Snapchat is one of the most popular social media sites, especially among young adults, and there are plenty of unique features on the platform which you’ll stumble upon while you’re using it. One of those features is the Snapchat friend emoji, and you’ve probably asked yourself: “what do the Snapchat emojis mean?”
If you’re an active Snapchat user you’ve probably noticed these emojis before. They appear next to your friends names on you “Friends” tab, and they can give you some interesting insights into the ways that both you and your friends interact with Snapchat.
In this post we’re going to explain everything that you need to know about emojis on Snapchat in 2024, and we’ll highlight what every Snapchat emoji means – a must-read if you’re an active user like me. At the end of this post, we’ll also go through the most commonly seen Snapchat icons and their meanings.
Alright, let’s jump into the world of Snapchat emojis!
What Are Snapchat Emojis?
Snapchat emojis are a unique feature which tracks the way that both you and your Snapchat friends interact on the platform. The emoji that appears next to a user on Snapchat’s “Friends” tab can be affected by the length of time that you’ve been friends, the frequency that you send each other snaps, and the other Snapchat users who you interact with frequently, to name a few.
When Snapchat launched they used a “Best Friends” feature to display who you frequently interacted with (and who frequently interacted with you) – but this information was available publicly. It was essentially a simplified version of the emoji system that is currently in place, but you were able to tap on somebody’s profile and view the top 3 friends that they interacted with.
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So, why did Snapchat decide to remove their “Best Friends” system?
This is actually one of the main reasons why the “Best Friends” system was removed by Snapchat. Several high-profile Snapchat users were becoming concerned about any breaches of privacy that might occur due to their Snapchat best friends being on display.
Personally, I believe that the Snapchat emoji feature that is in place today is much more user-friendly than the “Best Friends” system – now you can use the platform without worrying about your usage patterns being known to the rest of your friends.
What Do the Snapchat Emojis Mean?
There are thirteen Snapchat emojis in total, and the actual emoji might differ slightly to the images that we will use in this article, depending on the operating system that you use for your mobile device.
Okay, let’s get started with the list of Snapchat Emojis.
Baby Face Emoji 👶
You’ll see this Snapchat emoji on your friends list if you’ve just added somebody to your friends list – if you’re just getting started on Snapchat you can expect to see this emoji a lot.
Smile Emoji 😊
This Snapchat emoji indicates that this user is one of your best friends. This means that you interact with them a lot on the platform – you send them a lot of snaps, and they send you a lot too, but they aren’t your #1 best friend. If you’re active on Snapchat you can expect to see several smile emojis in your friends list.
Grimace Emoji 😬
If you see the grimace emoji it means that you share one of your best friends with this friend. That means that they interact a lot with somebody who you also interact with frequently.
Sunglasses Emoji 😎
The sunglasses emoji indicates that you share a “close friend” with this person. A close friend is a Snapchatter who you send snaps to frequently, but not enough to be one of your best friends.
Smirk Emoji 😏
If you see this emoji, it means that you’re that person’s best friend, but they aren’t your best friend. Essentially this Snapchat emoji means that this person interacts with you the most, but they aren’t somebody who you interact with the most.
Gold Heart Emoji 💛
Congratulations! If you see this emoji on Snapchat it means that you two are best friends! You send this person the most snaps, and they send the most snaps to you too!
Red Heart Emoji ❤️
This Snapchat emoji also indicates that you are best friends with this person, and you have been for at least two weeks – great work, it’s tough to keep up that streak.
Pink Hearts Emoji 💕
Wow – if you see this emoji on your Snapchat friends list you deserve a pat on the back. This Snapchat emoji shows that you’ve been best friends with that person for at least two months!
Fire Emoji 🔥
If you see the fire emoji on your friends list, it means that you’re on a Snapstreak with that person.
A Snapstreak occurs when you and your friend have snapped each other for at least three days continuously. You’ll also see a number next to the flame emoji which indicates the number of days that your Snapstreak has been running for.
