While going through the friend list on your Snapchat profile, you might have come across a particular section called “Quick Add”, where Snapchat profiles of different people (who might be related to you or not) are listed side-by-side.
In this article, we will discuss what is quick add on Snapchat, and try to find out ways in which the Quick Add feature works, whether through mutuals, location access, or contact list.
But first, we will talk about the different methods to add friends on Snapchat and how the Quick Add suggestions list boosts your reachability.
Different Methods to Add Friends on Snapchat
You can add friends on the Snapchat platform and have conversations with them through different methods, such as through the contact list, using their username or snap code, or through the profiles suggested by the quick-add section. The various techniques are given below, along with instructions on using them.
From Your Phone Contact List
Firstly, Snapchat provides you with an extensive and quick option to add friends to your profile from the contact list on your iPhone or Android devices.
Snapchat combs through the contact number present in your phone contacts, check if the phone number is associated with a Snapchat profile, and then shows them in the Add Friend section. But it requires permission from you to access the address book, and let us show you how to accomplish that:
- Open the Snapchat app from the app drawer on your preferred device.
- Tap on the profile icon (containing your Snapchat avatar) at the top left corner of the screen.
- Scroll down and press the Add Friends option under the Friends section.
- Tap on All contacts beside the Quick Adds heading under the search bar.
- Snapchat will ask permission from you to access the local contact list, and without it, friends cannot be added. Tap on Yes to confirm.
- Snapchat automatically finds Snapchat profiles based on its searching algorithm and displays them through an alphabetically sorted list.
- You can Add friends from here by tapping the Add button beside each profile.
In addition, one of the most intriguing aspects of Snapchat is that each user is assigned their own Snapcode, which is a personal code that is exclusive to their profile and cannot be duplicated by anyone else.
If your friend shares their Snapcode with you, you may scan that visual code with your camera (Snap camera) and then add them as friends to your social media account. There are two ways in which this can be done:
Scanning a picture of their Snap Code:
- To begin, your friend may send you a screenshot of their Snapcode. Once they have, open Snapchat, press and hold the shared Snapcode from the conversation, and then choose ‘Save to Camera Roll‘ from the pop-up menu.
- Click on the top-left profile icon and then on ‘Add Friends‘.
- On the top-right corner of the screen, click the Snapcode symbol beside the Search bar.
- This will access your camera roll, where you may pick the Snapcode of your buddy.
- Once you submit a photo of the Snapcode, Snapchat will scan it, locate your friend profile, and you may quickly add them from there.
Scanning the Snap Code in person:
- You can perform this only when your friend is physically present with you.
- Ask them to open their profile and snap code on their device.
- On your phone, you can simply open up the Snapchat App, rotate the camera to the back one, and place it in front of the snap code.
- Press and hold the Snap code on the screen.
- Snapchat will scan the code and show your friend’s profile on the screen.
- Simply tap on Add Friend beside their name, and you are good to go.
Search their username on Snapchat
If you can neither get your friend’s phone number nor their Snapcode picture, you can add them as your friend simply by searching their user name on Snapchat. Make sure you know their exact username before searching; else, you might add someone else as a friend. Here is how to do it:
- Open the Snapchat app, go to your profile from the top-left profile icon, and press Add Friends under the Friends section after scrolling down.
- On the empty Search bar at the top, type the username and wait for some time for your friend’s profile to appear.
- Tap on the Add button beside the friend’s name to add them as your friend.
Using the Quick Add Snapchat Friend Suggestion Feature
Lastly, we come across the Quick Add feature on Snapchat, which is the central theme of this article.
These Quick add algorithms search for mutual friends on Snapchat based on various parameters (discussed in the next section) and list them on your Add Friend page according to their relevance. The steps below show how to add friends listed on the Quick Add suggestion box:
- Open your profile on the Snapchat app by tapping the top left profile icon.
- Scroll down and tap on the Add Friends button under the Friends category.
- You will arrive at the Quick Add page, and different Snapchat Accounts will be listed there.
- You can tap on the Add button beside each username, and a friend request will be sent to them under the category “Added using quick-add”. You can view their Snap stories and filters only after accepting you as their friend.
What is Quick Add on Snapchat? What does Quick Add mean?
Snapchat allows users to quickly add friends to their list by using the “Quick Add” option. It is basically Snapchat’s version of Facebook’s “People You May Know,” which is based on characteristics such as the number of Snapchat mutual friends and/or the location of the users (if enabled).
