Snapchat’s unique blend of emojis and planetary symbols adds a fun, gamified layer to its social interactions, helping users visualize their friendships through the innovative Snapchat Planets feature. This comprehensive guide dives deep into the meanings, order, and functionality of Snapchat emojis and planets, offering insights into how they reflect your relationships on the platform. Whether you’re a Snapchat Plus subscriber or a curious user, this article will unravel the intricacies of these features, helping you navigate the Snapchat universe like a pro.
What Are Snapchat Emojis and Planets?
Snapchat emojis and planets are dynamic visual indicators that represent the strength and frequency of your interactions with friends on the app. Emojis, such as hearts, stars, and smiley faces, appear next to friends’ names to signify specific relationship statuses, like best friends or mutual connections. The Snapchat Planets feature, exclusive to Snapchat Plus subscribers, takes this a step further by assigning each of your top eight friends a planet based on how often you interact with them. You, the user, are the Sun, and your friends orbit you as planets, from Mercury (closest friend) to Neptune (eighth closest friend).
This system transforms your friend list into a digital solar system, making it easy to see who you snap and chat with most. Understanding these symbols not only enhances your Snapchat experience but also helps you strengthen your digital friendships by encouraging consistent engagement.
Understanding Snapchat Emojis: A Detailed Breakdown
Snapchat emojis are more than just cute icons—they’re a visual language that communicates your relationship dynamics. Below is a detailed look at the most common Snapchat emojis, their meanings, and how they reflect your interactions.
Yellow Heart (💛): Besties
The yellow heart appears when you and a friend are each other’s #1 Best Friend. This means you send the most snaps to each other compared to anyone else. It’s a sign of mutual, frequent interaction, often involving daily snaps and chats. To earn this emoji, you need consistent two-way communication, such as maintaining a Snapstreak or engaging in regular conversations.
Red Heart (❤️): BFF Status
After two weeks of being each other’s #1 Best Friend, the yellow heart upgrades to a red heart. This emoji signifies a sustained, strong connection, often built on long Snapstreaks (100+ days) and frequent messaging. It’s a badge of loyalty, showing that your friendship has stood the test of time on Snapchat.
Double Pink Hearts (💕): Super BFF
The double pink hearts are the ultimate friendship badge, appearing when you’ve been each other’s #1 Best Friend for two months straight. This emoji reflects an intense, unwavering bond, typically involving daily snaps, chats, and active engagement with each other’s stories. Maintaining this status requires consistent effort from both sides.
Smiley Face (😊): Best Friends
The smiley face indicates a friend is one of your Best Friends, but not your #1. You send them a lot of snaps, but they don’t rank as your top contact. This emoji often appears for friends you interact with frequently but not as intensely as your #1 Bestie.
Grimacing Face (😬): Mutual Besties
The grimacing face shows that you and this friend share the same #1 Best Friend. For example, if you both send the most snaps to the same person, this emoji appears. It’s a fun way to spot overlapping social circles.
Sunglasses Face (😎): Mutual Close Friends
The sunglasses emoji means you share a close friend with this person. You both send snaps to the same individual frequently, but they’re not your #1 Best Friend. This emoji highlights shared connections within your Snapchat network.
Fire (🔥): Snapstreak
The fire emoji indicates a Snapstreak, where you and a friend have sent snaps to each other for consecutive days. A number next to the fire shows how many days the streak has lasted. For example, “🔥 100” means a 100-day streak. To keep this going, both users must send a snap (not a chat) daily.
Hundred (💯): 100-Day Snapstreak
When a Snapstreak reaches 100 days, the fire emoji is replaced by the hundred emoji. This is a milestone achievement, celebrating your dedication to maintaining daily snaps with a friend.
Eyes (👀): Snap Viewed
The eyes emoji appears next to a snap or message in a one-on-one chat when the recipient has viewed it. Initially gray, it turns blue once seen, giving you instant feedback on whether your friend has checked your snap. On stories, the eyes icon shows the total number of views, not specific viewers.
Yellow Dot: Friend Request
A yellow dot next to a username signals a pending friend request. Tapping it allows you to accept and start snapping with the new contact.
Green Dot: Active User
The green dot indicates a friend is currently active on Snapchat, whether they’re browsing, snapping, or chatting. It’s a quick way to know when someone’s online and available to interact.
Peace Sign (✌️): Favorite Group Chat
The peace sign appears next to group chats where you’re highly active. Snapchat’s algorithm evaluates your engagement—such as viewing snaps, replying, and visiting the chat frequently—to award this emoji. It highlights your most lively group conversations.
Crescent Moon (🌙): Snapstreak or Do Not Disturb
The crescent moon has two meanings. It can indicate an active Snapstreak, with a number showing the streak’s duration, or it can signify that “Do Not Disturb” mode is enabled for a specific chat, muting notifications. To activate Do Not Disturb, long-press a friend’s name, tap the gear icon, and select the option.
Snapchat Planets: Your Friendship Solar System
Introduced in June 2022, the Snapchat Planets feature is a premium perk for Snapchat Plus subscribers, costing $3.99/month or $39.99/year. It visualizes your top eight friends as planets orbiting you, the Sun, based on interaction frequency. Below is a detailed exploration of each planet, its visual design, and what it means for your friendships.
Snapchat Planets Order and Meanings
The planets follow the same order as our solar system, with each representing a specific rank in your friendship hierarchy. The closer the planet is to the Sun (you), the stronger your connection.
