It happens all the time. You sign up for an account on Snapchat quickly and include incorrect birthday details. You can still change this later to ensure you have the correct birthday details.
If you entered the wrong birth date initially and want to change it to the right one, you can tweak it.
Editing your birthday details is easy: go to your profile, tap on the settings (gear icon) at the top right, tap Birthday, and change the date.
While Snapchat lets you edit your birth date, there’s a limit to how many times you can change it.
Can you still edit your birthdate after the limit?
That’s the aim of this guide: to show you how to change your Snapchat birthday after the limit.
Let’s dive in.
The Importance of Accurate Birthday Details on Snapchat
Including correct birthday info is crucial not just on Snapchat but also on all social media platforms. Not doing so can make you a victim of identity theft and other cyber crimes.
You also don’t want to miss those birthday gifts from your friends on your big day just because you entered the wrong birth date. Remember, Snapchat only informs your friends about your birthday once a year.
So, if you enter the wrong birth date details or keep changing them, no one may know about your birthday.
And that means you’ll miss out on gifts like a balloon snapshot or birthday cake from your friends and loved ones on that special day.
Common Scenarios Where You May Need to Change Your Snapchat Birthday
A possible reason is that users may need to change their birth date due to privacy concerns. For example, some users might feel uncomfortable sharing their real birthdates publicly on social media.
Thus, changing the birthdate to a date close to the actual birthday, rather than the exact date, can enhance a degree of privacy.
You can also update your birthday information. If you provided incorrect birthday details when first signing up for Snapchat, you should change them to the correct date.
Why Does Snapchat Limit the Number of Times You Can Change Your Birth Date?
You may have entered incorrect birthday details when signing up. But after learning about the good things Snapchat can do on birthdays, you decide to change it. The problem is you can only change your birthdate a limited number of times.
Once you reach the limit, you’ll get a warning that you can’t make further changes to your birthday details if you get it wrong again. So, ensure it looks correct before submitting it.
Here is why Snapchat limits editing your birthday info.
To Protect Younger Users
If Snapchat allowed users to change birthday details as often as they wish, it would encourage users to increase or reduce their age for malicious purposes. For example, those under the age of 18 could change their age in order to access content or features meant for someone older.
It could also encourage users above 18 to change their info and be younger than 18, impersonate themselves, and start harassing younger users.
To Ensure Users Meet the Appropriate Age Requirements to Use Snapchat
Snapchat gives different age groups access to different content and features. For example, Snapchat prohibits sending, posting, forwarding, saving, or distributing sexually explicit content to users below 18 years.
By limiting how often users can alter their birthdays, the app ensures that users only access content suitable for their age.
Privacy and Safety Concerns
Snapchat collects particular personal data, including birthdates, to keep up with legal requirements and ensure user privacy and safety. Putting a cap on how many times users can change their birthday info helps uphold the integrity of this information and reduces the risk of possible misuse.
Content and Ads Targeting
The users’ age is essential in content optimization and targeted advertising on Snapchat. By limiting the frequency of changing birthday info, Snapchat can effectively tailor ads and content to users’ demographics and interests. The targeting enhances a more engaging and relevant experience.
Changing Snapchat Birthday Details After the Limit
Generally, you can’t change your Snapchat birthday details directly after exceeding the limit. But there are workarounds to fix the situation. Here are some of the proven methods you should explore.
Method 1: Contact Snapchat Support
Accessing Snapchat support
- Open the app on your smartphone
- Access your profile by tapping the profile icon on the screen’s top left
- Open Settings by clicking on the gear icon at the top right
- Scroll down the page and choose Support
- Under Support, tap on I Need Help
- You’ll be directed to a new page with multiple options, such as Using Snapchat, My Friends, Staying Safe, and more
- Scroll down to the ‘Contact Us,’ which has four sections: Using Snapchat, Managing My Account, Safety and Security, and Privacy
The birthday option falls under Managing My Account, but you’ll only find details on how to change your birthday. So this won’t let you contact support for help.
- Instead, tap the Contact Us button and navigate to Submit a Request. You’ll find a list of options.
- Select I Need Help with a Snapchat Feature and select Birthday. You will be directed to a page that explains how to change your birthday. At the end of it, you’ll see “Need help with something else?” Click on ‘YES.’
Provide a clear and concise description of the issue you need help with. Say you would like to adjust your birth date and have reached the limit.
Provide an honest and legal reason for the change. The reason might vary according to each user’s situation.
You can type something like this:
Dear Snapchat Support.
I accidentally entered the wrong birthdate when creating my Snapchat account, and now I can’t change it. Would you please help me change my birthday details? I’m ready to provide valid documents with the correct birth date written on them.
Thanks for your help!
[Your name]
Lastly, tap Submit.
Tips for effectively explaining the situation and requesting a birthday change
- Be polite and respectful: Don’t sound demanding or use harsh language when addressing Snapchat customer support. Be respectful and courteous instead.