This function is convenient since users are limited to just seeing the stories of their friends, and there are no public profiles to peruse to meet new friends.
Snapchat users can only be identified by their unique username, which they create themselves (or the Snapchat QR code).
To help users quickly discover friends when 1) they do not know their username and 2) they are unaware that they are Snapchat users, the “Quick Add” feature was developed.
How does Snapchat Quick add Friends to their Suggestions?
Even though “Quick Add” assists users in finding friends, Snapchat does not disclose how or why the recommended friends are selected. Users only see the names and usernames of the persons recommended to them.
At the very least, Facebook provides justification in the form of the original number of mutual friends. New users are likely to be perplexed as to why Snapchat is directing them to add this individual.
Therefore we have given you four parameters on which the Snapchat Quick Add algorithms depend for finding accounts relevant to you:
- Finding Snapchat Profiles around you based on your location
- Accessing Mobile Numbers through your phone contacts list
- Newly Created Snapchat Profiles
- From Friends on Social Media Account Linked with Snapchat
Finding Snapchat Profiles around you based on your location
Snapchat can access your location to find Snapchat accounts present physically close to you, increasing their weightage of relevance in the Quick Add list.
For instance, someone who spends a significant amount of time in the same place as you is far more likely to recognize you than someone who lives 20 miles away. i.e., If the two of you never cross paths, the app may assume that you are unfamiliar with one another.
However, location is not the defining factor for this feature. Rather than that, Snapchat’s algorithm will view it as a component of a larger puzzle.
Excluding individuals only because they haven’t crossed paths with you would be tremendously naïve since we all have family members, previous coworkers, and old school friends we haven’t seen in a long time.
Accessing Mobile Numbers through your phone contacts list
If you’ve granted Snapchat access to your phone’s contact list, it may display Snapchat accounts from your phonebook.
This is a “Find A Friend” option similar to those found on Instagram and Twitter. Essentially, if someone joins Snapchat using a phone number in your contact list, Snapchat may interpret this as a hint that you are acquainted.
Additionally, you will notice that the order of this list will constantly update and vary. This is to maintain the list looking “fresh” and to allow for the possibility of other people appearing at the top of your Quick Add page.
Newly Created Snapchat Profiles
When using the Quick Add feature, the words “Recently joined” will show beneath the name of the person who has recently created an account on Snapchat.
They have created a Snapchat Account not long ago and have added some of your mutuals to their list.
In a nutshell, they’re new, and they’ve been adding individuals that you may recognize. Consequently, Snapchat assumes a significant likelihood that they are also familiar with you.
From Friends on Social Media Account Linked with Snapchat
If you had linked a social media account on Snapchat or logged in through Facebook or Instagram on your device, Snapchat might use this data as an essential parameter in their Quick Add suggestion algorithms.
For example, you might see your Twitter or Instagram friends listed on Snapchat under the Quick Add section, giving you the option to add them as a Snapchat friend.
All users from other social media accounts will also get recommendations to add you to their networks.
Because you were linked on social media, and Snapchat will recognize that you and your friend are connected on other social media platforms, it will want you to connect here as well, for the same reasons.
FAQs
How To Turn Off Quick Add On Snapchat?
Snapchat users are not given the option to get rid of the Quick Add suggestion feature, but users can choose which Snapchat accounts they don’t want to see on the list.
Tap on the “X” button beside the suggested profile name, and confirm your action by tapping Yes on the pop-up dialog box. This will remove them from the Quick Add list and not appear again.
How To See Who You Added On Snapchat?
Snapchat has a dedicated section called My Friends that shows the Snapchat accounts you have connected with. Tap on your profile icon at the top-right corner, scroll down to the Friends section and click on My Friends. Tap the 3-dotted icon at the top-right corner, and select Recently Added Friends.
How To Refresh Quick Add On Snapchat?
There is no direct way to refresh the Quick Add suggestions on Snapchat. The only viable option is to clear the Snapchat cache from the App Settings.
Long-press on the app icon and tap on Settings (or the “i” icon). Scroll down and select Storage and cache, and click on Clear cache.
This will reset the friends under the quick add section in Snapchat.
What Does Added By Search Mean On Snapchat?
Added By search means that the person who has sent you a friend request on Snapchat has searched for your username in the Snapchat search bar and has pressed the Add button. You can either accept their request or deny and ignore it.