Snapchat’s BFF feature shows you your Best Friends on the app based on how frequently you interact with each other. There are three BFF ranks – #1 BFF shows your most frequently snapped contact, #2 BFF is your second most frequent, and #3 BFF is your third.
What do the Snapchat BFF emojis mean?
Snapchat assigns special emoji icons next to friends on your Best Friends list based on your messaging patterns over time. Here’s what the Snapchat BFF emojis indicate about your interactions:
- 💛 Yellow Heart – You are #1 BFFs with each other – this person is your most snapped contact.
- ❤️ Red Heart – You have been #1 BFFs with each other for two consecutive weeks.
- 🔥 Fire – You and this friend share the most snaps between each other.
- ⏱ Hourglass – Your Snapstreak is going strong – you’ve snapped each other within 24 hours for several days in a row.
- 🌟 Star – One of your best friends for the past two months.
- 🌙 Moon – You send a lot of snaps with this friend between night and early morning.
- 🌞 Sun – You primarily snap each other during the daytime.
These emojis give you a quick visual indicator of your messaging patterns with friends. Getting the red heart or fire emoji shows you have very close, frequent interactions on Snapchat.
How does Snapchat determine your Best Friends?
Snapchat’s algorithm looks at your snap sending patterns over the past 7 days to determine your Best Friends list and assign BFF ranks. Here are some key factors it considers:
- Recency – Who you’ve snapped with most recently gets priority.
- Frequency – Who you snap the most overall will rank higher.
- Snap response time – Faster replies to snaps help boost your BFF ranking.
- Snapstreaks – Longer streaks of daily snapping will improve your ranking.
So snapping your true BFFs often, keeping long streaks going, and quickly responding will help you stay at the top of each other’s Best Friends lists. But this list and ranking is constantly updated – so if your interactions drop off, your BFF rank will too.
How often does the Best Friends list update?
Snapchat refreshes its Best Friends algorithm at least once every 24 hours. So your BFF list ranks can change daily depending on your snap activity over the past day.
Major shifts in your BFF order, like dropping down from #1 to #3 BFF, tend to happen if your interactions have changed over a longer period of several days or weeks.
But smaller shifts like switching #2 and #3 BFFs can happen more often, even daily. The Best Friends order is quite fluid and reactive to your latest snap patterns.
Does sending Chat messages also impact your BFF rank?
Yes, sending Chat messages on Snapchat also helps boost your BFF ranking, but not as significantly as sending photo and video Snaps. The algorithm weights Snaps more heavily than Chats.
So you’ll need to actively Snap your BFFs more than just Chat if you want to rank higher. But overall messaging frequency does matter for your Best Friends ranking.
Do Snapstreaks affect your BFF order?
Yes, maintaining longer Snapstreaks with friends will help boost your Best Friends ranking with each other. Snapstreak counts how many days in a row you’ve snapped each other.
Since streaks reflect daily engagement, the algorithm gives you a ranking boost for longer streaks. But streaks alone aren’t enough – you also need overall snap frequency to reach #1 BFF.
Can you have the same #1 BFF as someone else?
No, you can only have one #1 Best Friend on Snapchat at a time. While your BFF ranking lists 3 people, only the #1 slot is unique.
So if your top BFF has someone else as their #1, you will just show up lower in their friend list, even if you snap them most frequently.
The #1 BFF slot is a one-way, exclusive relationship status. Both people have to share the top BFF spot with each other to get the red heart emoji.
How do you see your own BFF rank for a friend?
You can’t directly see your BFF number for a specific friend. But you can figure it out based on which emojis show up next to their name in your Friends list.
Here’s how:
- 💛 #1 BFF
- ❤️ #1 BFF for two weeks
- 🔥 Also likely #1 BFF
- No emoji = #2 or #3 BFF
The only definite indicator is the yellow heart for #1 BFF. Otherwise you have to make inferences based on the other emoji you have together.
Why can’t you see your exact BFF rank for friends?
Snapchat intentionally hides your internal BFF ranks from being visible to prevent potential social friction or judgment over rankings. They want the list to encourage more positive interactions.
If the exact numbers were public, friends may end up competing for ranks instead of just communicating openly. So Snapchat designed it as a general indicator of closeness.
How do you become #1 Best Friends with someone?
To reach #1 BFF status, focus on increasing your snapping frequency, replying faster, keeping streaks going, and overall boosting engagement with that friend on Snapchat.
It takes consistent, daily interaction over weeks/months to build up enough snapping history to override their previous #1 BFF. Be patient and keep actively snapping.
Why did your BFF rank go down?
There are a few possible reasons your BFF rank may have dropped for a friend:
- Snapping less frequently overall
- Replying slower to their snaps
- Breaking your daily Snapstreak
- That friend is now snapping someone else more
The BFF algorithm is relative, so changes in your snap patterns or that friend’s interactions can shift the ranks. Focus on re-engaging with frequent snaps and fast replies to regain your previous BFF ranking.
Can you remove friends from your Best Friends list?
There is no direct way to remove or delete friends from your Snapchat Best Friends list. Since it is automatically generated based on your interactions, you can’t directly edit it.
But you can indirectly change your BFF list by snapping certain friends less frequently, taking longer to reply, and ending your Snapstreak. This will organically cause them to rank lower in your list over time.
Essentially, reducing your overall interactions is the only way to remove someone from your Best Friends on Snapchat.
Pro tips for managing your Snapchat Best Friends
Here are some tips to effectively manage your BFF list on Snapchat:
- Keep a regular snap streak going with your top friends.
- Aim to Snap your top friends daily, if not multiple times per day.
- Respond quickly when they send you Snaps.
- Send Chat messages in between Snaps to boost interactions.
- Check the list daily and watch for changes in emojis.
- If your rank drops, focus on snapping that friend more.
- To organically remove a friend, gradually snap them less over time.
With some intentional effort, you can maintain your Best Friends ranking with your closest Snapchat contacts. The list provides a fun way to track your evolving friendships!