What Does "Received" Mean on Snapchat? A Tech Geek‘s Guide to Decoding Snapchat‘s Elusive Notification Icons

Snapchat has cemented itself as one of this generation‘s most popular mobile messaging apps. With over 265 million daily active users sending over 5 billion snaps per day, Snapchat‘s reach is staggering for an app that seemed like just another fad when it launched in 2011.

Part of Snapchat‘s viral success can be attributed to its innovative UI design that focuses on visual communication. But while Snapchat may appear straightforward on the surface, the app‘s plethora of symbols and notifications contain deeper meanings that users must decode.

One notification that often confuses newcomers is the "received" status on unopened snaps and chats. What exactly does this ambiguous indicator mean and how is it different than other statuses like "sent" or "opened"?

In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll be tackling everything you need to know about Snapchat‘s notifications from my perspective as a curious tech geek. Beyond just explaining what "received" means, we‘ll also dive into:

• How Snapchat‘s backend infrastructure actually delivers your snaps
• The meaning behind all snap and chat icons
• Recent privacy controversies around Snapchat‘s security protections

If you want an under-the-hood understanding of the ephemeral messaging app that has bewitched teenagers and baffled parents, read on to have Snapchat‘s secrets revealed!

The Basics: How Snapchat Works

To understand Snapchat‘s notifications, we must first understand how the app actually functions.

When you send a snap, the image or video is uploaded from your phone to Snapchat‘s servers in their cloud infrastructure. This upload occurs extremely fast thanks to optimization efforts from Snap‘s engineering teams.

Once on Snap‘s servers, the snap is encrypted and prepared for delivery. Key identifying information like your friend‘s username is attached to create a delivery address.

Snapchat then dispatches the snap from their servers to the recipient‘s phone using a content delivery network designed to handle billions of messages each day:

User 1 uploads snap → 
        Snap Inc. Servers → 
               Content delivery network → 
                        User 2 receives snap

So in summary, each snap takes a journey:

Your phone → Snapchat‘s cloud servers → Friend‘s phone

This is why snaps can‘t be accessed if your phone loses connection. The app requires constant communication with Snapchat‘s server infrastructure to send and receive messages.

Now let‘s explore what happens as snaps make their voyage between you and your friends!

Notification Meanings: From Sent to Opened

Snapchat sports a colorful array of symbols to indicate a snap‘s status:

Notification Icon	Meaning
	Sent: Your snap without audio begins its journey to your friend.
	Sent: Snaps with audio make their way through cyberspace.
	Delivered: Your snap has successfully reached your friend‘s phone.
	Opened: Your snap without audio has been opened!
	Opened: Somewhere your snap with audio is being enjoyed.

Fig 2. Notification icons for sent and opened snaps

As a snap sender, these icons give you visibility into the delivery journey and reassure you when the recipient views your message. It mimics an in-person conversation, like knowing your friend has heard your comment after seeing their reaction.

So what about the receiver‘s perspective? This brings us to the elusive "received" notification most Snapchat users have encountered.

Decoding "Received" Snaps and Chats

Picture this: You open Snapchat after an hour-long meeting to find six unopened snaps cluttering your inbox. Or mid-gossip session with your BFF, your phone buzzes with a 2 minute long snap from her detailing her theories on the latest drama. 👀

In both cases Snapchat alerts you to these incoming snaps the same way – with a mysterious notification reading:

Notification Icon	Meaning
	Alex – Received 🟥

Fig 3. The infamous "received" notification

This notification is Snapchat‘s official way of communicating:

"Alex sent you a snap but you haven‘t opened it yet!"

The color of the square also relays extra information about type of snap waiting for you:

• Red – A photo or video snap without audio
• Purple – A snap containing sound
• Blue – An incoming chat message

So in plain english, received = you have an unopened message. Simple enough right?

Where it trips people up is understanding how "received" differs from other post-sending statuses like "delivered" or "opened." But fear not loyal blog reader, I‘m going to break down the differences once and for all!

