Snapchat has become one of the most popular social media platforms, especially among teens and young adults. One of Snapchat’s signature features is the various emoji icons, or symbols, that can display next to friends’ names and in chat conversations. These Snapchat symbols indicate different meanings, like the status of your friendship on the app and the types of interactions you have with other users. There are now dozens of Snapchat symbols, from the baby emoji to hourglasses, that appear from inside the app. Here is a guide to what the main Snapchat symbols mean.
Snapchat Smiley Face Emoji
The yellow heart emoji shows next to your number one Best Friends on Snapchat. You and this friend share the top spot on each other’s Best Friends list. The emoji appears next to this friend’s name in your chats. If the heart turns red, it means you have maintained your number one best friend status with each other for two straight weeks.
Snapchat Grimace Emoji
The Grimace emoji shows next to one of your Best Friends who you do not share a number one spot with. This means they are still a frequent snap sender and receiver, but not your most frequently snapped contact. The Grimace face has a scrunched mouth and eyes, but it actually means that you and this friend are very close on the app.
Snapchat Smirking Face Emoji
The Smirking Face emoji indicates that you are one of your friend’s Best Friends, but they are not one of your Best Friends. You frequently send snaps back and forth with this user, but they send and receive more snaps with someone else, keeping them from showing in your own BFF list.
Snapchat Sunglasses Emoji
The Sunglasses emoji appears next to a Snapchat friend when you are one of their best friends for more than two weeks in a row. The emoji has black sunglasses and a smirk, representing the “cool” friend status. You both send snaps to each other frequently. Essentially, you have maintained a two-week Snapstreak.
Snapchat Smiling Face with Hearts Emoji
The Smiling Face with Hearts shows that you have been #1 BFFs with each other for two months straight. This is the next milestone for long-term top friend status. The emoji has red hearts for eyes. If your top friend also has the same emoji next to your name, it means your streak has lasted for two months.
Snapchat Fire Emoji
The Fire emoji appears next to someone’s name if you are on a Snapstreak. You send direct snaps (not chat messages) to this Snapchat friend daily, and they send you snaps daily as well, for at least three consecutive days. The emoji signifies your daily Snapstreak with this user.
Snapchat Hundred Points Emoji
The Hundred Points emoji shows next to a friend when you have received a Snapchat score milestone from them. It means this friend has just sent you enough snaps to earn 100 points toward your Snapchat score. You can earn more points when you send and receive more snaps with other users.
Snapchat Hourglass Emoji
The Hourglass emoji indicates your Snapstreak with a friend is at risk of ending. It appears when you and your friend have not directly snapped each other for 24 hours. There are still 24 hours left to continue the streak by sending a snap (not chat) to each other. If you no longer see the Hourglass, your streak has been lost.
Snapchat Zzz Emoji
The Zzz emoji means you do not have a streak with this Snapchat friend. Either you just became friends, or your past Snapstreak ended because you did not snap within 24 hours. Send a snap to start a new Snapstreak and earn the Fire emoji.
Snapchat Birthday Cake Emoji
The Birthday Cake emoji appears next to a friend when it is their birthday. This way you can see in your chat who has a birthday without needing to remember the date yourself. The emoji shows all day on the friend’s birthday.
Snapchat Prohibited Emoji
The Prohibited or No Entry emoji shows next to a friend’s name if your account is blocked. This typically happens if you have broken Snapchat rules or repeatedly shared prohibited content. The friend will no longer see your name on their end.
Snapchat Face With Monocle Emoji
The Face with Monocle emoji indicates a friend has replayed one of your snaps. You can replay a snap once before it disappears. When someone replays your snap, you will see the monocle emoji next to their name.
Snapchat Grimacing Face Emoji
The Grimacing Face emoji means your friend has saved your snap to their Memories. Snaps that are saved to Memories are kept after the usual 24-hour expiration. You will see this emoji when a friend has specifically saved your snap.
Snapchat Smirking Face Emoji
The Smirking Face emoji shows up next to a friend’s name if you share a mutual best friend. So you and this friend both have the same #1 Best Friend. This typically happens when you and the friend are connected in real life.
