Snapchat only allows you to have up to 8 Best Friends at one time. So if you notice you only have 7 Best Friends showing, it means you have reached your limit.
What are Best Friends on Snapchat?
Snapchat’s Best Friends feature highlights the people you snap with the most. Your top 8 friends that you have snapped with the most over the past week are given a Best Friends label under their name when you look at your Friends list.
Snapchat displays your Best Friends publicly on your profile so other friends can see who you engage with the most. The Best Friends algorithm calculates your snapping frequency with friends over 7 days to determine the top 8.
Why is it Limited to 8 Best Friends?
Snapchat originally limited Best Friends to 3 when the feature launched in 2015. It was increased to 8 in a 2016 update to allow more friendships to be highlighted.
But Snapchat deliberately keeps the number low. The small Best Friends circle puts some friendship “status” on the line and encourages users to interact more to try to make the top 8. It essentially gamifies friendships.
If Best Friends was unlimited, it would lose some of its social stickiness and motivational aspect. People enjoy seeing their name ranked in a friend’s elite top 8. It shows their bond is tighter than average.
What Does It Mean to Have 7 Best Friends?
Having only 7 Best Friends simply means you have not reached the maximum of 8 yet. It does not necessarily mean you have fewer close friends on Snapchat.
Reasons why you may only have 7 include:
- You have not been snapping long enough with an 8th friend for them to qualify.
- Your snaps are more concentrated on those 7 friends right now.
- An 8th friend stopped snapping you as frequently.
- Your snapping has been distributed among a wider range of friends.
The Best Friends score is very dynamic. Having only 7 one week does not mean you will not have 8 the next week. It all depends on your recent snapping activity.
How to Get 8 Best Friends on Snapchat
If you want to fill up your Best Friend list, focus on snapping your very closest friends more frequently. The more you snap someone, the higher they will rank in your Best Friends.
Tips to get 8 Best Friends:
- Concentrate most of your snaps on your inner circle of friends you want to be Best Friends.
- Chat with friends you want to see in your top 8 regularly through Snapchat.
- Respond to any snaps you get from potential Best Friends quickly to keep the conversation flowing.
- Send snaps directly to friends you want to rank up, not just to your whole Stories audience.
- Comment on and view the Stories of friends you want to boost up to Best Friends.
With concerted effort, you can shape your Best Friends list over time. But note it may take a few weeks for changes to snap behavior to significantly impact your standings.
What to Do If You Can’t Get 8 Best Friends
For some users, having fewer than 8 Best Friends is normal. Reasons include:
- You’re new to Snapchat and still establishing friendships.
- You have a small overall friends list.
- You snap a wide range of friends casually vs. a close inner circle.
- You rarely use Snapchat to communicate.
- Your friends don’t open or reply to your snaps much.
If you’re happy with the 7 Best Friends you have, you don’t need to stress about filling the 8th slot. Quality friendships matter more than chasing a maxed out Best Friends list.
But if you do want to hit 8, be more purposeful about cementing bonds with your top friends on Snapchat. Pursue more back-and-forth snapping and chatting with the people you want to see have Best Friend status.
Losing a Best Friend Spot
As new friends rise up in your Best Friends ranking, others will drop off your top 8. Reasons friends may lose their Best Friend label include:
- Snapping with that friend less frequently than your new friends.
- That friend is snapping other people more than you lately.
- Taking a break from Snapchat or cutting back snapping temporarily.
- Going through a friendship or relationship change leading to less communication.
If you notice a previously frequent friend has fallen out of your Best Friends, you can regain their spot by putting more focus back on snapping them. But Best Friend rankings ebb and flow naturally over time as friendships and circles change.
Does the Number of Best Friends Matter?
At the end of the day, you don’t need to worry too much about having 7 or 8 Best Friends. Snapchat is meant to be fun!
The number of Best Friends you have doesn’t define how many close friends you have in real life. Nor does it indicate importance or value in specific friendships.
Think of Best Friends more as a metric of your recent interactions, not a definitive assessment of all your relationships. Focus more on enjoying your Snapchat friendships than any label!