Snapchat’s Best Friends feature allowed users to see their friends ranked based on how frequently they snap each other. The Best Friends list showed the top 3 friends the user snaps with the most. This feature let users see who their most frequent snap partners were at a glance.
However, in 2018 Snapchat removed the public Best Friends feature. Now, users can no longer see a public list of their Best Friends. So currently there is no Best Friends list visible to users on Snapchat.
Why Snapchat Removed the Best Friends List
There were a few reasons why Snapchat decided to remove the public Best Friends feature:
- To reduce social pressure and competition among friends. The public list sometimes caused stress about who was #1 vs #2 etc.
- To encourage more snapping. Friends didn’t want others to see when someone else was their “top” friend.
- To make Snapchat feel more personal. The list made snapping feel performative.
Essentially, Snapchat wanted to reduce the unintended social consequences of the public Best Friends list. They felt it had become unhealthy for friendships and made Snapchat feel too public.
Can You See Your Own Best Friends List?
While Snapchat removed the public Best Friends list, you can still see your own private list of Best Friends:
- Go to your profile page
- Tap the smiley face icon in the top left
- Scroll down and tap “Best Friends”
This will show you your personal Best Friends list. But only you can see this – it’s no longer public to your friends.
What Does the Best Friends Emoji Mean?
You may notice that one friend has a specific emoji next to their name when you snap them. This means they are your #1 Best Friend.
The emoji helps you distinguish your #1 best friend, even though the list is now private. This emoji updates frequently based on your snap activity over the last week.
How is the Best Friends List Calculated?
Snapchat’s algorithm looks at your snap activity over the past 7 days to determine your Best Friends list. It considers:
- How often you snap back and forth with each friend
- How recent your snaps are with each friend
- The total number of snaps sent between you and each friend
The friend you’ve exchanged the most snaps with over the past week becomes your #1 Best Friend. The next two become #2 and #3 on your private list.
Tips for Getting on Someone’s Best Friends List
If you want to become best friends with someone on Snapchat, focus on increasing your snap frequency with them:
- Initiate snaps with them every day
- Continue the conversation – snap back and forth for longer
- Send them goodnight/good morning snaps daily
- Reply right away when they snap you
- Use Snapchat’s chat feature too in addition to picture/video snaps
The more you snap with someone consistently over time, the more likely you’ll become one of their Best Friends.
Does Sending Pictures or Chatting Impact Your Best Friends Ranking More?
Snapchat hasn’t officially confirmed exactly how they calculate your Best Friends list. But most evidence suggests:
- Snapping pictures/videos has a higher impact than just chatting.
- Replying frequently and consistently matters more than long conversations.
- Recent activity influences your ranking more than older snaps.
So to improve your Best Friend ranking, focus on frequently exchanging picture and video snaps back and forth. Having long chats doesn’t seem to boost your ranking as much as frequent snaps.
Why Can Some Friends See Your Location on Snap Map?
If one of your Best Friends views your public Snapchat Story, they may also be able to see your location on Snap Map. This is because Snapchat automatically shares your location with all your Best Friends.
You can choose to share your location with all friends, some friends, or turn off location sharing completely in Snapchat’s settings. But by default, all your Best Friends will be able to view your location.
Can You Tell When Someone Views Your Snapchat Story?
Yes, Snapchat does allow you to see who has viewed your public Story snaps. To see who has viewed your Story:
- Post a snap to your Story
- Tap the Story icon in the top left of the camera screen
- Tap the 3 bars icon to expand the list of names
This will show a list of friends who have viewed that particular snap on your Story. One limitation is that it only shows you the first 20 viewers.
Does Viewing Someone’s Story Help You Become Best Friends?
Simply viewing someone’s Story does not help increase your Best Friend ranking with them. To move up their Best Friends list, you need to frequently snap back and forth with them directly. Just passively viewing their public Story is not enough.
However, replying to their Story with your own snap directly to them can help boost your interactions and ranking. But just viewing and not snapping back doesn’t improve your Best Friend status.
Do Best Friends Change Daily?
Snapchat’s Best Friends algorithm looks at your snap activity over the past 7 days. So the list does evolve daily based on your latest interactions.
Typically there won’t be dramatic day-to-day shifts in the list. But over the course of a week, you’ll likely notice some changes in ranking as you snap some friends more than others.
Your top Best Friends tend to stay relatively stable. But expect your #2 and #3 friends to shuffle around more often as snap patterns change.
Is There a Way to Get Your Best Friends List Back to Public?
Unfortunately there is currently no setting in Snapchat to make your Best Friends list public again. This feature was permanently removed from Snapchat in 2018.
Some users have requested for Snapchat to make Best Friends public again. But so far Snapchat has given no indication they plan to re-introduce a public Best Friends list that anyone can see.
For now, the list is private and only visible to you. Snapchat may reconsider bringing back a public list in the future based on user feedback. But there is no option to make it public again at this time.
Conclusion
While Snapchat removed the public Best Friends list, you can still see your private list of top friends based on snap frequency. Sending more picture and video snaps can help you become someone’s Best Friend.
Snapchat made this change to reduce social pressure and envy associated with the public list. You can still identify your #1 bestie with the special emoji. But the rankings are now private information to foster more authentic connections.