Written by Admin Alex · Fact-Checked by M.Ali · Info Verified October 2026
We review and update this article regularly as new information becomes available.
TL;DR: Snapchat friend emojis appear next to names in your Chat list and show how you and that person interact. A yellow heart means you are each other’s number one Best Friend. A red heart means that has lasted two weeks, and two pink hearts mean two months. A smiley face means one of your Best Friends, sunglasses and grimacing faces mean shared Best Friends, and the fire emoji shows a Snapstreak. Only you can see your friend emojis, and you can change their look in Settings.
Open your Chat screen on Snapchat and you will see small emojis next to some names: hearts, faces, fire, a baby, sometimes a star. They are not random. Snapchat assigns each one automatically based on how often you and that friend send Snaps and chat.
Snapchat had 493 million daily active users in the second quarter of 2026, and most of them see these emojis every day without a clear explanation inside the app. This guide covers every friend emoji, what triggers it, how long it lasts, and how to customize or reset it.
Snapchat Emoji Meanings: Complete Chart
| Emoji | Name | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 💛 | Yellow heart (Besties) | You are each other’s number one Best Friend |
| ❤️ | Red heart (BFF) | You have been each other’s number one Best Friend for two weeks in a row |
| 💕 | Two pink hearts (Super BFF) | You have been each other’s number one Best Friend for two months in a row |
| 😊 | Smiling face (Best Friend) | This person is one of your Best Friends, but not your number one |
| 😎 | Sunglasses face (Mutual Best Friends) | One of your Best Friends is also one of their Best Friends |
| 😬 | Grimacing face (Mutual Besties) | Your number one Best Friend is also their number one Best Friend |
| 😏 | Smirking face | You are one of their Best Friends, but they are not one of yours |
| 🔥 | Fire (Snapstreak) | You have an active Snapstreak; the number shows how many days |
| 💯 | 100 | Your Snapstreak has reached 100 days |
| ⌛ | Hourglass | Your Snapstreak is about to expire |
| 👶 | Baby | You recently became friends with this person |
| 🎂 | Birthday cake | It is this friend’s birthday (if they share it) |
| 🌟 | Gold star | Someone replayed this person’s Snaps in the last 24 hours |
| ✌️ | Peace sign | This is the group chat you interact with most |
| ♈ to ♓ | Zodiac signs | The friend’s astrological sign, based on the birthday they shared |
How Snapchat Decides Your Best Friends
Most friend emojis depend on your “Best Friends” list. Snapchat ranks friends by how often you Snap and chat with them, with more weight on recent activity. The exact formula is not public.
Three points explain most of the confusion people have about friend emojis:
- It is based on activity, not feelings. Snapping someone every day for a group project can earn the same heart as snapping a partner.
- It updates on its own. Emojis can change within days if your activity shifts.
- It is private. Friend emojis are shown only to you. Your friend sees their own emoji for you, which may be different.
Heart Emojis on Snapchat
Hearts are the most searched Snapchat emojis, because they track your closest friendship on the app. They follow a fixed progression.
| Stage | Emoji | Requirement | What ends it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 💛 Yellow heart | You are each other’s number one Best Friend | Either of you snaps someone else more |
| 2 | ❤️ Red heart | Number one Best Friends for two weeks in a row | The mutual number one spot breaks |
| 3 | 💕 Two pink hearts | Number one Best Friends for two months in a row | The mutual number one spot breaks |
If the streak of being mutual number ones breaks at any point, the heart disappears and you start again from the yellow heart. For the details on each stage, see our guides to the yellow heart on Snapchat and the red heart on Snapchat.
Face Emojis on Snapchat
The face emojis describe how your Best Friends lists overlap with other people’s lists.
😊 Smiling face
This person is one of your Best Friends. You Snap them a lot, but they are not your single top friend. Most active users have several smiley faces in their Chat list.
😎 Sunglasses face
You and this person share a Best Friend. In other words, one of your Best Friends is also on their Best Friends list. It often appears between members of the same friend group.
😬 Grimacing face
Your number one Best Friend is also this person’s number one Best Friend. It is the emoji that most often causes awkward questions, because it shows two people are both closest to the same third person.
😏 Smirking face
You are one of this person’s Best Friends, but they are not one of yours. They Snap you more than you Snap them.
Streak Emojis on Snapchat
Streak emojis track Snapstreaks, which count consecutive days that two friends send each other photo or video Snaps. Chat messages do not count toward a streak.
- 🔥 Fire appears once a Snapstreak is active, with the number of days beside it.
- 💯 100 appears when a streak hits 100 days.