Snapchat Monkey Emoji
The Monkey Face emoji indicates a snap sent from a friend through the Chat feature. When a friend sends a chat instead of disappearing snap, the monkey icon confirms the different message format.
Snapchat Monkey Covering Eyes Emoji
The Monkey Covering Eyes emoji appears when you and a friend share a mutual friend but you are not also friends with each other. For example, if you are friends with John and Matt, but Matt and John are friends and you and Matt are not.
Conclusion
Snapchat’s emoji and symbols offer a fun way to track your connections and interactions on the app. The emoji show your friendships, streaks, status and more with other users. Using the Snapchat emoji helps keep you engaged with friends in a dynamic way. As you build out your own friend list and snapping habits, you’ll see these different Snapchat icons change and evolve next to your friends’ names.
Snapchat Emoji Tables
Emoji | Meaning |
---|---|
Yellow Heart | #1 Best Friend |
Grimace Face | Frequent Snapper and Receiver |
Smirking Face | One of Their Best Friends |
Sunglasses | Two Week Streak |
Smiling Face with Hearts | Two Month Streak |
Fire | On a Snapstreak |
Hundred Points | Score Milestone from Friend |
Hourglass | Snapstreak About to End |
Zzz | No Snapstreak |
Birthday Cake | Friend’s Birthday |
No Entry | Account Blocked |
Face with Monocle | Snap Replay |
Grimacing Face | Saved Snap |
Smirking Face | Mutual Best Friend |
Monkey Face | Sent Chat Message |
Monkey Covering Eyes | Mutual Friend |
Explanation of Snapchat Friend Emojis
Emoji | Meaning Explained |
---|---|
Yellow Heart | This emoji appears next to your number one best friend, the friend you snap the most. |
Grimace Face | You share a close Snapchat friendship with this person but they are not your #1 best friend. |
Smirking Face | You are one of this friend’s best friends but they are not one of yours. |
Sunglasses | You and this friend have been each other’s #1 BFF for at least 2 weeks straight. |
Smiling Face with Hearts | You and this friend have been #1 BFFs for at least 2 months straight. |
Fire | You are on a snap streak by sending snaps (not chats) to each other daily. |
Hundred Points | This friend just sent you enough snaps to earn 100 points toward your score. |
Hourglass | Your snapstreak is going to end soon unless you send snaps within 24 hours. |
Zzz | You do not currently have an active snapstreak with this friend. |
Birthday Cake | This emoji appears on friends’ birthdays. |
No Entry | This friend has blocked you or you were blocked for breaking Snapchat rules. |
Face with Monocle | This friend has replayed your snap. |
Grimacing Face | This friend saved your snap to memories. |
Smirking Face | You and this friend share the same #1 best friend. |
Monkey Face | This friend sent you a chat instead of a snap. |
Monkey Covering Eyes | You have a mutual friend with this person but are not friends directly. |
Snapchat Status Icons
In addition to the emoji next to friends’ names, Snapchat also has symbols and icons that appear in the status bar at the top of the chat screen. These show the current state of your connectivity and account.
Icon | Meaning |
---|---|
Full battery | Your phone is fully charged. |
Low battery | Your phone battery is running low on charge. |
Flash on | Your camera flash is turned on to take a photo. |
Flash off | Your camera flash is turned off currently. |
Airplane mode | Your phone’s airplane mode is switched on. |
Do not disturb | Do not disturb mode is activated on your phone. |
Location off | Your phone’s location services are disabled. |
Syncing | Snapchat is syncing and refreshing your chats. |
Unread chat | You have an unread chat from a friend. |
Pending notification | You have a pending Snapchat notification. |
Added friend | You have a new friend added on Snapchat. |
Screenshot | You took a screenshot of a snap. |
Screen record | You recorded your phone screen. |
Conclusion on Snapchat Icons
Snapchat’s emoji serve as a nuanced way to understand relationships and interactions on the app. The emoji and symbols give users contextual clues into their friendships and notifications. While tricky to interpret at first, the meaning behind each Snapchat symbol becomes more intuitive as you continue snapping. With its constantly updating system of icons, Snapchat creates a visual language all its own.