Guide
How to open a Snapchat data export on iPhone without a computer
You can open a Snapchat data export on an iPhone in two ways: unzip it in the Files app and browse the folders yourself, or open the ZIP directly in an app that reads it without unzipping. Snapchat's help page suggests using a computer, because its built-in viewer is an index.html file meant for a desktop browser. On an iPhone, unzipping works for a small export; for a large one, an app that reads the ZIP in place avoids needing room for a second full copy and gives you something better to look at than a folder of file names.
First, get the file onto your phone
Steps checked October 2026:
- Request your data from Snapchat's My Data page (accounts.snapchat.com, or Settings, then My Data in the app). Snapchat's help page lists the steps.
- When the email arrives, open the link on your iPhone and download the ZIP in Safari.
- Save it in the Files app. On My iPhone, then Downloads is a good place, because it's on the device rather than waiting to sync.
If your export arrives as several ZIP files, download every one into the same place. See multi-part exports.
Option 1: unzip it in the Files app
Tap the ZIP in Files and iOS expands it into a folder beside it. Inside you'll find folders such as json/, chat_media/ and memories/, and possibly html/ and an index.html. (What's inside the export goes through each one.)
What to expect:
- Space. Unzipping writes a full second copy. A 4 GB export needs about 4 GB free on top of the ZIP itself. A very large export, split into several parts, can be more than a phone has spare.
- File names, not conversations. Photos and videos are named like
2021-02-18_b~EiQS….jpg. Nothing on the file tells you who sent it or which chat it was in. - Separate captions. Captions and drawings are separate overlay files. Opened alone, they can look like black squares. Why export photos have no captions explains.
- The HTML viewer. Snapchat's
index.htmlis built for a desktop browser and is the one its help page points to. Opening it from the Files app on a phone may not behave the same way.
For a small Memories-only export, that can be enough. You can open each photo and save the ones you want.
Option 2: open the ZIP directly in Lidly
Lidly is an iPhone app that reads the export where it sits, without unzipping it and without a computer.
- Open Lidly and choose to import your export.
- In the file picker, select the ZIP. If you have several parts, select all of them at once.
- Lidly indexes the archive. A large export takes a while; you can leave the import screen and it keeps going.
Then you get:
- Conversations. Snaps you saved in chats, sorted by person and in the order they were sent, with who sent each one. Anything the export doesn't let Lidly place confidently goes to an Unsorted view by date instead of being guessed. More in viewing chats by person.
- Memories by date. Every Memory in the export, newest first, under its date.
- Captions back on. Overlays are matched to their photos and videos and shown on top.
- Saving. Save any photo or video to your camera roll with its original date, and its location where Snapchat recorded one. See restoring date and location.
Why it needs almost no extra space
By default nothing is copied. Lidly keeps a small index of where everything is inside your ZIP and reads from the original file when you open something. The only thing it adds is that index, which is small next to the export. The catch is that the ZIP has to stay where it is. If you move or delete it, Lidly tells you a part is missing until you point it at the file again.
If you'd rather Lidly hold the files, the import screen also offers Move my files into Lidly. On the same device that is usually instant, because the file is moved rather than duplicated.
Which should you pick?
| Files app | Lidly | |
|---|---|---|
| Extra space needed | About the size of the export | A small index |
| Shows who sent each snap | No | Yes, where the export says |
| Captions on photos | No, separate files | Yes |
| Multi-part exports | Unzip each part | Select all parts at once |
| Network access | None needed | None; the app makes no network requests |
| Cost | Free | Free to import and read; one-time unlock for older media |
Lidly's free tier covers importing and reading, the most recent twelve months of media and your first ten saves to the camera roll. One purchase, not a subscription, unlocks the rest.
Common questions
Do I need iCloud Drive?
No. Keeping the file in On My iPhone is simplest. If the export is in a cloud folder, make sure it has fully downloaded to the phone before importing.
Which iPhones does Lidly run on?
Any iPhone running iOS 18 or later. Lidly is built for iPhone only, and there is no Android version.
Does Lidly upload my export anywhere?
No. It has no account, no login and makes no network requests. See /privacy.
Still waiting for the email? See how long the export takes and what to do if it never arrives.