Pinning a friend on Snapchat allows you to prioritize certain friends in your friend list and keep them at the top. When you pin friends on Snapchat, they will always show up at the top of your Chats tab for easy access. This can help you keep up with your closest friends on Snapchat without having to scroll through your full friend list to find them.
What Happens When You Pin Someone on Snapchat?
Here’s a quick rundown of what happens when you pin a friend on Snapchat:
- The pinned friend will appear at the top of your Chats tab in a separate section called “Pinned”.
- You can pin up to 3 friends.
- When you pin a friend, they will receive a notification that they have been pinned.
- Pinning a friend does not notify your other friends.
- Pinned friends will remain at the top of your Chats tab until you unpin them.
- You can pin and unpin friends as often as you want.
So in summary, pinning a friend on Snapchat prioritizes them by keeping them at the top of your Chats tab for easy access. It does not change how your messages work, just the ordering of friends in your list.
How to Pin a Friend on Snapchat
Pinning a friend on Snapchat only takes a few simple steps:
- Open your Friends tab and tap on your desired friend’s name.
- In your chat with this friend, tap the ⋮ icon in the top right.
- Select “Pin” from the menu.
And that’s it! Your friend is now pinned. You’ll see them appear at the top of your Chats tab in the Pinned section.
To unpin a friend, just repeat the steps above and tap “Unpin” instead.
Why Pin Friends on Snapchat?
Here are some of the top reasons you may want to use Snapchat’s pinning feature:
- Prioritize close friends – Pin your real-life besties to the top of your list so you can easily see their stories and send snaps.
- Favorite celebrities or influencers – Pin your must-follow Snapchatters to stay on top of their stories.
- Streamline business contacts – If you use Snapchat for business, pin important contacts.
- Quick access to groups – Pin group chats you use frequently.
- Control your Snapchat experience – Pinning lets you customize your Chats tab.
Overall, pinning lets you tailor your Snapchat Friends tab to suit your preferences. You can spotlight the friends you care about most.
Tips for Using Snapchat’s Pin Feature
To get the most out of Snapchat’s pin feature, keep these tips in mind:
- Be selective about who you pin – Don’t overwhelm yourself by pinning too many friends.
- Remember to update your pins – Unpin friends if you no longer chat frequently.
- Use pins for motivation – Pin a study buddy to stay accountable.
- Pin mutual friends to align your #1 Friends
- Utilize pins for events – Temporarily pin friends you’ll be with at an event.
- Pin friends and groups separately – Mix up individuals and group chats.
Who Can See Your Pinned Friends?
The friends you pin on Snapchat are not private. Here’s who can see your pinned friends:
- You – You’ll see your pinned friends at the top of your Chats tab.
- Pinned friends – When pinned, friends get notified that they are pinned.
- No one else – Your pins are not visible to friends who are not pinned.
So you don’t have to worry about your pins being seen by all of your friends on Snapchat. The pins are only visible to you and the pinned friends themselves.
Can You Tell Who Pinned You?
When a friend pins you on Snapchat, you will get notified by a pop-up message saying “[Friend’s name] pinned you! You are now at the top of their chat list.”
This message makes it clear who pinned you. You will not get an alert if you are pinned by someone not on your friends list.
Do Pins Impact Your Snapchat Score?
Pinning or unpinning a friend on Snapchat does not affect your Snapchat score in any way. Your score is based on Snaps sent and received, Stories posted, etc. The order of friends in your Chats list has no bearing on your overall Snapchat score.
So feel free to pin to your heart’s content without worrying about impacts to your score!
Do Pins Change Your #1 BFs?
Snapchat’s pins feature is independent from your #1 best friends (BFs). Pinning someone will not automatically make them become your #1 best friend on Snapchat.
However, pinning mutual friends can help align your #1 BFs since it puts you in each other’s top chats. But it does not guarantee that they will become #1 BFs.
Can You Pin Groups?
In addition to pinning individual friends, you can also pin Snapchat groups to the top of your Chats tab. The process is the same:
- Open the group chat
- Tap the ⋮ icon
- Select “Pin”
Pinning groups can be useful for keeping up with group chats you use frequently, like with family or coworkers. All members of the group will be notified when the group is pinned.
Can You Pin Snapchat Stories?
Unfortunately, Snapchat does not allow you to pin Stories in the same way you can pin friends or groups in your Chats tab.