- ⌛ Hourglass warns that the streak will end soon unless you both send a Snap.
Snapchat says lost streaks can sometimes be restored for a limited time. Read our full guide to Snapchat streaks and when they expire for the rules.
Other Snapchat Symbols
- 👶 Baby: a new friend you just added. It disappears as you interact more.
- 🎂 Birthday cake: the friend’s birthday today, shown only if they enabled Birthday Party in settings.
- 🌟 Gold star: someone replayed this person’s Snaps in the past 24 hours.
- ✌️ Peace sign: your most active group chat.
- Zodiac signs: shown when a friend shares their birthday, based on their sign.
Snapchat also uses colors and icons that are not emojis, such as the green dot that shows a friend is active. See our explainers on the green dot on Snapchat and the X on Snapchat.
Friend Emojis vs. Emojis in Chats
Friend emojis are different from the emojis people send you. Mixing them up is the most common source of confusion.
| Friend emojis | Emojis in chats and Stories | |
|---|---|---|
| Where they appear | Next to names in your Chat list | Inside messages, reactions and captions |
| Who picks them | Snapchat, automatically | The person sending them |
| Who can see them | Only you | Everyone in the conversation |
| What they reflect | Activity and rankings | Feelings, tone or humor |
So a red heart beside a name is an activity badge, while a red heart sent in a chat is a message from that person.
A Short History of Friend Emojis
Snapchat used to display a public Best Friends list on every profile, which let anyone see who you snapped most. In early 2015, Snapchat removed that public list and introduced private friend emojis instead. The idea stayed the same, showing your closest connections, but only you can now see the result.
How to Customize Snapchat Friend Emojis
You can change which emoji represents each friend status. Your changes only affect what you see.
- Tap your profile icon in the top-left corner.
- Tap the gear icon to open Settings.
- Scroll to the customization options and open the Friend Emojis section (labeled “Customize Emojis” in some versions).
- Pick a status, such as Super BFF or Besties.
- Choose a new emoji from the list. It saves automatically.
Menu names can change between app versions. If you cannot find the option, update Snapchat and search Settings for “emoji”.
Friend Emojis vs. Snapchat+ Features
Friend emojis are free for every user. Snapchat+ subscribers get extra friendship features, including the Friend Solar System, which shows how close you are to a friend by ranking them as planets. The planet closest to the sun is the person you interact with most.
| Feature | Free | Snapchat+ |
|---|---|---|
| Friend emojis | Yes | Yes |
| Custom friend emojis | Yes | Yes |
| Friend Solar System (planets) | No | Yes |
Why Did a Snapchat Emoji Disappear?
- Your activity changed. Snapping one person less, or someone else more, can drop them from Best Friends.
- Their activity changed. Hearts need both people to keep each other at number one.
- A streak ended. Missing a day without sending a Snap removes the fire emoji.
- You turned emojis off or the app glitched. Update the app, restart it, and check that friend emojis are enabled.
- You cleared your Best Friends list. Older versions let you clear it in Settings, which resets the emojis.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can other people see my Snapchat friend emojis?
No. Friend emojis are shown only to you. Your friend sees their own emoji for you, which may be different from yours.
What is the difference between the yellow heart and red heart on Snapchat?
A yellow heart means you are each other’s number one Best Friend right now. A red heart means you have kept that mutual number one spot for two weeks in a row.
What does the smirk face mean on Snapchat?
It means you are one of that person’s Best Friends, but they are not one of yours. They Snap you more often than you Snap them.
Do chat messages count toward Snapchat emojis?
Chats can influence your Best Friends ranking, but Snapstreaks only count photo and video Snaps sent on consecutive days.
How do I get rid of a Snapchat friend emoji?
You cannot delete a single emoji. It changes when your interaction pattern changes. You can, however, swap each emoji for a different one in Settings.
What does the gold star mean on Snapchat?
The gold star shows that someone replayed this person’s Snaps within the last 24 hours.
What does NFS mean on Snapchat?
NFS is slang rather than a friend emoji, and its meaning depends on context. Our NFS on Snapchat guide and Snapchat slang glossary explain it.
Bottom Line
Snapchat friend emojis are an automatic, private summary of how you interact with each person. Hearts track your mutual number one friendship over time, faces show how Best Friends lists overlap, and fire tracks daily Snapstreaks. They change as your habits change, so treat them as a fun indicator rather than a final verdict on any friendship.
Sources
- Snapchat Support, Streaks and Friend Emoji help pages
- Snap Inc., Second Quarter 2026 financial results (493 million daily active users)
- Digital Citizen, Snapchat Emoji Meanings Explained