As shown in this comparison table, the key distinction is perspective. From the sender‘s point of view, "delivered" and "opened" confirm your message‘s progress. As the receiving party, "received" means incoming communication awaits your viewing.

So while someone else snapped you in your absence, you have the power decide if or when that message gets opened. 😎 Pretty cool right?

This leads to one final question around receiving snaps…

When Will You See "Received" Notifications?

Wondering when Snapchat will plague you with this alert? Here are the top scenarios that usually trigger the appearance of new "received" snaps:

1. Opening Snapchat after not using it for a while

Unless you have exceptionally boring friends, chances are snaps have piled up after not checking the app for a few hours.

2. Getting flooded with replies in a group chat

Group chats move fast. If you take a 10 minute popcorn break from an active conversation, you‘ll return to find your friends spammed you with their further thoughts and reactions.

3. When someone sends multiple snaps at once

Some snappers get snap happy and end up blitzing you with a batch of 3-4 consecutive snaps. Each one lands as its own "received" notification demanding to be viewed.

4. If connection issues prevented a sent message from actually reaching you

Sometimes sent snaps glitch out due to phone service problems or Snapchat‘s servers acting up. Later when connectivity resumes, re-delivered attempts show up as "received."

So in summary, "received" pops up under circumstances causing incoming snaps to pile up while you‘re preoccupied talking to your crush or taking a nap.

These notifications beg for your attention, baiting you to open Snapchat again and catch up messages from friends or fingernail polish groups. But don‘t be manipulated so easily my friend! Snapchat still presents certain privacy risks users should be aware of.

Snapchat‘s Security Controversies

While Snapchat‘s CEO presents the platform as a safe, ephemeral messaging option, various security incidents have highlighted risks posed by the app:

• Researchers discovered Snapchat failed to fully delete images from their servers after the designated expiration. Years worth of snaps were still discoverable with data recovery techniques.

• In 2013 a major data breach nicknamed ‘The Snappening‘ leaked usernames and phone numbers from nearly 100,000 Snapchat accounts.

• Multiple third-party apps have been built to secretly save Snapchat images without detection. Cybersecurity firm Symantec identified at least 78 such apps actively harvesting Snapchat photos.

• Spectacles, Snapchat‘s video-recording sunglasses with in-built cameras, originally had no indicator light to notify people around that they were being recorded.

While Snap Inc has since strengthened security and addressed vulnerabilities, users should be aware Snapchat lacks foolproof safeguards around privacy and user data protection.

Think carefully before capturing sensitive content like financial statements, nudity, or moments subject to legal ramifications if leaked. As with everything on today‘s internet, Snapchat messages have potential to come back and haunt you even after they’ve supposedly disappeared…

Key Takeaways

Let‘s review the key points covered in this all-encompassing inspection of Snapchat notifications:

🟥 What "Received" Means

• receiving a snap = someone sent you a message that is waiting unopened in your Snapchat inbox
• Hollow red, purple, and blue squares indicate photo snaps, video notes, and text chats respectively

🔺 Difference Between "Received" and "Delivered" / "Opened"

• Sender‘s perspective:
  • Delivered: Your message successfully reached the other person’s phone
  • Opened: They have viewed your snap
• Recipient‘s perspective
  • Received: You have new incoming message yet to be viewed

🕵️‍♀️ Typical Scenarios Seeing “Received”

• After not checking Snapchat for a prolonged period
• Getting flooded with responses in active group message
• When someone sends multiple consecutive snaps
• Message initially failed to deliver but eventually goes through

☢️ Privacy Precautions to Take

• Limit personal content shared
• Customize settings controlling who sees content
• Verify trusted connections
• Enable additional login protections
• Assume screenshots or other leakage is possible

Hopefully this guide served as helpful crash course explaining the meaning behind Snapchat’s extremely prevalent but rather vague “Received” notification icons plaguing our phones. But don’t let the illusion of fleeting messages prevent you from snapping cautiously.

Now…off to see what unread absurdities await me in Snapchat!