Snapchat’s friend emojis offer a quick visual way to understand your relationships on the platform. These small icons appear next to your friends’ names, providing insights into your interactions and connection levels. Let’s explore what these emojis mean and how they work in 2025.
Understanding Snapchat’s Friend Emoji System
Snapchat automatically assigns friend emojis based on your interactions with other users. These emojis change dynamically as your communication patterns shift. They’re visible only to you, offering a private glimpse into your Snapchat social circle.
Yellow Heart 
- #1 Best Friends
The yellow heart indicates you and this friend are each other’s #1 best friend. You send the most snaps to each other compared to your other contacts.
Red Heart 
- BFF Status
After two weeks of being #1 best friends, the yellow heart transforms into a red heart. This signifies a stronger, more consistent connection.
Pink Hearts 
- Super BFFs
Maintain that #1 best friend status for two months, and you’ll see the pink hearts appear. This represents a long-term, close Snapchat friendship.
Face With Sunglasses 
- Mutual Best Friend
This emoji shows that one of your best friends is also one of this person’s best friends. It’s a sign of overlapping social circles.
Smiling Face 
- Best Friends
The simple smiling face means you’re one of this person’s best friends, but not their #1. You’re in their top 8 most frequently contacted list.
Grimacing Face 
- Mutual #1 Best Friend
This emoji appears when your #1 best friend is also this person’s #1 best friend. It can indicate a potential “love triangle” in Snapchat terms.
Smirking Face 
- I’m Your Best Friend
You see this when you’re one of this person’s best friends, but they’re not one of yours. They send you more snaps than you send them.
Baby 
- New Friend
The baby face appears next to recently added friends. It’s a cute way to identify your newest Snapchat connections.
Birthday Cake 
- Birthday Celebration
On a friend’s birthday, you’ll see this emoji next to their name. It only appears if they’ve added their birthday to their Snapchat profile.
Fire 
- Snapstreak
The fire emoji indicates a Snapstreak - you and this friend have sent snaps to each other for at least three consecutive days.
- 100-Day Snapstreak
When your Snapstreak reaches 100 days, the fire emoji is replaced with the 100 emoji. It’s a milestone achievement for consistent communication.
Hourglass 
- Snapstreak Ending Soon
If you see the hourglass, act fast! Your Snapstreak with this friend is about to end. Send a snap within 24 hours to keep it going.
Customizing Your Friend Emojis
Snapchat allows you to personalize these emojis to better reflect your relationships. Here’s how to customize your friend emojis:
Step 1: Open Snapchat and tap your profile icon in the top-left corner.
Step 2: Tap the gear icon to access Settings.
Step 3: Scroll down and tap on ‘Customize Emojis’ (Android) or ‘Manage’ under ‘Additional Services’, then ‘Friend Emojis’ (iOS).
Step 4: Select the relationship category you want to change.
Step 5: Choose a new emoji from the available options.
Privacy Considerations
Remember that while these emojis are visible only to you, they do reflect your communication patterns. If you’re concerned about privacy, you can:
- Disable friend emojis entirely in your Snapchat settings.
- Be mindful of how often you interact with certain users if you don’t want their emoji status to change.
- Regularly review your friend list and remove any connections you no longer wish to maintain.
Snapchat+ and Friend Solar System
For users with a Snapchat+ subscription, there’s an additional feature called Friend Solar System. This feature uses planet emojis to show where you rank among a friend’s best friends list. The closer to the sun, the higher your ranking.
- Sun
- You’re their #1 best friend - Mercury
- You’re their #2 best friend - Venus - You’re their #3 best friend
- Earth
- You’re their #4 best friend - Mars - You’re their #5 best friend
- Jupiter - You’re their #6 best friend
- Saturn - You’re their #7 best friend
- Uranus - You’re their #8 best friend
Snapchat’s friend emojis add a layer of fun and insight to your social interactions on the platform. Whether you’re maintaining Snapstreaks or curious about your friendship rankings, these little icons tell a story about your Snapchat relationships. Just remember, real friendships are about quality interactions, not just emoji status!