The Stories section is ordered algorithmically based on factors like how frequently you view certain Stories, Snaps you send, and interactions with friends.
So while you can’t manually pin Stories, you can influence the sorting by frequently viewing Stories you want to see at the top.
Pros of Pinning Friends on Snapchat
Here are some of the key benefits of using Snapchat’s pin feature:
- Convenience – Quickly access your closest friends without scrolling.
- Curation – Customize your Snapchat experience.
- Simplification – Declutter your friends list.
- Consistency – Your pins stay at the top every time you open Snapchat.
- Motivation – Pin friends to inspire healthy competition.
- Prioritization – Focus on the Snapchat friends you care about most.
Cons of Pinning Friends on Snapchat
The disadvantages of pinning friends on Snapchat are relatively minor, but include:
- Notification overload – Friends get notified each time you pin them, which could be annoying if you re-pin frequently.
- Pressure to reciprocate – Friends may feel obligated to pin you back.
- Temporary pins – You have to remember to unpin friends if your priorities change.
- Feature misuse – Some users pin love interests or exes to “stalk” them, which is unhealthy.
Snapchat Pin Limit
You can only pin a maximum of 3 friends on Snapchat at one time. Once you have 3 friends pinned, the option to pin more friends will be disabled.
If you try to pin more than 3 friends, you will see an error message that says “You can only pin up to 3 friends.”
To pin additional friends, you first have to unpin current pinned friends until you have less than 3 pinned.
The 3 friend pin limit helps keep the pinned section useful and prevents it from becoming overcrowded.
Increasing Snapchat’s Pin Limit
As of now, there is no setting to increase the pin limit past 3 friends. This limit is hardcoded into Snapchat.
A few workarounds if you want to pin more than 3 friends include:
- Frequently rotate which 3 friends are pinned
- Prioritize pinning active group chats over individuals
- Use Snapchat’s Best Friends feature to supplement your pins
While a higher pin limit would be useful for some users, the 3 friend restriction helps keep Snapchat’s interface clean and usable. The pin feature is intended for your very top priorities.
Troubleshooting Snapchat Pin Issues
In some cases, you may encounter problems while trying to pin friends on Snapchat. Here are some troubleshooting tips for common pinning issues:
Can’t Pin a Friend
- Make sure you don’t already have 3 friends pinned, as that is the max limit.
- Confirm the friend has added you back and is in your Friends list.
- Force close the Snapchat app and restart it.
- Double check that pinning is enabled for that friend’s account.
Pinned Friend Disappeared
- You may have accidentally unpinned them. To confirm, check your pins.
- A Snapchat bug may have caused unpinning. Try repinning.
- The friend blocked you, removing them from your friends list.
Can’t Unpin a Friend
- Tap and hold on their name in your pins list and then select unpin.
- Force quit Snapchat and relaunch – this usually fixes unpin issues.
- Temporary server errors can prevent unpinning – try again later.
Friend Doesn’t Know They Are Pinned
- Notifications can fail, so they may not see your pin message.
- Check that notifications are enabled for Snapchat in their device settings.
- The pinning notification only works if you are friends.
Following the tips above should help troubleshoot most problems with pinning friends on Snapchat. Reach out to Snapchat Support if issues persist.
Snapchat Pin Alternative Apps
While Snapchat itself only allows pinning up to 3 friends, there are some third-party apps that can enhance the pin feature with extra functionality:
Snapchat+
- Unpacks Snapchat and lets you pin an unlimited number of friends.
- Works on both Android and iOS.
- Adds many other advanced features like saving Stories.
- Must download as a third-party app, not on official app stores.
SCPlus+
- Modifies Snapchat to remove pin limits.
- Lets you pin as many friends and groups as you want.
- Offers additional Snapchat hacks.
- Android only.
Snapchat Pin Manager
- Standalone pin manager app for Snapchat.
- Syncs with main Snapchat app.
- Set unlimited pins which transfer over.
- Available for both iOS and Android.
Before using third-party apps, understand the risks of unofficial modifications to Snapchat. But these tools can provide more robust pin functionality.
Conclusion
Pinning friends on Snapchat is a handy feature for prioritizing your favorite friends within the app. It allows you to customize your Chats tab so your closest friends are always at the top.
While Snapchat limits you to only 3 pinned friends, the convenience of keeping best friends and active groups pinned can make the Snapchat experience much smoother. Learn how to effectively use Snapchat’s pin feature to streamline your app.