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How does Snapchat determine #1 best friend?

How does Snapchat determine #1 best friend?

Snapchat’s #1 Best Friends feature allows users to see who they interact with the most on the app. It provides a quick overview of your closest friends on Snapchat based on your recent snaps, chats, and stories. Snapchat uses a special algorithm to calculate your #1 best friend and the rest of your best friends list. There are a few key factors that contribute to these calculations.

What is Snapchat’s #1 Best Friend?

Your #1 best friend on Snapchat is the person you interact with the most over a certain time period. This includes snaps, chats, reactions to stories, etc. Your #1 best friend appears at the top of your best friends list on your profile.

Snapchat determines your top best friend through an algorithm that analyzes your Snapchat activity over the past week. The friend that you’ve interacted with the most over the past 7 days becomes your #1 best friend.

How Snapchat Calculates Your #1 Best Friend

There are several key factors that Snapchat’s algorithm takes into account when determining your #1 best friend:

Number of Snaps Sent

The number of snaps you send back and forth with each friend is a major factor. Friends that you frequently snap will rank higher than those you rarely snap. Sending more snaps and selfies to a friend will boost their best friend status.

Number of Chats

The number of chats and how often you chat with each friend also matters. Friends you have longer conversations with through chat will be ranked higher than those you rarely chat with.

Responses to Chat

How often you respond to chats from each friend affects their ranking. Friends that you reply to quickly and consistently will be ranked higher.

Reactions to Stories

When you view a friend’s story and react to it, this boosts their best friend status. Friends whose stories you watch and react to the most will be ranked higher.

Recency of Interactions

Snapchat prioritizes your recent interactions over older ones. Friends that you’ve been snapping, chatting, and reacting to most over the past week get a higher best friend ranking.

Initiating Interactions

Friends that you initiate and start conversations with first also get a boost in their best friend algorithm. Reaching out first shows you make an effort to interact with them.

Exchanging Snaps Back and Forth

When you and a friend regularly send snaps or chats back and forth with each other within a short time frame, this indicates an active conversation. These exchanges significantly boost best friend status compared to one-sided interactions.

Responses to Snaps

When you send a snap to a friend, how quickly they open it and respond also matters. Friends that open your snaps faster and snap you back right away get credit from the algorithm.

Other Factors That Matter

Here are some other factors that likely contribute to Snapchat’s best friend algorithm:

– Sending snaps with captions vs. no captions
– Sending more videos vs. still images
– Sending snaps during streaks
– Friends you have added on Snap Map
– Added emojis and drawings to snaps
– Viewing public stories and group stories
– Using chat themes together
– Playing games together like Bitmoji Party
– Being “#1 BFFs” in return
– Being each other’s only “#1 BFF”

Things That Don’t Matter

Some things don’t affect your Snapchat best friend status:

– Sending snaps to groups or stories
– Just being friends for a long time
– Having a Snapstreak but not regularly snapchatting
– Saving chats with a friend
– Using someone’s Snapcode to add them
– Having mutual friends

The algorithm is focused solely on direct snapping activity between two users. General friendship duration or connections don’t contribute to your #1 best friend ranking.

How Often the #1 Best Friend Updates

Snapchat recalculates your #1 best friend and best friends list frequently. It can change daily based on your snap activity over the past 24 hours.

However, your #1 best friend won’t change multiple times a day unless you have dramatically different snap activity from hour to hour.

In general, expect your top best friend to update at least once a week. It takes consistent interactions over 7 days for a friend to overtake the current #1 spot.

Do Scores or Numbers Factor In?

Snapchat has not revealed exactly how they calculate your best friends. The algorithm is kept purposefully mysterious.

It’s unlikely that explicit scores are attached to your actions. Snapchat probably categorizes activity levels (high, medium, low) and uses that to rank friends. But the logic remains hidden from users.

We also can’t see any numbers attached to our friend’s status. It’s simply an ordered list based on recent snapping behavior.

Can You Get Kicked Off the Best Friends List?

Yes, friends can drop off your best friends list if you stop interacting with them regularly.

If you don’t chat, snap, or view someone’s story for several weeks, they will get replaced by friends you engage with more actively.

The best friends list aims to showcase your current closest friends, not lifetime friends. As your interactions change, so does the list.

Strategies for Becoming #1 Best Friends

Here are some tips to increase your chances of becoming someone’s #1 best friend on Snapchat:

  • Snap them daily, especially back and forth exchanges
  • Chat with them often and respond quickly
  • React and respond to their stories
  • Send them good morning/night snaps
  • Send them more videos and selfies vs. random photos
  • Draw or add emoji/stickers to your snaps
  • Watch their public stories when they post
  • Comment on their public stories
  • Respond right away when they snap you
  • Initiate conversations instead of always waiting for them

Doing a combination of these actions consistently over time will boost your ranking in their best friends list.

Does Having a Shared #1 Status Mean Anything?

When you and a friend share the #1 best friend spot on each other’s profiles, it signals a very close, reciprocal friendship on Snapchat.

It means you both make equal effort to chat and send snaps back and forth. You enjoy responding to each other’s stories and chatting about shared interests.

Being mutual #1 best friends is a sign of a fun, active Snapchat friendship. It doesn’t necessarily mean you are each other’s #1 overall best friends in real life. But it does indicate you likely chat almost daily and share a close connection on the app specifically.

Conclusion

Snapchat’s best friends algorithm is purposefully mysterious but seems to focus on consistent, reciprocal interactions. Sending more snaps, chats, videos, and reactions over the past 7 days will boost a friend’s ranking. It’s about quality over sheer quantity though, prioritizing back and forth exchanges. While the exact math remains vague, active communication is key to becoming someone’s #1 best friend. Consistency over time is required to maintain that top spot.