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: A yellow heart 💛 on Snapchat means you and that person are each other’s number one Best Friend right now. You Snap them more than anyone else, and they Snap you more than anyone else. Keep it for two weeks and it becomes a red heart. Outside Snapchat, the yellow heart emoji usually signals friendship, warmth or happiness rather than romance.
The yellow heart is the first step in Snapchat’s friendship heart system. It is also one of the most misread emojis on the app, because many people assume a heart must mean a crush. On Snapchat, it is an automatic badge based purely on activity.
This guide explains what the yellow heart means on Snapchat, how it differs from the same emoji in regular texts, how to get it and why it disappears.
What Does a Yellow Heart Mean on Snapchat?
Snapchat calls the yellow heart the “Besties” emoji. It appears next to a friend’s name when both of these are true:
- This person is your number one Best Friend on Snapchat.
- You are their number one Best Friend too.
Best Friends are ranked by how often you exchange Snaps and chats, with recent activity counting more. There is no time requirement for the yellow heart. It can appear the same day you both become each other’s top contact.
Yellow Heart on Snapchat vs. Yellow Heart in Texts
| Where you see it | What it usually means | Who decides |
|---|---|---|
| Next to a name in your Snapchat Chat list | Mutual number one Best Friends | Snapchat, automatically |
| Sent in a Snapchat chat or text message | Friendship, support, happiness or positivity | The person who sent it |
| On an Instagram or TikTok comment | Friendly appreciation, often platonic | The person who posted it |
When someone sends you 💛 in a message, they chose it. It is often seen as a friendly, platonic heart compared with the red heart ❤️, which tends to signal love or romance. When the yellow heart sits next to a name in your Chat list, nobody chose it. Snapchat assigned it.
What Other Heart Colors Mean in Messages
When people send hearts in chats, each color tends to carry its own tone. These are common conventions, not rules.
| Heart | Common meaning in messages |
|---|---|
| 💛 Yellow | Friendship, happiness, positivity |
| ❤️ Red | Love, romance, deep affection |
| 🧡 Orange | Care and support, often platonic |
| 💚 Green | Growth, nature, sometimes playful jealousy |
| 💙 Blue | Trust, loyalty, calm friendship |
| 💜 Purple | Compassion, admiration, sometimes fandoms |
| 🖤 Black | Dark humor, grief or edgy style |
| 🤍 White | Pure or simple affection, sympathy |
Only the yellow, red and pink hearts are official Snapchat friend emojis. Any other color next to a name means the user customized their emojis.
Where the Yellow Heart Emoji Comes From
The yellow heart 💛 was added to Unicode 6.0 in 2010, which is why it works on almost every phone and app. Its official name is simply “yellow heart.” Over time, people began using it as the friendly, low-pressure alternative to the red heart. Snapchat adopted that same friendly tone when it chose the yellow heart for the Besties friend emoji.
How to Get a Yellow Heart on Snapchat
- Snap and chat with one person more than anyone else.
- Make sure they also interact with you more than with anyone else.
- Keep it consistent. Photo and video Snaps carry the most weight in day-to-day rankings.
Once both conditions are met, the yellow heart appears. You cannot request it, and the other person does not get a notification when it appears.
What Comes After the Yellow Heart?
| Emoji | Label | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| 💛 | Besties | Mutual number one Best Friends |
| ❤️ | BFF | Mutual number one for two weeks in a row |
| 💕 | Super BFF | Mutual number one for two months in a row |
The yellow heart turns red after two weeks. Read our full guide to what the red heart means on Snapchat for the next stages.
Common Yellow Heart Situations
You have a yellow heart with a crush
It means you are each other’s most active Snapchat contact right now. That is a good sign of regular contact, but it is not a confession. Their messages and behavior tell you far more than the emoji.