- Attach supporting information: Add any relevant information or documents to help verify your request. Examples of supportive documentation include a scanned copy of your driver’s license.
- Be patient: A social media app’s customer support handles many inquiries and may take a while to respond to yours. Don’t send multiple follow-ups or requests, which might delay the entire process.
- Follow Up: Send a polite follow-up request if you don’t hear back from them in a few days.
Method 2: Open a New Snapchat Account
If you’ve contacted Snapchat Support to help change your birthdate and they declined, citing a significant account violation and even suspending your account, you may want to open a new account.
Also, if you think the support team won’t accept your reason for changing the birthday details or have no birthday verification documents nearby, you can disable birthday details in your existing account, open a new account with the correct birthday details, and inform your friends about the new account.
Plus, consider opening a new account if receiving birthday wishes from friends and loved ones through Snapchat is a big deal for you. Luckily, Snapchat allows you to create two or more accounts; just ensure each account has a different email address and phone number.
Besides, you can only log into one account at a time.
Opening a New Snapchat Account
Here are the steps to follow when opening a new Snapchat account:
- Download the app from Google Play or App Store
- Open the app and click Sign Up to create an account
- Respond to on-screen prompts to provide personal details, including your name, email, and date of birth. Be careful with the birthday details, and confirm they are accurate before submitting.
- Choose a different username for the new account
- If you know friends from the other account, search for their usernames and add them
Transferring Content
Unfortunately, Snapchat doesn’t provide an official or direct way to transfer content, like memories and snaps, between accounts.
Therefore, you’ll have to save content manually, such as videos and photos from the old account, and resend or re-upload it to the new account if you wish to keep them there.
Notify Friends about Your New Account
Alert your contacts and friends about the new Snapchat account by directly messaging them or sending a snap from your new account. This action will let them add your new account and keep in touch.
Adjust Account Settings and Privacy
Set the privacy preferences and account settings according to your preference. You can determine who can send you snaps, view your stories, or message you through Snapchat’s settings.
Method 3: Seek External Assistance
If your birthday is fast approaching and you want to fix your incorrect Snapchat details through their customer support, you may be disappointed because they don’t always respond promptly.
Besides, if you contact them rudely, they may decline to help you, like what happened to this Reddit user after someone hacked their account.
If you read the same Reddit thread, another user states they had a similar issue, and someone from Instagram fixed it. They even go ahead to mention the person’s Instagram username.
That would be a perfect solution for your Snapchat birthday change limit issue, right? Well, not so fast.
What if you are handing your account information to a hacker who will take over your account and post harmful information?
Evaluating the Credibility and Risks Associated With Using Such Services
Snapchat users’ most immediate places to seek help include social media platforms and online forums like Reddit or Quora.
While you can find real people on these platforms who experienced a similar situation and are easy to help, be careful and skeptical about anyone willing to assist.
Be on the lookout for those who may message you requesting login details. Some may ask that you contact them for help through Telegram or WhatsApp.
If you request help on Twitter or Facebook, expect to receive private messages from accounts claiming to be Snapchat support.
I recommend reading other people’s suggestions online and judging what to apply. Avoid discussing it through private messages.
Potential Risks
Account Security
Giving third-party access to your Snapchat account can expose it to security vulnerabilities. They might steal and misuse your personal information, such as photos, usernames, and email. They might also use your account to impersonate someone else, which violates Snapchat’s community guidelines.
Scams and Fraud
Third-party services claiming to help fix your Snapchat account issues, such as birthdays, might be fraudulent or scams. They may ask for a payment or your bank information under pretense. You can read more about the most common Snapchat scams here.
Data Privacy
Using a third-party service to tweak account information, such as birthdays, raises data privacy concerns. You may regrettably share sensitive information with untrustworthy entities, such as your password, email, and photos. You never know who else they can share that information with.
It’s Against Snapchat’s Terms of Service
What if someone promises to use a third-party tool to modify your birthday? They might try, but remember what Snapchat says about integrating third-party plugins or apps with your account before you allow it.
You can’t integrate your account with third-party apps, including SnapTools, Snapchat++, Sneakaboo, Phantom, SCOthman, and Emulator.
Using these and other tools is unauthorized by Snapchat and is against the company’s Terms of Service. It can put your account details and your friends at risk.
Conclusion
You may want to change your birthday information on Snapchat.
Possible reasons include correcting wrong details, not wanting excessive attention from Snapchat friends during your birthday, or you want to access features like filters and lenses, which are only available to users within a certain age bracket.
However, Snapchat limits how many times you can make such changes. If you reach the limit, contact Snapchat Support for help.
If they decline to help or suspend your account, consider creating a new one, but with the correct birthday details this time.
I personally would never seek outside assistance simply because it puts me at risk and above all, this is not something that Snapchat likes. I would like to continue using Snapchat.
