What Does Time Sensitive Mean on Snapchat (Full 2025 Guide)

Snapchat is fun, until your phone starts buzzing at the worst possible moment. Even when your iPhone is on Do Not Disturb (DND Snapchat) or Focus Mode, Snapchat can still push “Time Sensitive” notifications. These alerts are designed to bypass silence settings because iOS treats them as urgent.

In this guide, we’ll explain what “Time Sensitive” means on Snapchat and show you how to disable it on both iPhone and Android so you only get alerts when you actually want them.

If you’re exploring more Snapchat features, don’t forget to check out the complete Snapchat Planet Order guide to understand how the Friends Solar System works and where each planet stands.

The time-sensitive notifications of Snapchat are special alerts that are given a higher priority compared to conventional messages. Even when your phone is in Do Not Disturb (DND) or silent mode, these alerts may still appear. Instead of being hidden like normal notifications, they stay on your lock screen for a longer time so that you don’t miss them.

Snapchat usually marks messages or snaps from people you interact with the most. If you often chat with someone, reply quickly, or send them snapchat streak, Snapchat assumes they are important to you. That’s why you might see “Time Sensitive” on their messages.

The purpose of these alerts is to make sure you do not miss something that Snapchat thinks is urgent or personal.

Time sensitive notifications override your usual phone settings. Even if your notifications are silenced, these alerts still appear to make sure you don’t miss them.

Snapchat decides which alerts are important based on:

• Best Friends or BFF List: Messages from people who are high on your list of friends or who are in your Snapchat Solar System (Mercury, Venus, etc.) might be flagged as Time Sensitive.
• Active Streaks or Fast Replies: If you and someone send snaps daily, Snapchat assumes you care about each other’s messages.
• Urgent App Alerts: Sometimes Snapchat marks streak warnings or security alerts as Time Sensitive.
  

Not everything will get the Time Sensitive label. Typically, these are not included:

• Views or responses to stories (unless from a Snapchat’s best friend)
• Suggestions for friends
• Unexpected friend requests
• Chats in Group Snapchat (unless very active)
• Advertisements or Find content

You may notice that only one person’s messages show “Time Sensitive.” This usually means Snapchat thinks that person is one of your closest contacts based on:

• How often do you chat or snap each other
• How fast do you reply to them?
• If they are at the top of your bsf list planets
• If Snapchat’s Solar System ranks them highly (Mercury, Venus, Earth snapchat, etc.)
  

Tip: So if it says Time Sensitive for one person, Snapchat believes that you don’t want to miss their messages, even if your phone is silent.

Snapchat doesn’t label the option directly as “Time Sensitive” inside the app. Instead, you need to disable it from your phone settings. Here’s how to do it on both iPhone and Android:

• On your iPhone, open Settings.
• Press the Notifications button.
• Choose Snapchat by scrolling down.
• Disable time-sensitive alerts.

Tip: After this, Snapchat messages will no longer appear during Do Not Disturb or Focus Mode.

Android lacks an inbuilt feature of Time Sensitive feature as iOS does, but you can still manage Snapchat alerts manually.

1. Go to Settings.
2. Tap Apps > Snapchat > Notifications.
3. Choose which alerts to allow (Chats, Snaps, Mentions, etc.).
4. Turn off any notification category you do not want.
   

Tip: Android doesn’t actually show a “Time Sensitive” label like iOS, but you can still manually control which Snapchat alerts appear.

After being disabled:

• Once disabled, Snapchat will no longer bypass Silent Mode or DND.

• You will still receive notifications, but they will not be avoided. Avoid disturbing others.
• Pictures, streaks, or messages will not show up until you unlock your phone.

If you prefer peace and want to decide what’s important yourself, simply turn this setting off. Nevertheless, leaving it on could be useful if you frequently forget to respond or break streaks.

Feature	Time Sensitive Notifications	Regular Notifications
Bypasses Do Not Disturb	Yes	No
Stays on Lock Screen Longer	Yes (up to 1 hour)	Disappears quickly
Automatically selected by Snapchat	Yes	No
User Control	Can disable fully	Full customization

Snapchat loves to complicate things with different alert types. Here’s what each one means so you can choose what to keep or disable:

Term	Meaning	Should You Keep It?
Time Sensitive Notifications	High-priority alerts that bypass DND or Focus Modes	Turn OFF if you value peace
Silent Notifications	Alerts without sound or vibration	Safe to leave ON
Priority / Override DND (Android)	Allows Snapchat to ring even in silent mode	Turn OFF for full control
Snap Streak Reminders	Notifications to save streaks with friends	Optional — depends on your streak loyalty
Snapchat Story Notifications	Alerts when someone posts a story	Turn OFF if it gets spammy

DND means Do Not Disturb. Muting someone in Snapchat is not something that will make them send you notifications, so they will not realize that you put them on DND. It is one silent method of avoiding distractions.

A timer icon near a snap or message means that the snap will expire soon if you don’t open it. It can also show how long you have left before a streak breaks. Click on Snapchat Emojis to know what each snap icon means.

Push notifications are the alerts Snapchat sends to your lock screen or status bar, like messages, snaps, or mentions. They are different from in-app alerts because you see them without opening Snapchat.