Schedule Snapchat Spotlight Posts: What Works (2026)

#Can you schedule Spotlight in the Snapchat app?

Snapchat documents scheduling in the app for your public Story: on the Send To screen select My Story, Public, tap the three dots, choose a date and time, tap Done and send.

Snapchat's help article on posting to Spotlight in the app does not mention scheduling at all. So if you want a Spotlight to go out at a set time, use the web uploader.

To post to Spotlight in the app you must be 16 or older, in a region where Spotlight posting is on, and the video must be 5 seconds or longer. Snapchat's app help gives a minimum length but no maximum.

#Scheduling Spotlight through an API

This is where most schedulers fall down. Snap's Public Profile API is allowlist only. An app has to be approved by Snap before it can post to anyone's profile, which is why few third party tools offer Spotlight at all.

What the API docs say for Spotlight:

• Video must be .mp4, 6 to 60 seconds, at least 540x960 pixels.
• The description is optional, up to 160 characters, and can include hashtags.
• A locale is required, for example en_US.
• A new Spotlight starts as SUBMITTED and goes through approval. It then becomes LIVE or REJECTED.
• Snapchat decides whether a Spotlight shows on your Public Profile.

There is no scheduling field in the Spotlight API. A tool that schedules Spotlight has to hold your video and submit it at the chosen time. Because of the review step, "posted at 6pm" means submitted at 6pm, not necessarily live at 6pm.

#The length rules do not quite match

Snapchat publishes three slightly different numbers:

If you want one file that works everywhere, make it 6 to 60 seconds, MP4, vertical, at least 540x960. Full detail in Snapchat Spotlight requirements, and keep the description under 160 characters with the caption length limits guide.

#Before your first scheduled Spotlight

You need a Public Profile. If you have not set one up, follow how to create a Snapchat Public Profile.

Reel Uploader will add Spotlight and Stories next to Instagram and Facebook once Snap approves the app for its Public Profile API. Until then, the web uploader above is the way to schedule. For how Snapchat fits next to the other platforms, read the guide to cross posting short videos.

#Questions people ask

#How far ahead can I schedule a Spotlight?

Snapchat's Business Manager dashboard states up to 30 days in advance through Profile Manager. We could not find that number on a public Snapchat help page, so treat the dashboard as the authority.

#Why is my scheduled Spotlight not live yet?

Spotlights are reviewed before they go live. Snap's API docs list SUBMITTED, LIVE and REJECTED as the possible states.

#Can I post to Spotlight and my Story at the same time from web?

No. Snapchat says the web uploader cannot post to both at once, so you upload twice.