Bare in mind that a chat message won’t allow you to continue your Snapstreak – you need to send a snap if you want to keep those flames!
100 Emoji 💯
This is one of our favorite Snapchat emojis – the coveted 100. If you see a 100 emoji on your Snapchat friends list, get ready to take a screenshot, because you’ve had a Snapstreak running with that person for 100 days in a row. Very impressive.
Hourglass Emoji ⌛
If you see this Snapchat emoji, it’s time to get snapping! The hourglass Snapchat emoji indicates that your Snapstreak is going to end very soon with this person. Don’t worry though, just send them a snap and you’ll continue your streak.
Like we mentioned earlier, chats won’t help you to keep a Snapstreak going, so make sure that you use that selfie camera instead!
Sparkle Emoji ✨
Snapchat recently released Snapchat groups which allow you to send snaps and chat with multiple users, and the sparkle Snapchat emoji indicates that you’re in a group with that user.
Birthday Cake Emoji 🎂
If you’re scrolling down your friends list and you spot this emoji, it’s their birthday! This Snapchat emoji will appear on the date that they entered as their birthday when they signed up on Snapchat, so feel free to send them a nice message on that day.
Purple Zodiac Emojis
Any Snapchat users who have entered in their birthday will receive a small purple zodiac emoji that corresponds to their relevant zodiac symbol. This Snapchat emoji is a little different from the previous ones that we’ve mentioned – you can only view the purple zodiac emojis by tapping onto somebodies Snapchat profile. Let’s take a look at what these purple zodiac Snapchat emojis represent.
♈ Aries (March 21 – April 20)
♉ Taurus (April 21 – May 21)
♊ Gemini (May 22 – June 21)
♋ Cancer (June 22 – July 22)
♌ Leo (July 23 – August 22)
♍ Virgo (August 23 – September 23)
♎ Libra (September 24 – October 23)
♏ Scorpius (October 24 – November 22)
♐ Sagittarius (November 23 – December 21)
♑ Capricorn (December 22 – January 20)
♒ Aquarius (January 21 – February 19)
♓ Pisces (February 20 – March 20)
How to Set Your Birthday in Snapchat
If you’d like the birthday features of Snapchat, you’ll first need to enter your birthday in settings so that your friends can see the birthday cake emoji and zodiac symbol for you.
Here’s how you can set up your birthday in your Snapchat profile:
1. Click on the settings icon on your profile screen (on the top right corner, that looks like this ⚙)
2. Click on “My Account” and then on “Birthday”
3. Enter your birthday (be careful, Snapchat only lets you change your birthday a few times!)
How to Customize Your Snapchat Friend Emoji
So the Snapchat emojis that we mentioned above are actually the default options. If you’d prefer to use a different emoji, you can change them up at any time – the choice is yours.
If you want to customize your Snapchat friend emojis and Snapchat streaks, just follow these five steps:
1) Open up Snapchat on your mobile device.
2) In the top-left corner of your screen you’ll see your profile icon. Just tap that and you’ll see your profile menu appear.
3) When you’re on the profile menu tap on the button in the top-right corner and open up your ‘Settings’ tab.
4) Once you’re on the ‘Settings’ tab, scroll down and you should see ‘Additional Services’. The first option under ‘Additional Services’ will be ‘Manage’ – tap it.
5) From here tap on “Friend Emojis” and customize your Snapchat emojis to your heart’s desire.
6) You’ll see a list of “Friend Emojis” that you can tap on to edit.
7) Look at all the different Snapchat emojis you can choose from: 😍
Snapchat Emojis for Verified Accounts
The Snapchat emojis explained above describe your relationship with your Snapchat friends, but there are also specific Snapchat emojis that are reserved for verified accounts. That’s why you’ll see that some official Snapchat stories display a custom Snapchat emoji, that also shows that the account has been verified. These official Snapchat story emojis are reserved for public figures and celebrities.
