The emojis that show up next to friends’ names on Snapchat indicate your friendship level and how often you interact with each other. Each emoji represents a different stage of your friendship on Snapchat.
Here’s a quick overview of what each emojis represents on Snapchat:
- Gold Star – #1 Best Friends
- Yellow Heart – #1 Best Friends for 2+ weeks straight
- Pink Hearts – You’ve been #1 BFs with each other for 2 months straight
- Red Heart – You’ve been #1 BFs with each other for 2 weeks straight
- Smiley Face – Best Friends
- Grimacing Face – Frequently Snaps this person
- Sunglasses Face – Recently became friends
- Birthday Cake – It’s this friend’s birthday
Gold Star
The gold star next to a friend’s name means this person is your #1 best friend on Snapchat. They’re the friend you exchange snaps with the most frequently.
Your #1 best friend is the person you interact with and snap back and forth with the most on Snapchat.
This friend will have a gold star emoji next to their name when you look at your Chat screen.
The #1 best friend title is coveted on Snapchat and changes frequently depending on your snap activity.
If another friend overtakes your current #1 and becomes your new most frequently snapped contact, they’ll get the gold star emoji by their name instead.
Yellow Heart
The yellow heart next to a friend’s name means they have been your #1 best friend on Snapchat for two consecutive weeks straight.
If you and a friend remain each other’s #1 best friends for two weeks, your friendship level will upgrade from the gold star to a yellow heart emoji next to their name.
The yellow heart indicates a solid, regular Snapstreak has been established between you and this friend.
You snap each other so often that your #1 best friend status has been unchanging for two whole weeks.
Pink Hearts
The two pink hearts next to a friend’s name means you have been #1 best friends with each other for two months straight.
When you and a friend have held your #1 best friend spots for two months, your friendship level will advance again – this time to two pink hearts next to their name.
Pink hearts show you and this friend have stayed each other’s most snapped contact for a long period of time. It’s a sign of a strong, lasting Snapstreak.
Red Heart
The red heart next to a friend’s name on Snapchat means you and this person have been #1 best friends with each other for two weeks straight.
The red heart appears after two consecutive weeks as #1 best friends and indicates a solid Snapstreak is underway between you and this friend.
It essentially has the same meaning as the yellow heart and is simply a variation in emoji.
Both emojis represent two straight weeks as the top best friend.
Smiley Face
The smiling face emoji next to a friend’s name means they are one of your best friends on Snapchat.
You’ll see the smiley face appear next to friends you exchange snaps with very regularly.
These are people who are your best friends on the app.
The smiley face appears once you’ve built up enough of a Snapstreak with someone to reach best friend status. But they aren’t your #1 most snapped contact.
Grimacing Face
The grimacing face next to a friend’s name indicates you frequently snap this person.
You have a regular Snapstreak going with this friend and exchange snaps regularly. But not frequently enough to reach best friend status yet.
The grimacing face is an intermediate step on the road to becoming best friends with someone on Snapchat.
Sunglasses Face
The sunglasses emoji next to a friend signifies you became friends recently.
When you first add each other as friends, this cool guy sunglasses emoji will show up next to your new friend’s name.
It’s a sign you just became Snapchat buddies and have only started snapping each other.
Birthday Cake
The birthday cake emoji next to a friend’s name means that today is their birthday.
On the day of a friend’s birthday, Snapchat will display a birthday cake icon next to their name on your Chats screen.
Tap the birthday cake to send your friend a Snap birthday greeting and celebration!
What affects friend emoji on Snapchat?
Several factors impact what emoji appears next to each friend’s name on Snapchat:
Snap frequency – How often you snap back and forth. More frequent snaps level up friend emojis.
Snap response rate – How often you open each other’s snaps. Quicker responses advance friendships.
Length of Snapstreak – The longer your streak lasts, the higher the emoji level.
Weeks as #1 BFs – Remaining #1 best friends for consecutive weeks upgrades the emoji.
Essentially, friend emojis evolve based on your snap interactions over time. The more you snap with someone, the more your emoji will advance.
What do the Zodiac emojis mean?
In addition to the emojis, you may also see Zodiac emojis next to some friend’s names on Snapchat.
This indicates you have entered their birthdate and Snapchat has assigned them their Zodiac symbol.
Here is what each Zodiac emoji represents:
- ♈ – Aries
- ♉ – Taurus
- ♊ – Gemini
- ♋ – Cancer
- ♌ – Leo
- ♍ – Virgo
- ♎ – Libra
- ♏ – Scorpio
- ♐ – Sagittarius
- ♑ – Capricorn
- ♒ – Aquarius
- ♓ – Pisces
The Zodiac emoji is just for fun and has no impact on your friendship level with someone on Snapchat.
Tap into your friend’s Astrology sign and compare your traits if you’re into horoscopes!
Custom friend emojis
In addition to the default emojis and faces, you can also create custom emojis to unlock new ways to interact with friends on Snapchat.
To make a custom friend emoji:
- Go to your Profile and tap the emoji icon.
- Tap “Create Lens” then select “Friend.”
- Choose a base template and customize it.
- Name your lens, then submit it.
Once approved, your custom emoji will unlock for you and your friends to use on Snapchat!
It’s a fun way to share inside jokes and bring your relationships to life.
The hourglass emoji
If you see an hourglass emoji next to a friend’s name, it means your Snapstreak is at risk of ending soon.
The hourglass icon indicates you’re close to losing your streak as you haven’t snapped this friend back and forth enough recently.
Snap this friend back ASAP if you want to keep your streak alive before the timer runs out!
Emojis disappearing: what you should know
If the emoji no longer appears next to a friend’s name, it means your Snapstreak has ended.
Friend emojis will disappear if you and your friend stop snapping each other for more than 24 hours. This resets your streak back to zero.
To reasonemojis and rebuild your streak, start snapping regularly again. With consistent, reciprocal snaps, your friend emojis will return and level back up over time.
The faces, and symbols next to Snapchat friends reveal your relationship status.
They represent snap frequency, response rate, and length of streak.
Gold stars, yellow hearts, pink hearts, and smiley faces are all positive signs of best friendship strength. While hourglasses warn a Snapstreak risks ending soon.
Aim to level up your friend emojis by snapping more! Custom emojis also let you take Snapchat bonds to the next level.