What does “Time Sensitive” mean on Snapchat notifications?

This topic has 6 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 1 month, 1 week ago by Eamon Burke.

Post

- September 20, 2025 at 11:57 am
Joseph Martin
Participant

Hey, I recently noticed that some Snapchat notifications on my iPhone pop up with the label “Time Sensitive,” and I’m not sure what it really means. It looks like the phone treats them differently from regular notifications, almost like it’s making sure I don’t miss them. Does “Time Sensitive” mean Snapchat messages are more urgent, or is it just an iOS feature? I’m curious if it’s Snapchat marking certain notifications this way, or if Apple automatically does it through the Focus and Notification settings. Also, is there a way to turn it off if I don’t want Snapchat pushing through my Focus or Do Not Disturb? Just trying to figure out what exactly is happening when that label shows up.

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Replies

- September 20, 2025 at 11:59 am
Arlen Crowe
Participant

“Time Sensitive” on Snapchat isn’t about urgency from your friends—it’s iOS allowing those notifications to override silencing. Usually applied to messages or mentions. If you prefer peace, disable “Time Sensitive” notifications under Snapchat’s app settings on your iPhone.
- September 20, 2025 at 12:00 pm
Fenwick Troy
Participant

Hi, “Time Sensitive” is just Apple’s way of flagging certain alerts. It lets Snapchat messages push through Focus. You can switch it off in Settings.
- September 20, 2025 at 12:01 pm
Osric Vale
Participant

On Snapchat, “Time Sensitive” notifications show up because Apple allows them to break through Focus. They’re usually chats, mentions, or calls. If you don’t want that, just disable the “Time Sensitive” setting for Snapchat in iPhone’s notification preferences.
- September 20, 2025 at 12:02 pm
Truman Rhodes
Participant

It’s iOS labeling, not Snapchat magic. “Time Sensitive” means the notification can bypass Focus or Do Not Disturb. You can toggle it off in Settings > Notifications > Snapchat if it’s too intrusive.
- September 20, 2025 at 12:02 pm
Hollister Cain
Participant

Snapchat notifications labeled “Time Sensitive” are flagged that way by iOS. It’s Apple’s system saying, “this alert can override your Focus settings.” Apps like Snapchat enable it for chats, mentions, and calls. I tested it—when Do Not Disturb was on, normal Snaps were blocked, but chats tagged “Time Sensitive” came through. If you’d rather not have that, go into your phone’s notification settings and switch off the Time Sensitive toggle for Snapchat. That puts you back in control.
- September 20, 2025 at 12:03 pm
Eamon Burke
Participant

Hey, good catch—this is actually more about iOS than Snapchat itself. Apple added “Time Sensitive” notifications in iOS 15. Apps like Snapchat can mark certain alerts as time sensitive, meaning they’ll break through Focus modes (like Do Not Disturb or Sleep) so you don’t miss them.

On Snapchat, this often applies to messages, mentions, or story replies, since those are considered more “urgent” interactions than, say, random subscription updates. It doesn’t mean the message is special or that your friend sent it as “urgent”—Snapchat just labels these as important by default.

If you don’t like it, you can control it:

Go to Settings > Notifications > Snapchat.

Toggle off “Time Sensitive Notifications.”

That way, even if you’re on Do Not Disturb, Snapchat won’t sneak past.

So the label basically means “this notification is allowed to bypass silencing.” It’s not Snapchat judging the urgency of your chat—it’s a system-level feature.