Your partner has a yellow heart with someone else
Your partner currently snaps someone else more than anyone, and that person does the same with them. It is often a sibling, a best friend or a streak partner. If it bothers you, a calm conversation helps more than guessing.
You got a yellow heart with someone new
New friends can hit number one fast, especially if you snapped a lot in the first few days. The baby emoji 👶 usually disappears first, then the heart appears if you both stay each other’s top contact.
The yellow heart turned into a smiley face
The smiling face 😊 means they are still one of your Best Friends, but no longer your mutual number one.
Why Did My Yellow Heart Disappear?
- You snapped someone else more. They became your new number one.
- They snapped someone else more. The heart needs both of you, so a change on their side removes it too.
- It upgraded. After two weeks it becomes a red heart, which is good news.
- You customized your emojis. A different emoji may now represent Besties.
- App issue. Update and restart Snapchat if all emojis vanished at once.
A missing yellow heart does not mean you were blocked or removed. Rankings move quickly, often within a day or two.
Why Snapchat Uses Hearts Instead of a Public List
Snapchat once showed a public Best Friends list on each profile, so anyone could see who you snapped most. In early 2015 it replaced that list with private friend emojis. The yellow heart keeps the fun of seeing your closest friendship without revealing it to everyone else.
Snapchat+ subscribers get an extra view called the Friend Solar System, which ranks friends as planets based on how close you are. Free users still get the yellow heart and every other friend emoji.
Can Someone Else See Our Yellow Heart?
No. Friend emojis appear only on your own device. Other people cannot see who your number one Best Friend is through emojis. The person you share the heart with will usually see a yellow heart too, since the condition is mutual.
Yellow Heart vs. Other Snapchat Emojis
| Emoji | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 😊 Smiling face | One of your Best Friends, but not your number one |
| 😬 Grimacing face | Your number one Best Friend is also their number one |
| 😎 Sunglasses face | You share a Best Friend with this person |
| 😏 Smirking face | You are one of their Best Friends, but they are not one of yours |
| 🔥 Fire | An active Snapstreak |
See the full list in our Snapchat emoji meanings guide.
Quick Tips to Keep Your Yellow Heart
- Snap daily. Regular photo and video Snaps carry the most weight.
- Keep a Snapstreak going. It builds steady activity, which helps keep you both at number one. See our Snapchat streak guide.
- Watch for spikes elsewhere. A busy group chat or a day of snapping another friend can bump your bestie down.
- Do not stress over it. Hearts change often. Your real friendship does not depend on an emoji.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a yellow heart on Snapchat mean someone likes you?
Not necessarily. It means you are each other’s most frequent Snapchat contact. That can be a friend, relative or partner.
How long does a yellow heart last on Snapchat?
As long as you both stay each other’s number one Best Friend. After two weeks it turns into a red heart.
Can you have a yellow heart with more than one person?
No. You can only have one number one Best Friend, so only one yellow heart at a time.
What does it mean when a girl or guy sends a yellow heart?
In a message, a yellow heart usually signals friendship, warmth or happiness. It is generally seen as less romantic than a red heart, but context and your relationship matter.
Is the yellow heart the same as the gold heart on Snapchat?
Yes. Many people call it the gold heart. Both names refer to the same Besties friend emoji.
Does the other person know I have a yellow heart with them?
They usually see a yellow heart on their side too, because the condition is mutual. Snapchat does not send a notification when it appears.
Can I change the yellow heart emoji on Snapchat?
Yes. Open your profile, tap the gear icon for Settings, find the Friend Emojis customization option, choose “Besties” and pick a new emoji.
Bottom Line
A yellow heart on Snapchat means you and one person are currently each other’s top friend on the app. It is automatic, private and based only on how often you Snap. Keep it for two weeks to unlock the red heart. In a regular message, a yellow heart is a friendly gesture, usually platonic.
Sources
- Snapchat Support, Friend Emoji and Streak help pages
- Digital Citizen, Snapchat Emoji Meanings Explained
