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Why is my snap best friends list glitch?

If you notice your Snapchat best friends list glitching or displaying incorrectly, there are a few potential causes. The most common reasons are a bug or temporary issue with the Snapchat app, a connectivity problem on your device, or confusion over how the Snapchat best friends algorithm works.

What does the Snapchat best friends list show?

The Snapchat best friends list shows the Snapchat friends you interact with the most. It is based on an algorithm that calculates your snap sending and receiving activity over the past week. The more you snap back and forth with a friend, the higher up they will appear on your best friends list. The list also takes into account how quickly you reply to friends’ snaps.

The algorithm is designed to show your “real” best friends on Snapchat – the ones you interact with regularly. It updates every week to reflect changes in your snap activity.

Why is my best friends list glitched or wrong?

There are a few reasons why your Snapchat best friends list may not be displaying accurately:

Temporary app issues

Like any app, Snapchat can have temporary bugs or glitches that affect certain features. Sometimes a best friends list glitch is caused by a minor software bug on Snapchat’s end. These are usually fixed within a few hours or days at most.

Try force quitting the Snapchat app and restarting your phone to see if that resolves a best friends glitch. Make sure the Snapchat app is also updated to the latest version.

Connectivity problems

Connectivity issues like weak internet or cell service can also cause problems with Snapchat features loading correctly. Check that you have a strong WiFi or cellular data connection when you open Snapchat.

If you have connectivity issues, your best friends list may fail to update properly. Try manually refreshing the friends list screen by dragging down to sync it again.

Confusion about the algorithm

Sometimes best friends lists look wrong simply because users don’t fully understand how the algorithm works. Here are some common misunderstandings:

  • It only counts your snaps sent in the past 7 days.
  • Group chats don’t count.
  • Pictures and videos are weighted higher than chat.
  • Quick replies boost your ranking.

So if you haven’t snapped a frequently in the past week, or been replying to group chats, your best friends list may look off. Keep the algorithm rules in mind as you check your list.

How to refresh and update your best friends list

If closing Snapchat and restarting your device doesn’t fix a glitch, try manually refreshing your list:

  1. Open your Snapchat friends list and tap on your profile icon in the top left corner.
  2. Tap the gear icon to access your Settings page.
  3. Scroll down and tap “Refresh Best Friends.”
  4. Tap “Refresh Now” to force your best friends list to recalculate.

This will prompt Snapchat to re-analyze your last 7 days of snap activity and rebuild your best friends list from scratch. It may take a few minutes to process and update.

You can also refresh your best friends list simply by leaving Snapchat closed for several hours. When you reopen the app, your list will have recalculated automatically based on your most recent snap behavior.

How to troubleshoot specific best friend issues

Here are some tips for troubleshooting odd behaviors you may see from your Snapchat best friends list:

Best friend disappeared from my list

If a frequent friend vanishes from your best friends list, it likely means your snap activity decreased over the past week. The algorithm has a short memory, so if you don’t keep up consistent snapping the friend will drop down or off your list quickly.

Resume regular snapchat communication with that friend and they should reappear on your best friends list within a few days. Sending chat or pictures will help, but snapping back and forth is most effective.

Best friend is lower than expected

Similarly, a best friend appearing lower than they should simply means your interactions decreased a bit this week. The list ranks friends dynamically based on your current snap patterns, so staying in touch regularly is key.

Focus on replying promptly to that friend’s snaps to get your quick back-and-forth rhythm going again. Don’t worry about their exact placement – just keeping the snaps flowing will boost their rank over time.

New friend shoots up my best friends list

When you add a new Snapchat friend, the algorithm doesn’t yet have enough data to rank them accurately. This means a new friend can sometimes appear higher temporarily before dropping down over the next few weeks.

As you build a snap history with that friend, their rank will normalize to reflect your true communication frequency. Let the algorithm do its thing to determine where they belong on your best list over several weeks.

Random friend appears at the top

Similarly, an unexpected friend popping up at the top is likely just a quirk of the algorithm based on your activity over one week. If it’s someone you don’t talk to much normally, just keep snapping as usual with your core besties.

The algorithm will adjust that friend back down and your true best friends will float back up within a few days. Think of weekly fluctuations as normal until a pattern holds for several weeks.

Why is my number of best friends limited?

Snapchat currently limits the best friends list to 8 friends. This is to keep it focused on your very closest circle. The limit was previously 3 best friends, but Snapchat increased it to 8 in early 2020.

Having 8 spaces allows close friends who you may snap with slightly less often to still appear. But the list stays short enough to really showcase your true besties.

Remember, Snapchat is aiming to show your real life best friends – not just people you snap a lot in general. The 8 friend limit reflects that goal. The top 2-3 spots will be your most frequent snapping buddies.

Can you remove friends from your best friends list?

There is no way to manually remove or rearrange the order of friends on your Snapchat best friends list. The algorithm automatically chooses and ranks friends based on your snap activity.

If you want someone to appear lower or disappear from your list, simply snap them less for a few weeks. You can’t make direct changes, but you can influence it subtly by who you interact with more or less.

Hide your best friends from public profile

You can choose to hide your best friends list from your public Snapchat profile. This prevents others from seeing who appears on your best list.

To do this:

  1. Go to your profile and tap the Settings (gear) icon.
  2. Scroll down and tap “Who Can…”
  3. Tap “View My Friends” and choose “Only Me.”

This will remove the best friends section entirely from your public profile. But it will still be visible to you in the app.

What if my best friends list is empty?

It’s rare, but some Snapchat users report their best friends list being empty or nonexistent. There are a couple possible reasons for this:

  • You really haven’t snapped enough friends in the past week.
  • A bug or glitch is affecting your specific account.

Try manually refreshing your best friends list under Settings. Make sure you’ve snapped multiple friends frequently over the last 7 days. An empty list typically means you either don’t have enough recent snap activity, or a technical issue on Snapchat’s end.

If your list remains empty for more than a few days despite regular snap use, try reaching out to Snapchat Support for personalized troubleshooting help.

Conclusion

Snapchat’s best friends feature aims to highlight your closest friends, but the fluid algorithm can sometimes be confusing. If your list seems off, don’t panic. Keep snapping as normal with your top friends and it will usually stabilize again within a few days.

Check for app glitches and connection issues as well. But in most cases, a best friend disappearing or change in order is just a reflection of your natural snap patterns changing throughout the week.