What does ‘Slows’ mean on Snapchat? Here’s how it all started

People are posting ‘Slows’ on their Instagram stories as a message to other users. But what does it mean and where did it come from?

Snapchat lets you talk easily with friends, view Live Stories from around the world, and explore news and celebrity gossip in the Discover section. People use the app to communicate and share what they are up to, so when a word appears on people’s stories, no one wants to be the person who doesn’t understand what it means.

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What does ‘Slows’ mean?

‘Slows’ means slow replies. If someone posts ‘slows’ on their story, or as a reply, it means that they might take a while to get back to you or to respond to any of their messages. They might be using the word because they are busy, or simply because they want to be off their phone for a while.

Slow here doesn’t mean technically a slow typer when it comes to replying but that the person will take their time in replying for the time being as they are not completely free to keep chatting.

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If you’re looking for a ‘fast’ as in instant reply from someone, or wondering why they haven’t messaged you back, be sure to check they have not posted ‘Slows’ in their story.

Examples:

“Sorry for the slows.”

“With bae, slows.”

“Seeing family, slows.”

Another word often used on Snapchat stories is ‘recent’ or ‘IG recent,’ which prompts friends and followers to visit the person’s most recent Instagram post and like or comment. On Snapchat, if someone posts ‘recent’ it is assumed that most of their friends follow them on Instagram.

Where did it start?

‘Slows’ has been used on Snapchat since 2018, but people often confuse whether it means slow replies or if someone is being ‘slow’ and taking a while to understand a joke or comment. It is most widely associated with UK social media slang.

Since the word has been circulating around social media for a while, it is now associated with younger app users and teenagers. One Twitter user said, “If you still put “no replies” or “slows” on your Snapchat story you really do need to take a long hard look at yourself.”

Others have recently started using the word ‘slows’ to show their frustration when someone they like is taking ages to reply. Whichever way it’s used, make sure you’re not sending ‘slows’ to someone you like by accident…SNA

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