What Is Snapchat Cheating and How To Spot It

While many people use Snapchat to chat with friends or send funny videos to family, many also use it as a means of infidelity. Cheaters flock to the app for its secretive features, like disappearing messages.

Whether you're someone who’s concerned about your partner cheating, worried you're engaging in concerning behavior yourself, or are just curious how the app is used to cheat, this guide is for you.

We'll explore the different types of Snapchat cheating, the signs to look for, how to address your concerns with your partner and whether Snapchat spy apps can help you catch them in the act.

How We Researched This Topic

To create this guide, we searched through numerous studies, surveys, and resources to find statistics about Snapchat cheating, what people consider Snapchat cheating, and how many people do it.

These studies and surveys were from psychological and academic journals, market research firms, and university departments. They feature research from doctors, professors, and other experts in fields like psychology, science, communications, and health.

What Is Snapchat?

Snapchat is a popular app where people send "snaps" (photos, videos, or messages) to one another, disappearing soon after being viewed. Users can also post stories for their followers and friends to see.

The app encourages people to stay in touch with their friends daily to maintain a "snapstreak," which counts the number of consecutive days people have communicated with one another.

While many of the interactions on the platform are innocent, the nature of its disappearing snaps may make you wonder if Snapchat is used for cheating. Although cheating statistics highlight that most people cheat with those they meet in person, many have affairs with people they meet on social media.

Snapchat, in particular, is quite popular among cheaters. According to a report by The Sun, 23% of cheaters use Snapchat as their app of choice for infidelity. The platform’s disappearing messages, photos, and videos enable cheaters to easily and automatically hide any evidence of their behavior, most of which can only be revealed by using a specialist tools like spy apps.

Types of Snapchat Cheating

There are several types of Snapchat cheating, below i’ll breakdown the most common, and how to spot it.

Emotional Snapchat Cheating

Emotional Snapchat cheating is when someone develops a bond and some level of non-physical intimacy with a person who isn't their spouse/partner. These often begin incredibly innocently, but feelings can slowly develop and deepen.

Eventually, they may feel closer to this other person than their actual partner and begin to share their emotions and support with them.

Snapchat emotional cheating can include someone:

• Sharing private details about their relationship with another person
• Turning to someone else for comfort
• Frequently "snapping" someone else at all times of the day
• Telling them things they won't even tell their partner
• Comparing their partner to the other person directly
• Neglecting their partner's needs for the needs of the other person

These affairs are also often seen as a gateway to other types of cheating, such as sexting or an actual physical relationship. However, despite the actions of emotional cheating not being inherently romantic, it doesn't mean they aren't harmful in a relationship.

According to a small survey done by The Journal of Social Media in Society, 20% of the participants admitted to emotionally cheating on their partner via Snapchat. If your partner is sneaking off or giving you reason to track your boyfriend’s phone or use a girlfriend spy app, they’re probably doing more than emotional Snapchat cheating.

Flirting and Sexting

As an emotional affair develops, flirting and sexting will ramp up in frequency too, but what does that look like? Flirting generally refers to verbal or physical actions that show someone is interested in or attracted to another person. You can spot it on Snapchat when a regular conversation turns from casual to more personal, playful, and potentially more sexual in nature.

Some signs that a conversation is getting flirty include using certain emojis (such as a wink, blushing face, side eye, or hand over mouth) or having more compliments, jokes, and teasing.

While this behavior on Snapchat may seem innocent, it can quickly advance to behaviors like sexting. This is when people send sexually explicit messages, photos, or videos to one another.

Because Snapchat messages self-destruct after being viewed, it's an easy place to share inappropriate content as there's no evidence left behind.

Sometimes, this can even evolve further into meetings off the platform and turn into a full-blown physical affair. According to a YouGov study, 12% of Americans admitted to having physically cheated on a partner before.

Maintaining Secret or Inappropriate Friendships on Snapchat

Another type of Snapchat cheating is maintaining a secret or inappropriate friendship. This includes hiding a friendship with an ex or interacting with someone their partner hates or disapproves of.

While this isn't seen as quite as serious as a partner sexting or emotionally cheating on Snapchat, that doesn't mean it’s not damaging the relationship. In fact, it's an example of micro-cheating, a concept that encompasses actions and behaviors that are small but still harm a relationship.

Examples of Snapchat micro-cheating include someone:

• Keeping a Snapstreak with a person outside the relationship
• Frequently messaging and replying instantly
• Trying to impress someone who's not their partner
• Constantly sending selfies back and forth
• Claiming to be single when they're not

While a single instance of one of these behaviors may not be enough to raise concerns or end a marriage, once they begin to pile up, it can strain a relationship. Many of these micro-cheating actions can lead to deeper emotional affairs if they continue, and cause enough suspicion to even tempt people to track a phone.

Outside of non-disclosed relationships or friendships, romantic partners often keep several other secrets from one another. According to a survey done by Lemonade, 22% of people have kept a secret from a partner when moving in together. The most common secrets to keep are details about past relationships and having done something they know their partner would be upset about.