Mercury: #1 Best Friend
- Appearance: Red planet with 4-5 red hearts.
- Meaning: Your closest Snapchat friend, with whom you snap and chat multiple times daily. Mercury reflects an intense bond, often with a 100+ day Snapstreak. The red hearts symbolize consecutive days of snapping, and losing a streak day reduces the heart count.
Venus: #2 Best Friend
- Appearance: Light brown planet with yellow, pink, and blue hearts.
- Meaning: Your second-closest friend, with frequent but slightly less intense interactions than Mercury. Venus represents a warm, reliable connection filled with joy and affection. The colorful hearts highlight the multifaceted nature of this friendship.
Earth: #3 Best Friend
- Appearance: Blue and green planet with red hearts, a moon, and twinkling stars.
- Meaning: Your third-closest friend, with whom you communicate regularly but less frequently than Mercury or Venus. The red hearts indicate a strong Snapstreak, typically with 4-5 hearts for long-lasting streaks.
Mars: #4 Best Friend
- Appearance: Red planet with purple and blue hearts.
- Meaning: A solid friendship with weekly snaps and chats. Mars signifies a bond that’s less frequent than inner planets but still meaningful, with enjoyable conversations when they occur.
Jupiter: #5 Best Friend
- Appearance: Brownish-orange planet with dark orange stripes and colorful stars.
- Meaning: Your fifth-closest friend, with interactions occurring about once a week or every other week. Jupiter’s large size mirrors a friend with a big personality, but the connection is less frequent than closer planets.
Saturn: #6 Best Friend
- Appearance: Yellow-orange planet with rings and pink/yellow stars.
- Meaning: A beautiful, complex friendship with less frequent communication, perhaps a few times a month. Saturn’s rings symbolize layered interactions.
Uranus: #7 Best Friend
- Appearance: Green planet with glittering emojis, no hearts.
- Meaning: Your seventh-closest friend, with minimal interaction, perhaps once a month. The lack of hearts reflects a more distant but still significant connection.
Neptune: #8 Best Friend
- Appearance: Blue planet with wavy texture and glittering emojis, no hearts.
- Meaning: Your eighth-closest friend, with very little interaction. Neptune’s icy blue hue mirrors its distant position, but the glittering emojis suggest some engagement.
How Snapchat Planets Work
The Snapchat Planets feature is powered by an algorithm that tracks your snapping and chatting frequency over weeks. Here’s how it functions:
- Interaction-Based Ranking: The algorithm considers the number of snaps, chats, and story interactions. Recent activity carries more weight, so consistent engagement is key.
- Dynamic Updates: Your best friends list updates regularly (often monthly), reflecting changes in your snapping habits. A friend can move from Neptune to Mercury with increased interaction.
- Privacy: Only you can see your Snapchat Planets. Friends cannot view your full best friends list, though they may see emojis like the yellow heart if you’re their #1 Best Friend.
- Bitmoji Integration: Planets display your friend’s Bitmoji if they’ve linked one; otherwise, a generic outline appears. Both users need linked Bitmojis to view the full solar system.
To access Snapchat Planets, you need a Snapchat Plus subscription. Open the app, go to your friend’s profile, and look for a planet badge next to their name. If you see a “Best Friend” badge with a planetary Bitmoji, you’re in their solar system.
Tips to Rank Higher in Snapchat Planets
Want to become someone’s Mercury or Venus? Here are actionable strategies to boost your position:
- Maintain Long Snapstreaks: Aim for 100+ day streaks by sending daily snaps. Consistency is crucial for inner planet status.
- Engage Actively: Reply quickly to snaps and messages, comment on stories, and use emojis to make chats lively.
- Send Personal Snaps: Direct snaps to individual friends carry more weight than group stories.
- Be Proactive: Initiate conversations and share thoughtful content to spark responses.
- Avoid Inactivity: Missing a day of snapping can break a streak and lower your rank. Set reminders to stay consistent.
Snapchat Plus: Unlocking the Planets Featu
Snapchat Plus, launched in June 2022, offers exclusive features like the Friends Solar System, custom app icons, story rewatch indicators, and priority support. For $3.99/month or $39.99/year, subscribers get a 7-day free trial to explore these perks. The Planets feature is a standout, adding a visual, engaging way to track friendships. To subscribe, tap the Snapchat+ banner in your profile.
Enhancing Your Snapchat Experience
Snapchat emojis and planets add a playful, meaningful layer to your social interactions, turning friendships into a cosmic journey. By understanding their meanings and leveraging the tips above, you can deepen your connections and climb the ranks in your friends’ solar systems. Whether it’s earning a red heart or becoming someone’s Mercury, consistent, authentic engagement is the key to success.
Explore these features today, share snaps with your besties, and watch your Snapchat universe come alive. For more details on Snapchat Plus, visit Snapchat’s official support page.
Common Questions About Snapchat Emojis and Planets
You can’t manually change your position, but increasing interactions (snaps, chats, story replies) can move you closer to Mercury. Focus on daily engagement with your target friend.
Planets are exclusive to Snapchat Plus. Ensure you’re subscribed and both you and your friend have linked Bitmojis. Clear your app cache if issues persist.
A gold ring around a friend’s profile indicates they’re in your top eight best friends. If it’s missing, they may be in your top 16 but not top eight, or you haven’t interacted enough recently. Snapchat recalculates this monthly.
No, your Planets list is private. Only you can see your solar system, though friends may see emojis like the yellow heart if you’re their top friend.