Snapchat’s pinning feature allows users to prioritize specific friends within their Snapchat app. When a friend is pinned, their chat and stories will appear at the top of the chat screen and stories feed respectively. This helps users easily access snaps from their favorite friends. There are several reasons why a Snapchat user may choose to pin someone:
To Keep Up With Close Friends
One of the main reasons people pin friends is to make it easier to keep up with their closest Snapchat buddies. Pinning a best friend, significant other, or someone you talk to daily prioritizes their snaps so you’re less likely to miss any important updates from them. Rather than having to scroll through dozens of stories or search through chats, you can instantly see snaps from your VIPs at the top of your feed.
To Follow Celebrities or Influencers
In addition to real-life friends, Snapchat users often follow celebrity accounts, influencers, artists, and other public figures. Pinning these accounts makes their content readily available so fans can stay on top of posts from their favorite famous Snapchatters. Whether it’s peeking behind-the-scenes of a tour or keeping up with a social media star’s daily adventures, pinning gives personalized access to their stories.
To Stay in the Loop on Major News Outlets
Many news organizations like CNN, ESPN, Buzzfeed, and more use Snapchat Discover to share quick news updates. Users can pin these accounts to have important headlines and breaking news conveniently appear at their fingertips.
To Follow Back Interesting Accounts
Sometimes Snapchat recommends accounts to add based on your interests. If you want to keep watching snaps from an interesting new account, pinning them will ensure you don’t lose track of their profile amidst the rest of your follows. This helps cement new Snapchat connections.
To Organize Group Chats
Snapchat allows users to create groups to message with multiple friends at once. To stop group chats from getting buried, pinning them will place them at the top of your messages. This way there’s no excuse for missing the planning for that weekend get-together or replies in the group chat with your closest college crew.
To Remember to View Certain Snaps
If a friend sends you an exciting snap – like sneak peeks from a vacation or big news about their life – you may want to be sure to view it as soon as possible. Pinning them will keep their snap visibly at the top of your list so you don’t forget to check it out later.
To Keep Up a Streak
Snapchat streaks count how many days in a row you’ve snapped back and forth with a friend. To maintain long streaks, pinning friends helps ensure you snap them every 24 hours. Their name stays at the top of your list, so you’re less likely to lose your streak if you go a few days without chatting.
How to Pin Someone on Snapchat
Pinning a friend on Snapchat only takes a few seconds. Here is how to pin accounts on Snapchat:
- Open your Friends list on the Snapchat app.
- Tap and hold your finger on the name of the friend you want to pin.
- A menu will pop up – tap “Pin to Top.”
- That friend’s icon will now have a white pin next to their name. This means they are now pinned.
To unpin a friend, follow the same steps but tap “Unpin from Top” when the menu appears.
You can pin up to 3 friends on Snapchat. If you try to pin a 4th friend, you will be prompted to unpin someone else first.
Who Can You Pin on Snapchat?
You are able to pin both personal friends and celebrity/influencer/brand accounts. However, there are a couple limitations:
- You can’t pin group chats or Snapchat stories – only individual accounts.
- You can’t pin someone that you don’t follow on Snapchat. You must be friends and following each other to pin them.
- You can’t pin private accounts or people who have you blocked.
As long as it’s a public account you have friended, you’re free to pin them to prioritize their snaps.
Does Pinning Notify the Other Person?
One common question about Snapchat’s pin feature is whether it sends a notification to your friend when you pin them. The answer is no – pinning someone is completely silent without alerting them.
Friends will not get a notification saying you pinned them, so don’t worry about it being creepy or coming off as overeager. They won’t even know their account is being prioritized on your feed unless you choose to mention it.
When Was Pinning Introduced?
Snapchat rolled out the pinning feature on October 10, 2021. It was added as part of an app update aimed at improving Snapchat communication and helping users easily keep up with their closest friends on the platform.
Prior to pinning, Snapchat chats were organized purely chronologically, making it tough to keep recent snaps from important friends visible. The pin feature enabled users to customize who appears at the top of their app based on their preferences.
Can You See Who Someone Else Has Pinned?
No, Snapchat does not allow you to view who someone else has pinned on their profile. The accounts someone pins are private and only visible to that user.
Even if you’re friends on Snapchat, you have no way to tell if they have you pinned or see who appears at the top of their feed. Snapchat has not provided a way to see pinned friends within the app.
Benefits of Pinning Friends on Snapchat
Here are some of the key benefits and advantages of using Snapchat’s pin feature:
Increased Engagement
Pinning your closest friends makes it easier to have frequent conversations and react to their snaps, strengthening your bonds on Snapchat. Prioritizing friends leads to more engagement.
Prevents Missed Snaps
When important snaps are buried in your stories or chat lists, it’s easy to accidentally skip over them. Pinning brings their updates to the forefront so you never miss out.
Simplified Interface
Pinning declutters your feed, bubbling your most relevant friends to the top. This creates a more curated, personalized Snapchat experience.
Focused on What Matters
In a world full of digital noise, pinning lets you hone in on the accounts that truly matter to you. Trivial updates can take a backseat.
Strengthens Relationships
By consistently keeping up with pinned friends, your social ties grow stronger. Pinning becomes a natural relationship booster.
Conclusion
Snapchat’s pin feature provides an easy way to prioritize your closest friends, favorite celebrities, must-follow news sources, and VIP accounts. Simply tapping and holding an account lets you pin it to the top of your Snapchat app for quick access to their snaps and stories.
Though pinning happens behind the scenes without notifying the account, it helps you stay connected by preventing important updates from getting lost in the mix. Overall, this small gesture can have a big impact on your closest Snapchat connections.