4. Engaging in Deceptive Behaviors on Snapchat

The last type of Snapchat cheating is being deceptive on the platform. This includes deleting messages to hide them, adjusting story settings to fine-tune who can see them, or even operating an entirely secret Snapchat account.

Doing this eliminates all the evidence of questionable behavior and keeps the deceived partner in the dark. While what's being hidden might not be a full-on affair, engaging in any kind of deception could break someone's trust.

According to a study by the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, people lie to their romantic partners in nearly 27% of all interactions. Those who lie or hide things often believe others do the same. For example, if someone is emotionally cheating with an ex on Snapchat, they're more likely to assume that their partner is doing the same.

Signs of Snapchat Cheating

Now that you know what cheating on Snapchat looks like, let's go over some signs that your partner may be cheating on the app.

1. Constantly Hiding Their Phone Around You

If your partner always seems to hide their phone or conveniently point it away from you when you're around, it could be a sign they're cheating on Snapchat. The same goes for quickly closing Snapchat when you approach them.

While some people are just private and prefer to keep things to themselves, a long-term partner behaving this way is concerning. It often means they've got something to hide or are doing something they know you'll disapprove of.

2. Changing Their Behavior With Their Phone

A sudden change in how they use their phone or Snapchat account is also a red flag. There are endless ways their behavior could change, such as:

• Spending more time on Snapchat than usual
• Logging out of all their accounts frequently
• Not letting you use their phone anymore
• Putting the phone face down on the table after always putting it face up previously
• Enabling different privacy settings
• Changing their passcode so you no longer know it
• Smiling and/or laughing more on their phone than usual

It's important to note that even if they've changed their phone-use habits, they may not be honest with you about it. Also, unless you pay relatively close attention to them and how they use their Snapchat and devices, you may not even notice a change in their behavior.

3. Not Sharing Snapchat Information or History

Another possible sign of a cheating husband or cheating wife on Snapchat is if they're unwilling to share details about their Snapchat usage.39% admit lying to their partner about how they use social media.

When your partner is always on the app, sending messages and photos for hours, it's fair to wonder who they're sending them to. If you ask them what they're sending and to whom, and they won't tell you, it may be a sign they're unfaithful.

4. Defensive Responses About Their Snapchat Usage

Another potential sign of a Snapchat cheating wife or husband is if they get defensive when you ask them about their interaction with the app. This behavior could include making excuses, justifying their actions, dismissing your concerns entirely, or denying everything.

Most people who aren't hiding anything are honest about who they're messaging and what they're doing on an app, especially when their partner asks. If they get angry with you when you ask how often they use the app or who they're snapping, it may be a sign that they're communicating with someone they shouldn’t be.

A common defensive tactic is instantly bringing up your bad habits to shift the blame and focus on you. Sometimes, they may also directly accuse you of what they're doing.

5. Being Less Affectionate or More Distanced From You

Research shows that engaging in infidelity-related behaviors online is significantly related to lower relationship satisfaction and higher attachment avoidance. As a result, if your partner is less affectionate than usual or outright avoiding you, it could be a sign of cheating on Snapchat.

A large reason for this is that they're putting more energy and affection into the person they're snapping and thus have less for you. They'll begin to neglect your needs and be less attentive during the time you spend together since they're distracted by this other relationship.

While there are several reasons why intimacy can change in a relationship (it doesn't always mean cheating is involved), it may also signify that they're getting their intimacy fix from somewhere else and don't need it from you.

6. Unfamiliar People in Their Friends List

While you don't need to monitor every friend your partner has on Snapchat, if your partner is constantly adding new people, has long Snapchat streaks, or has lots of messages with people you aren't aware of, it can cause concern.

New interactions may be as innocent as rekindling a platonic friendship with an old college classmate. However, it could also mean your partner is developing an emotional affair online.

If you're comfortable with it, ask them who this person is. Their response will likely tell you all you need to know. If they're honest and open about who the person is, how they know them, and even share the type of messages they send, it's a good sign.

But if they get defensive, lie, or act outraged that you'd even ask them the question, they may be hiding something.

7. A Lack of Messages on the Account

In some cases, the absence of evidence could be the biggest indicator of infidelity. If someone frequently spends time on Snapchat and is always snapping pictures but has no previous messages/conversations, it's likely because they've been deleting cheating Snapchat messages to keep them hidden.

According to a study by the Personality and Individual Differences journal, deleting messages and other evidence of infidelity is one of the most common tactics that cheaters use to hide their actions.

However, even if there are no messages as proof, it's a good idea to check their Snapchat score. This score increases every time someone sends or receives a snap and posts a story.

If they hardly have any friends or conversations but a sky-high Snapchat score that keeps rising, there's a good chance they're regularly deleting messages to hide them from you. A cheating spouse tracker will give you access to your partner’s device so you can see exactly who they’re talking to on Snapchat, and when, even if they delete their messages or try to hide it.

