who also have this feature enabled.

Here are different ways to find someone’s Snapchat profile

  • Method 1: Search Contacts: Go to "Add Friends"All Contacts to see who in your phone contacts is on Snapchat. Then, add friends from this list.
  • Method 2: Snapcode: If you have their Snapcode (a unique QR code for Snapchat profiles), scan it to add them.
  • Method 3: Mutual Friends: Use the Quick Add section, which suggests people based on mutual friends or shared connections.
  1. Search by Username: Use the Search Bar at the top of Snapchat to enter their username directly.
  2. Use Contact Integration: Sync your phone contacts with Snapchat via the All Contacts section to find specific people.
  3. Mutual Connections: Check Quick Add for suggestions if you share mutual friends with the person.
  4. Ask for Snapcode or Username: If you know the person, request their Snapcode or username directly.

You can locate friends on Snapchat using Snap Map:

  1. Open the Snap Map by pinching the camera screen.
  2. Search for the person’s Bitmoji or username on the map (if they’ve shared their location with you).
  3. If they’re not visible, they may have turned off location sharing or are not active.

If you can’t find Snapchat friends near you, it may be due to several reasons. First, ensure that location services and "Precise Location" are enabled for Snapchat in your device settings, as the "Add Nearby" feature requires these to work. Both you and the nearby users must also have the "Add Nearby" feature turned on simultaneously so that your profiles appear to each other.

Additionally, privacy settings on Snapchat prevent others from being discoverable, or there could be a limited number of users in your area using this feature. If none of these are the issues, consider checking your app’s settings or updating it to ensure compatibility.

linkedin
Sam Nguyen is the CEO and founder of Avada Commerce, an e-commerce solution provider headquartered in Singapore. He is an expert on the Shopify e-commerce platform for online stores and retail point-of-sale systems. Sam loves talking about e-commerce and he aims to help over a million online businesses grow and thrive.