Snapchat Story Emojis
While the number of verified Snapchat accounts changes all the time, let’s take a look at some of the most popular Snapchat story emojis:
1. 👾 Alien Monster Emoji: Joe Jonas (username: joseadam)
2. 🎈Balloon Emoji: Rihanna (username: rihanna)
3. 💪 Bicep Emoji: Arnold Schwarzenegger (username: arnoldschnitzel)
4. 🌵 Cactus Emoji: Jared Leto (username: jaredleto)
5. 🍒 Cherry Emoji: Demi Lovato (username: theddlovato)
6. 💫 Circling Star Emoji: Emily Ratajkowski (username: emrata)
7. 🎬 Clapboard Emoji: Ryan Seacrest (username: ryanseacrest)
8. 👏 Clapping Hands Emoji: Zedd (username: zedd)
9. 🌙 Crescent Moon Emoji: Ariana Grande (username: moonlightbae)
10. 👑Crown Emoji: Kylie Jenner (username: kylizzlemynizzl)
11. 📀 Disc Emoji: David Guetta (username: davidguettaoff)
12. 👊 Fist Emoji: Alesso (username: alesso)
13. 🔑 Key Emoji: DJ Khaled (username: djkhaled305)
14. 🐨 Koala Emoji: 5 Seconds of Summer (username: wearefivesos)
15. 🍐 Pear Emoji: Rick Ross (username: ferrarifatboy)
16. 💟 Pink Heart Emoji: Selena Gomez (username: selenagomez)
17. 🍕Pizza Emoji: Bella Hadid, Chrissy Teigen, Martin Garrix (usernames: babybels777, chrissyteigen, martingarrix)
18. 💩 Poo Emoji: Victoria Justice (username: victoriajustice)
19. 🙏 Praying Hands Emoji: Justin Bieber (username: rickthesizzler)
20. 🐀 Rat Emoji: Ruby Rose (username: rubyrose)
21. 🚣 Rowboat Emoji: The Lonley Island (username: tliboys)
22. 🌹 Rose Emoji: Rosie Huntington Whitley (username: rosiehw)
23. 🚨Siren Emoji: Tiesto (username: tiesto)
24. 🐅Tiger Emoji: Calvin Harris (username: calvinharris)
25. 🌷Tulip Emoji: Jessica Alba (username: jessicaalba)
26. ⬆️ Up Arrow Emoji: One Direction (username: onedirection)
Snapchat Icon Meanings
Now let’s take a look at Snapchat icons and the meanings behind them. Snapchat icons provide information about snaps that you send or receive.
Meanings of sent Snapchat icons
You sent a Snap without audio
You sent a Snap with audio
You sent a Chat
You sent a snap to someone who hasn’t accepted your friend request
Meanings of opened Snapchat icons
A friend opened a Snap without audio
A friend opened a Snap with audio
A friend opened a Chat
A friend viewed and received Cash
Meanings of received Snapchat icons
You have an unopened Snap (or Snaps) without audio
You have an unopened Snap (or Snaps) that includes audio
You have an unread Chat message
Meanings of viewed Snapchat icons
Your Snap sent without audio has been viewed
Your Snap sent with audio has been viewed
Your Chat has been viewed
A Snap or Chat is pending and may have expired
Screenshot icons
A screenshot has been taken of your Snap without audio
A screenshot has been taken of your Snap with audio
A screenshot has been taken of your Chat
Replay icons
Your Snap sent without audio has been replayed
Your Snap sent with audio has been replayed
Snapchat for Entrepreneurs
Snapchat is unique platform, both in terms of the functionality of the app, and also the type of content that users expect to find there, so it can be daunting if you’re looking to use Snapchat as a marketing tool.
If you’re looking to get your Snapchat marketing efforts off the ground, check out our Ultimate Guide to Snapchat Marketing – in this post we do a deep dive and cover everything Snapchat.
Okay, that’s all for today. If you’ve got any questions about Snapchat emojis or Snapchat icons, or you just want to let us know what emoji you think should be added in a new Snapchat update, let us know in the comments section – we read all of them!
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