This Snapchat feature can tell you if your crush is into you
LONDON -- Holding my phone high in the air, I tilt my head to one side and channel my best Kylie Jenner pout. Naturally, it'd be remiss not to add a filter, so I tap and hold before choosing one.
With the help of the purple crown filter, I look like a female, pouty version of Julius Caesar. It's the exact look I was going for, so I post it to my Snapchat Story and return to unfiltered reality.
Minutes later my finger hovers over those three little dots. I tell myself it's too soon to check, but the compulsion gets the better of me. I feel a fluttery sensation within as I tap that telltale icon shaped like an eye.
And, there it is: a notification to tell me that my crush has already viewed my Snap Story. The sight of these two little words fills me with joy. "Omg, does he like me?" I ask myself.
Those three little dots can be found on Snapchat's Stories tab. Once you've posted a photo or video to your Story, you can tap on the three dots, and then an eye-shaped icon, to find out who's viewed your Story, and how many Snaps they viewed.
This notification might not sound like much, but, to me -- and anyone else with a crush -- it's the modern day version of a love note; a little nudge that says 'I like you'; the Facebook poke of 2016.
Relationship expert Laurel House says that Snapchat is an ideal platform for dating, and its notifications can provide insights unlike any other social network.
Indeed, a 2015 study of adult social media users examined participants' motives for using certain platforms. The findings revealed that Snapchat is used more for finding new "love interests" and for flirting, while Facebook is used for keeping in touch with friends.
"You might not be aware of their in-person side glances and sly looks. But on Snapchat, there's no hiding."
"More than merely looking at your profile, Snapchat lets you see how many photos that person viewed, letting you see just how much others like what they see," House told Mashable.
"Not sure if someone in real life notices you? You might not be aware of their in-person side glances and sly looks. But on Snapchat, there's no hiding. Regardless of whether or not someone clicks 'like,' you know that they have looked," House continued.
Somebody's watching me
"Snapchat happy" lifestyle blogger Luisa-Christie Walton-Stoev also uses the Story notifications to gauge whether or not someone ~likes~ her.
"There was a boy I liked who I added on Snapchat earlier this year. He viewed my story a lot; never posting Stories himself, though," Walton-Stoev told Mashable.
"But, it transpired after a few dates and longer and longer between texts that we were very different, with different hobbies, and living in different cities -- perhaps my Snapchat Story highlighted that more for him," Walton-Stoev continued.
However, Walton-Stoev also found herself becoming obsessed with the feature, constantly checking to see if people had viewed her Snapchat Story -- particularly those she subconsciously wanted to view it.
Snapchat's Story has also played a role in marketing manager Jane Cooper's love life.
"I have a friend who always messages me when he knows I've seen his Snap Story saying 'that was for you,'" Cooper told Mashable.
"We went on a date and, for me, it didn't really click in a romantic way but I said we should be friends," Cooper continued.
Snapchat doesn't just highlight the interest of prospective partners, however. It can also raise questions about your ex's current feelings for you, as comedian Jay Malsky discovered.
"I have an ex who is ALWAYS the first person to view my story or open a Snapchat. And, I can't help but notice and then go down this rabbit hole of questions," Malsky told Mashable.
Malsky's thoughts range from: "Is he obsessed with me still?" to "Why is he on snapchat all day? and then "Could we still have a future together?"
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PR executive Mike Casais thinks that watching Snapchat Stories is more intimate than a simple "like" on Facebook.
"It does give you some satisfaction knowing your love interest's watched your story. In the same way that you'd probably get some sort of satisfaction from having them 'like' your new pic on Facebook," Casais told Mashable.
"The only difference being: liking an image on Facebook is public, which some people would choose not to do. Watching your Snapchat story feels slightly more intimate," says Casais.
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Snapchat star and radio presenter Mark Kaye says that Snapchat Stories make it easy to know exactly where your crush is, what your crush is doing, and who they're with. But -- Kaye adds -- that doesn't necessarily make it easy to gauge reciprocity.
"The better indicator of how interested your crush may be is how quickly they open your Snaps. When you send them a snap do they open it right away? Do they snap you right back or do they wait a really long time?" Kaye told Mashable.
"The sooner that solid arrow turns hollow the more likely it is that your crush feels the same about you."
"The sooner that solid arrow turns hollow the more likely it is that your crush feels the same about you," Kaye continued.
Whether you're too shy to explicitly express your interest in someone, or you're just not sure if they feel the same way, Snapchat can be a good way to make it clear that you're interested in their Story without giving away too much.
A Story view gives away just enough to leave someone wondering what it means without declaring your hand. But, remember: it's not necessarily a dead-cert that they're interested. Interpret with caution, and keep your eyes peeled for further signs of interest before you act.
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Topics Snapchat Social Media
Rachel Thompson is the Features Editor at Mashable. Rachel's second non-fiction book The Love Fix: Reclaiming Intimacy in a Disconnected World is out now, published by Penguin Random House in Jan. 2025. The Love Fix explores why dating feels so hard right now, why we experience difficult emotions in the realm of love, and how we can change our dating culture for the better.
A leading sex and dating writer in the UK, Rachel has written for GQ, The Guardian, The Sunday Times Style, The Telegraph, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Stylist, ELLE, The i Paper, Refinery29, and many more.
Rachel's first book Rough: How Violence Has Found Its Way Into the Bedroom And What We Can Do About It, a non-fiction investigation into sexual violence was published by Penguin Random House in 2021.