How To Address Your Concerns Surrounding Snapchat Cheating

If you think your partner may be using Snapchat to cheat, or you're uncomfortable with how they use the platform, here are a few tips to help you address your concerns.

Begin the Conversation in a Non-Accusatory Way

While this is a difficult conversation to have, it's important to approach it as calmly and fairly as possible. Ask them about their Snapchat usage without automatically attacking and calling them out. This could be as easy as "Hey, I've noticed you using Snapchat more recently and was curious who you're talking to?"

It's great to make your feelings known, but if you come out and directly accuse them of cheating, and it turns out they're innocent, it could damage the relationship beyond repair. When addressing your concerns, calmly tell them why you're uncomfortable, what you feel, and why you think they're unfaithful.

While some cheaters are honest about their mistakes when questioned, others deny everything. However, if they deny it and you have evidence, don't hesitate to confront them directly and strongly with said evidence.

You want to give them the benefit of the doubt and a chance to explain themselves initially but don't let them dodge the conversation, make excuses, or gaslight you.

Communicate Boundaries and Expectations

To address these concerns or prevent them from ever coming up, it's crucial that you and your partner work on establishing what's acceptable and what's not when using Snapchat and other apps.

You need to discuss what conversations are okay, what actions are considered cheating, if there are platforms to avoid, and more. It's important to work on these with your partner so you're both on the same page, and there are no surprises.

While everyone has their own opinion, a study on adultery in the digital age revealed these stats about what people believe is cheating:

• 16% of Americans think following an ex on social media is always cheating (45% think it's sometimes cheating)
• 51% of Americans think sending flirtatious messages to someone other than your partner is always cheating (31% think it's sometimes cheating)
• 55% of Americans think being emotionally involved with someone other than your partner is always cheating (26% think it's sometimes cheating)
• 69% of Americans think sending sexually explicit messages to someone other than your partner is always cheating (12% think it's sometimes cheating)

However, it's up to you and your partner to determine what's allowed and what's taking it too far in your relationship. While it's preferable to do this before the concerns about cheating on Snapchat arise in the first place, late is better than never.

Also, if you have boundaries in place but feel you need to revisit them, bring this up with your partner so they know and can adjust their behavior.

Rebuild Trust if Snapchat Cheating Took Place

If addressing your concerns eventually reveals that cheating took place, the next step is to rebuild the trust in the relationship. Some ways to rebuild trust after Snapchat cheating include having open conversations, setting healthy boundaries, or even attending therapy.

That being said, some relationships may have to end if one or both parties can't look past the cheating or questionable behavior. Sometimes, Snapchat cheating may also indicate deeper trust or commitment issues. While some partners can work through it, others are crushed by the infidelity and can't continue the relationship.

For example, research published by Stress and Health said that of a sample of unmarried young adults who had been cheated on, over 45% of them reported symptoms suggesting they may have infidelity-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Also, research by the American Psychological Association found that 53%of couples who had some form of infidelity in their marriage were divorced within five years, even after using therapy to try and fix the relationship.

As a result, it's a challenge and takes a lot of work from both parties to rebuild trust and save the relationship after someone cheats on Snapchat. It's up to you whether you feel this was a one-time mistake by your partner that'll never happen again or a sign of worse things to come.

Can Spying Apps Help Reveal Snapchat Cheating?

In some cases, people use one of several Snapchat spying apps to try and find evidence of cheating. Using an app like this lets you know without question whether your partner is cheating on Snapchat or not.

These apps let you see a variety of data from your partner's Snapchat account, but the exact list depends on the app you choose. One of the most popular apps in the space is mSpy, and some of its most useful features include:

• A screen recorder to easily check your partner's screen
• Complete access to call logs
• View your partner's location at any time
• Access text messages, even if they've been deleted
• A keylogger that tracks everything they type
• Wi-Fi network monitoring

mSpy lets you gather plenty of Snapchat cheating evidence to help determine whether your partner is unfaithful.

The Legality of Spying

However, it's important to be careful when using apps like this. If your partner finds out you've installed one of these apps on their device without them knowing, they'll likely see it as a major invasion of privacy and could end the relationship altogether.

Also, ensure you know the legality surrounding this type of app where you live. Usually, installing spying software on someone else's device without their knowledge is illegal. However, this may not be the case if they know about it and agree to it.

Conclusion

Snapchat cheating is when someone uses the app to form deep emotional bonds with a person other than their partner, using it to flirt, sext, or maintain secret friendships. If you're concerned your partner is unfaithful on the app, look for signs like hiding their phone, being overly defensive, or showing you a lack of affection.

When confronting your partner, it's important to approach the topic gently and ensure you make your expectations and boundaries known.

If you want to learn more about this topic or find out what your partner is hiding, you can use some of the best Android spy apps, and iPhone spy app to do so.

FAQs

The post What Is Snapchat Cheating and How To Spot It appeared first on Techopedia.