These days, you’ll find several apps and features to keep your important information away from prying eyes. For instance, most Android phones have a native “Private files” feature that allows you to password certain files.
If you’re into social media, you’ll be pleased to know that Snapchat also has a tool that helps you stop others from seeing content you don’t want them to. In this post, we’ll cover Snapchat’s My Eyes Only feature, how it works, and how to use it.
What Is Snapchat’s My Eyes Only Feature All About?
If you use Snapchat, you’ve probably come across the My Eyes Only tab. If you have but still have no clue what it’s all about, you’re at the right place. With My Eyes Only, you can store sensitive Snaps (meant for your eyes only) in a secret password-protected folder.
This restricts access to only persons with the passcode or passphrase. This passcode is not to be confused with your regular Snapchat password. Although different, they both work together to provide two layers of security and privacy for your Snapchat account.
Speaking of security and privacy, not even Snapchat itself can access the Snaps and photos that you move to My Eyes Only, making it impossible to recover them in the event that you forget your passcode. In that case, you’ll need to reset your passcode, which will delete everything in your My Eyes Only collection.
However, you may change your My Eyes Only passcode whenever you want. Unlike resetting your passcode, changing your passcode doesn’t delete your saved Snaps from your Memories.
Before we continue, it’s worth keeping in mind that all of the steps we discuss will work on both iOS and Android devices.
How to Use the My Eyes Only Feature on Snapchat
You’ll need to have at least one Snap saved in your Memories or other photos in your camera roll before you can use My Eyes Only. Let’s now go over how to use the My Eyes Only feature in Snapchat.
Set Up a Passcode
To use My Eyes Only, you need to first set up a passcode or passphrase with which you’ll be accessing the folder. First, you’ll need to open the Snapchat app on your phone and swipe up to access your Memories.
Alternatively, tap on the “Photos icon” at the bottom of your screen to the left of the capture button.
Afterward, tap on the My Eyes Only tab in the top-right menu—before selecting Set Up.
When prompted, enter a four-digit passcode, then enter it again to confirm. After that, review and tap on the consent request. Then, tap Continue when you’re done.
To finish setting up, hit Finish. You’ll see a “Nothing Here” alert because it’s your first time, and you haven’t moved any Snaps over to your My Eyes Only folder just yet.
Adding Snaps or Camera Roll Photos to the My Eyes Only Folder
While still in the app (after you’ve set up a passcode), tap on the Snaps tab and select the posts you want to move. You can choose multiple photos and move them at once.
After picking your posts, tap Hide in the bottom toolbar. A prompt will ask you if you want to move the files.
Next, you’ll need to click on Move to transfer the selected items to your My Eyes Only folder.
To view the photos you just moved, tap on My Eyes Only. Simply click on a post and hold to select it if you’d like to export, unhide, delete, or share your snaps. After that, tap on the appropriate button from the bottom toolbar, and follow the prompts.
There are other ways to add a snap to My Eyes Only. Simply tap on a Snap, long-press or tap the three dots menu button in the top-right corner, tap on Hide Snap (My Eyes Only), then tap on Move.
You can also add photos from your Camera Roll to your My Eyes Only folder by simply tapping on Camera Roll and following the exact same processes for adding Snaps described above.
Note that your passcode will be required each time you want to view your My Eyes Only folder after exiting your Memories.
How to Reset Your My Eyes Only Passcode
If you forget your passcode for some reason, you can easily reset it. However, your saved snaps will be deleted permanently. Here’s how to reset your passcode:
Open Snapchat and swipe up or tap on the “Photos” icon. Tap on My Eyes Only and when prompted to enter your passcode, simply tap Options in the bottom-right corner of your screen. Tap on Forgot Passcode and enter your Snapchat password when prompted. Tap Next when done. Grant your consent and tap Continue. Enter a new passcode, confirm it, grant consent, and tap on Continue. Tap Finish to complete the passcode reset.
How to Change Your My Eyes Only Passcode
If you still know your My Eyes Only passcode but want to change it, follow the steps listed below.
Open Snapchat and swipe up to access your My Eyes Only folder. On the passcode page, tap on Options in the bottom-right corner. Tap on Change Passcode. Enter your current passcode. Enter a new passcode and confirm it. Grant consent and tap Continue when done. Once your passcode has successfully changed, you can tap on Finish.
For Your Eyes Only on Snapchat
Whether it’s an important document or other sensitive content, you can restrict unauthorized access using Snapchat’s My Eyes Only feature. Simply ensure that you remember or write down your passcode.
Your privacy is your right, and whereas this may be harder to enforce online, more and more companies, apps, and products are protecting user privacy.
One good example is Google Photos. With its Locked Folder feature, you can easily hide all your sensitive photos in one password-protected folder. It’s a great way to keep prying eyes at bay.
