Snapchat friend emoji
The emoji next to a friend’s name in Snapchat show how the two of you use the app. A yellow heart means you are each other’s #1 Best Friend, a fire means you are on a Streak, and an hourglass means the Streak is about to end.
How to read it
Snap’s help centre says Friend Emojis are based on the way you and your friends use Snapchat, and can change regularly. Best Friends are the friends someone Snaps and Chats with most, up to eight of them, and they get special Friend Emojis. Snap’s article on Best Friends Forever adds that the emoji are private to the two friends. People can change which emoji Snapchat uses, so the ones on a friend’s phone may differ; this page gives Snapchat’s default set as its help centre describes it, September 2026.
Also searched as: Snapchat emoji meanings, Snapchat friend emojis.
What each emoji means
| Emoji | Snap’s name | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 💛 | Besties | You are each other’s #1 Best Friend: you send them the most Snaps, and they send you the most |
| ❤️ | BFF | You have been each other’s #1 Best Friend for two weeks in a row |
| 💕 | Super BFF | You have been each other’s #1 Best Friend for two months in a row |
| 😊 | BFs | They are one of your Best Friends, but not your #1 |
| 😬 | Mutual Besties | Your #1 Best Friend is also their #1 Best Friend |
| 😎 | Mutual BFs | One of your Best Friends is also one of theirs |
| 🔥 | Streak | You and this friend have Snapped each other for the number of days shown beside it |
| ⌛️ | Streak is ending | The Streak ends unless you both send each other a Snap within 24 hours |
| 🎂 | Birthday | It is your friend’s birthday, on the date they gave Snapchat |
Snap’s support team says it can’t add, restore or replace Friend Emojis that have changed, including BFF and Super BFF.
Yellow, red and pink hearts
The three hearts are one friendship at different lengths. A yellow heart means you are each other’s #1 Best Friend now, a red heart that it has lasted two weeks in a row, and pink hearts that it has lasted two months.
😬 or 😎
Both mean you and the friend share a Best Friend. The grimacing face is for the top place: your #1 Best Friend is also their #1. The sunglasses mean one of your Best Friends is one of theirs.
Emoji Snapchat no longer lists
Snapchat introduced Friend Emojis in April 2015, replacing a Best Friends list that anyone with you in their contacts could see (TechCrunch, 6 April 2015). TechCrunch’s list then had a gold heart, the grimace, the smile, the sunglasses, the fire and a smirking face 😏, meaning you are one of their Best Friends but they are not one of yours. Snap’s guide in September 2026 does not include the smirk. For Snapchat+ subscribers who each pin the other as their #1 Best Friend, Snap describes a further Best Friend Emoji.
Custom emoji
Snap’s help centre says people can customise their Friend Emojis, turning all those hearts into pizzas, and that the options can change on different devices. A friend’s screen may therefore show a different emoji for the same meaning.
More social media icons and badges
Browse symbols drawn with circles or curves and waves.
Sources
- What do my Friend Emojis mean on Snapchat?, Snapchat Support (read September 2026), Snap Inc., Friend Emoji Guide
- How do Best Friends work on Snapchat?, Snapchat Support (read September 2026), Snap Inc., whole article
- How do I customize Friend Emojis on Snapchat?, Snapchat Support (read September 2026), Snap Inc., whole article
- How does Best Friends Forever work on Snapchat?, Snapchat Support (read September 2026), Snap Inc., Mutually Pinned BFFs
- Snapchat Replaces “Best Friends” With Friend Emojis, Adds Low-Light Camera, Josh Constine, 6 April 2015, TechCrunch, article
Last reviewed September 30, 2026 by Rory Hansen. How we research