Amended Purchase Obligation.

No definition available.

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Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Loss contingency expected settlement amount.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	snap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Purchase commitment, initial term.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	snap_
Data Type:	xbrli:durationItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Purchase commitment, percentage of minimum purchase requirement, can be moved to subsequent year.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	snap_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Purchase commitment, period required to purchase minimum amount of services.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	snap_
Data Type:	xbrli:durationItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of litigation expense, including but not limited to legal, forensic, accounting, and investigative fees.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_LossContingenciesLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of loss contingency liability.

+ References

Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 450
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 1
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=121557415&loc=d3e14326-108349

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Minimum amount to be expended to satisfy the terms of arrangements in which the entity has agreed to expend funds to procure goods or services, excluding long-term purchase commitments or unconditional purchase obligations.

+ References

Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 942
-SubTopic 210
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.9-03(17))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=120398452&loc=d3e534808-122878

Reference 2: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 944
-SubTopic 210
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.7-03(a)(19))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=120400017&loc=d3e572229-122910

Reference 3: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 210
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02(25))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=120391452&loc=d3e13212-122682

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of purchase arrangement to be paid in fourth fiscal year following current fiscal year. Includes, but is not limited to, recorded and unrecorded purchase obligations, long-term purchase commitment, and short-term purchase commitment. Excludes interim and annual periods when interim periods are reported from current statement of financial position date (rolling approach).

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of purchase arrangement to be paid in next fiscal year following current fiscal year. Includes, but is not limited to, recorded and unrecorded purchase obligations, long-term purchase commitment, and short-term purchase commitment. Excludes interim and annual periods when interim periods are reported from current statement of financial position date (rolling approach).

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of purchase arrangement to be paid in second fiscal year following current fiscal year. Includes, but is not limited to, recorded and unrecorded purchase obligations, long-term purchase commitment, and short-term purchase commitment. Excludes interim and annual periods when interim periods are reported from current statement of financial position date (rolling approach).

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of purchase arrangement to be paid in third fiscal year following current fiscal year. Includes, but is not limited to, recorded and unrecorded purchase obligations, long-term purchase commitment, and short-term purchase commitment. Excludes interim and annual periods when interim periods are reported from current statement of financial position date (rolling approach).

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of purchase arrangement to be paid in remainder of current fiscal year. Includes, but is not limited to, recorded and unrecorded purchase obligations, long-term purchase commitment, and short-term purchase commitment.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_PurchaseObligationFutureMinimumPaymentsRemainderOfFiscalYear
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Excluding long-term commitments, description of arrangements in which the entity has agreed to expend funds to procure goods or services from one or more suppliers, which may include identification of the goods or services to be purchased, identity of the seller, pricing, effects on pricing (such as penalties) of failing to reach minimum quantities required to be purchased, cancellation rights, and termination provisions.

+ References

Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 944
-SubTopic 210
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.7-03.(a)(19))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=120400017&loc=d3e572229-122910

Reference 2: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 942
-SubTopic 210
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.9-03.17)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=120398452&loc=d3e534808-122878

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-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 210
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02.25)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=120391452&loc=d3e13212-122682

+ Details

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Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Details

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Namespace Prefix:
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Balance Type:
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- Details

Name:	dei_LegalEntityAxis=snap_VaporstreamIncMember
Namespace Prefix:
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Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_IncomeStatementLocationAxis=us-gaap_GeneralAndAdministrativeExpenseMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
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- Details

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Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_LitigationStatusAxis=us-gaap_PendingLitigationMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

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Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

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Namespace Prefix:
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- Details

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Commitments and Contingencies - Additional Information (Details) - USD ($)	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2020	Jan. 17, 2020	Oct. 31, 2018
Indemnification Agreement
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Liabilities recorded				$ 0
Vaporstream, Inc. \| General and Administrative
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Legal expense, net of amounts directly covered by insurance		$ 10,000,000.0
Securities Class Actions
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Legal expense, net of amounts directly covered by insurance			$ 100,000,000.0
Securities Class Actions \| Pending Litigation
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Loss contingency, expected settlement amount					$ 187,500,000
Google Cloud Platform License Agreement
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Purchase commitment, description				The agreement has an initial term of five years and we are required to purchase at least $400.0 million of cloud services in each year of the agreement. For each of the first four years, up to 15% of this amount may be moved to a subsequent year. If we fail to meet the minimum purchase commitment during any year, we are required to pay the difference.
Initial term of agreement	5 years
Minimum amount of services to be purchased in each year	$ 400,000,000.0
Initial period required to purchase minimum amount of services	4 years
Google Cloud Platform License Agreement \| Maximum
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Purchase commitment, percentage of minimum purchase requirement that can be moved to subsequent year	15.00%
AWS Enterprise Agreement, Cloud Services
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Purchase commitment, description				In March 2016, we entered into the AWS Enterprise Agreement for the use of cloud services from Amazon Web Services, Inc. (“AWS”). Under the agreement, as amended, we are committed to spend an aggregate of $1.1 billion between January 2017 and December 2022 on AWS services ($90.0 million in 2018, $150.0 million in 2019, $215.0 million in 2020, $280.0 million in 2021, and $349.0 million in 2022). If we fail to meet the minimum purchase commitment during any year, we are required to pay the difference. Any such payment may be applied to future use of AWS services during the term, although it will not count towards meeting the future minimum purchase commitments.
Minimum purchase commitment to spend between January 2017 and December 2022						$ 1,100,000,000
Minimum purchase commitment, due in 2018						90,000,000.0
Minimum purchase commitment, due in 2019						150,000,000.0
Minimum purchase commitment, due in 2020						215,000,000.0
Minimum purchase commitment, due in 2021						280,000,000.0
Minimum purchase commitment, due in 2022						$ 349,000,000.0