How to turn off Snapchat Spotlight and its notifications on iPhone (2026)
We could not find a setting in Snapchat's help that removes the Spotlight tab or turns Spotlight off. What you can do in Snapchat: turn off the notification types you don't want in Settings, turn off Story notifications for people you follow, hide content you don't like, and, with Snapchat+, choose which tab the app opens on. If you want Spotlight gone, open Snapchat in an app that hides it. In minulo, hiding Spotlight and Discover is free and your chats keep working.
This page is written by Ayumu Kitabayashi, the developer of minulo. Facts about Snapchat and iPhone settings come from the sources listed below, checked on 2026-10-23. Menu names can change with app and iOS updates.
| Method | What it does | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| Snapchat notification settings (Profile › ⚙️ › Notifications) | Turns off each type of Snapchat notification you choose. | Spotlight itself stays in the tab bar. Snapchat's help does not list the notification types by name. |
| Story notifications (Manage Story Notifications, or Story Settings on a chat) | Chooses whose Stories you get notified about. | About Stories from people, not the Spotlight feed. |
| Hide content (press and hold, or skip) | Snapchat ranks what you hide or skip lower. In Discover, Hide this Content removes that Story or Show. | One item at a time. Snapchat says you can't completely disable a topic or the Discover section. |
| Home Tab (Snapchat+ only) | Chooses the tab Snapchat opens on. | Needs a paid Snapchat+ subscription. Spotlight is still in the tab bar. |
| iPhone notification settings | Turns off all Snapchat notifications. | Chat notifications stop too. |
| iPhone Screen Time | Limits or blocks the whole Snapchat app. | It cannot target Spotlight, and blocking the app blocks chats too. |
| minulo (free) | Opens Snapchat with Spotlight and Discover hidden. Chat keeps working. | The official Snapchat app itself does not change. minulo can lock it with Screen Time, but its notifications don't arrive while it is locked. |
How to turn off Snapchat notifications you don't want
- In Snapchat, tap your profile icon at the top.
- Tap ⚙️ to open Settings.
- Tap Notifications.
- Turn off the toggle for each notification type you don't want.
To choose whose Stories you hear about, tap Manage Story Notifications on the same screen and pick the people you still want. You can also do it per friend: swipe right to the Chat screen, press and hold a chat, tap Story Settings and turn Story Notifications off. If the alerts are about comments on Snaps you posted to Spotlight, turn off Comments in Notifications.
To silence Snapchat completely, open the iPhone Settings app, tap Notifications, tap Snapchat and turn off Allow Notifications. That stops chat notifications as well.
What doesn't remove Spotlight
- Hiding or skipping Snaps. Snapchat says it uses hiding, skipping and reporting as signs you don't enjoy something, and shows less like it. Spotlight still fills with other Snaps.
- Turning off personalization. In the European Economic Area, the UK and Switzerland, Snapchat lets you turn off personalized recommendations in Spotlight and Discover or reset suggested content. Snapchat says you will still see content, only less tailored to you.
- Hide Sensitive Content in Family Center. A parent can turn this on for a teen. It limits sensitive or suggestive content in Stories and Spotlight, but Spotlight stays.
- Changing the Home Tab. With Snapchat+ you can open the app on a different tab, but the Spotlight button is still at the bottom.
Hide Spotlight for free with minulo
minulo opens Snapchat's website inside the app. In its Snapchat settings you turn on hiding for Spotlight and Discover, and it stays on until you turn it off. Chat opens straight from the minulo home screen. On iPhone, minulo uses the camera and microphone only when you take a photo or video in Snapchat inside minulo.
- Install minulo from the App Store.
- On the home screen, tap Add a service and choose Snapchat.
- Tap the gear next to Snapchat and turn on hiding for Spotlight and Discover.
If you keep opening the official Snapchat app out of habit, minulo can lock it with Screen Time and send you to minulo when you tap its icon. That is free for up to 2 hours per block. While the official app is locked, its notifications don't arrive, so lock it only when you can miss them, for example while studying or at night. minulo Pro ($9.99 a month or $39.99 a year in the US) adds schedules by day and time, blocks longer than 2 hours, Hard Mode, which makes turning a block off take a few minutes on purpose, and multiple block lists.
Can you turn off Spotlight on Snapchat?
We could not find a way in Snapchat's help as of October 2026. Spotlight stays in the tab bar at the bottom of the app. Snapchat's help says about Discover that you can't completely disable the section, and we found no setting for Spotlight either. To use Snapchat without Spotlight, open it in an app that hides it, such as minulo, where this is free.
How do I turn off Spotlight notifications on Snapchat?
Tap your profile icon, tap the gear to open Settings, tap Notifications, and turn off each notification type you don't want. If the alerts are about comments on your own Spotlight Snaps, turn off Comments in the same Notifications screen. To stop every Snapchat notification, go to the iPhone Settings app, tap Notifications, tap Snapchat and turn off Allow Notifications.
Can I make Snapchat open on a tab other than Spotlight?
Only with Snapchat+. Subscribers can open My Account, tap their Snapchat+ membership card, tap Home Tab and choose the tab the app opens on. Spotlight is still one tap away in the tab bar.
Does hiding Snaps on Spotlight make it go away?
No. Snapchat says it treats hiding, skipping and reporting as signs that you don't enjoy that content and ranks it lower, but Spotlight keeps showing other Snaps. It works one Snap at a time.
How do I hide Spotlight on Snapchat but keep my chats?
iPhone Screen Time limits the whole Snapchat app, chats included, so it does not help here. Use an app that opens Snapchat with Spotlight hidden. In minulo, hiding Spotlight and Discover is free, and chat opens straight from the home screen.
Sources
- Snapchat Support: What is Spotlight?
- Snapchat Support: How do I control my Snapchat notifications on iOS?
- Snapchat Support: How do I turn on Story notifications from friends?
- Snapchat Support: How do I turn off notifications for my Spotlight comments?
- Snapchat Support: How We Rank Content on Spotlight
- Snapchat Support: How to Hide or Unhide a Story in Discover
- Snapchat Support: How do I change my Home Tab with Snapchat+?
- Snapchat Support: How do I restrict content for my teen in Family Center?
- Apple: Change notification settings on iPhone
- App Store (US): minulo
