Are you viewing someone on Snapchat, and see that it says ‘Recently joined’ near their username?
There has been a lot of confusion online as to what this actually means, and how long the recently joined tag actually stays there. Additionally, some people have seen this tag show up when it doesn’t make sense to, which has led them wonder why it happened.
So, in this article I’ll be answering all of these questions, with the aim of clearing some of this confusion up.
Let’s get to it!
What Does Recently Joined Mean On Snapchat?
When Snapchat says that someone has recently joined, it means that their account is new to Snapchat.
They have recently signed up to the platform, and they are just starting to use Snapchat on that account for the first time.
There is a common misconception that ‘Recently joined’ means that they have recently appeared on your Quick Add list, but this isn’t the case.
When you add new people on Snapchat, your Quick Add list will refresh, showing new mutual friends of the person you just added.
Hence, this is where the myth that recently joined and new Snapchat connections are related. However, the tag will only appear if the account itself is new as well.
How Long Does Recently Joined Last?
So, how long does the recently joined tag last on Snapchat before it ends up disappearing?
While nobody has an exact answer, estimates and monitoring of other users show that the recently joined tag can last anywhere from one week to a month.
On average, you can expect it to stay around for about two weeks before it finally disappears. In some cases however, it seems that it may disappear even quicker, or stick around even longer.
However, if you see the recently joined message on somebody’s Snapchat page – or it appears in the Quick Add section, you can be sure their account is less than a month old.
Why Snapchat Recommends Recently Joined Users In Quick Add
If you browse through your Quick Add page, you may see a LOT of users that have recently joined Snapchat showing up as suggestions.
So why are they so frequent, and why does Snapchat suggest these people so heavily?
Really, it’s not so much for your benefit as it is for theirs.
Snapchat knows that one of the most critical times for a user is right after they sign up.
Since Snapchat is a social app, they must do everything they can to encourage the new user to actually make connections and begin having interactions within the app. If they are able to get someone into a habit of messaging friends on Snapchat (or viewing other people’s stories), they know that user is most likely to stay around for the long-haul.
The heavy suggestions benefit you as well, however. If a friend recently joined Snapchat, they want to be absolutely sure you know of it so you can add them. After all, you may not be looking for them on there anymore, after you realized they didn’t have an account previously.
Besides, people who have recently joined Snapchat are eligible to appear on your quick add suggestions for the first time. Therefore, they may be pushed ahead of people you’ve ignored or chosen not to add in the past.
So, that’s why new Snapchat users may be weighted more heavily in Snapchat’s suggestion algorithm.
For tips on removing specific people from Quick Add, click here!
Snapchat Says Someone Recently Joined, But They’ve Had An Account For A While. Why?
In rare cases, you may see someone that says they’ve recently joined, but you know for a fact that they’ve been signed up to Snapchat for a while now.
So, what causes this?
Most likely, the person that you’re viewing has made a new Snapchat account, and just created the same Bitmoji or a similar handle / name for their account.
This would make it look almost identical, and very hard to tell the difference.
If this person is part of your phone’s contacts and you’ve synced them with Snapchat, you may also get a notification stating that one of your contacts has joined Snapchat. However, they would have needed to use the phone number that’s in your phone’s contacts list to create their account.
If the person didn’t make a new account and you are still seeing the ‘recently joined’ message, this is likely due to a technical glitch and it should resolve itself shortly.
Conclusion
When Snapchat says that somebody has ‘recently joined’, it simply means that their Snapchat account is new.
Most commonly, the tag tends to disappear after a couple weeks to a month, based on reports and careful monitoring from other users.
I hope that you’ve found this article helpful, and it has answered all of your questions about the ‘Recently Joined’ tag on Snapchat. If you have any other questions about it, please ask them using the comment form below – chances are, other people have the same question as you do.
Thanks, and wishing you the best,
– James McAllister