Since day one, Snapchat has relied on emojis and icons to communicate what is happening across the app. These symbols show things like friendship status, snap and chat activity, delivery states, story views, location updates, and alerts. They make Snapchat quick to read, but they can also be confusing if you are not sure what each one means. This guide breaks down every Snapchat symbol and icon in simple terms, so you always know what is going on in your chats, stories, and friend list.
Snapchat Friend Emojis and Their Meanings
If you use Snapchat often, you must have noticed different emojis next to your friend’s Bitmoji in your chat list. Each such emoji represents your level of interaction with them and can be replaced by other emojis as your interaction increases or drops. Simply put, these icons help you understand your friendship level and Snapstreak status at a glance.
| Emoji | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ❤️🔥 Burning Red Heart | This person has been newly added to your friend list |
| 💛 Yellow Heart | You and this friend send snaps to each other more than anyone else |
| ❤️ Red Heart | You remained each other’s number one best friend for two weeks |
| 💕 Pink Hearts | You remained each other’s number one best friend for two months |
| 🙂 Smiling Face | You pinned this friend as your number one best friend, and they also pinned you as their number one best friend. This is available only for Snapchat Plus users |
| 😬 Grimacing Face | You and this friend share the same number one best friend |
| 😎 Sunglasses Face | You and this friend share a mutual close friend |
| 🔥 Fire | You are on a Snapstreak with this friend |
| 💯 Hundred | Your Snapstreak reached one hundred days |
| ⏳ Hourglass | Your Snapstreak is close to ending |
| 👶 Baby | This person is newly added to your friend list |
| 🎂 Birthday Cake | It is your friend’s birthday today |
Snapchat Chat Icons and Their Meanings
Along with simple “delivered” and “opened” text labels, Snapchat also shows colored arrow or square emojis to indicate the status of your sent and received messages and snaps. Each arrow or square helps you know whether a snap was sent, opened, screenshotted, or replayed.
| Icon | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Filled Red Arrow | You sent a snap without audio and it is unopened |
| Unfilled Red Arrow | The snap without audio has been opened |
| Filled Purple Arrow | You sent a snap with audio and it is unopened |
| Unfilled Purple Arrow | Your snap with audio has been opened |
| Filled Blue Arrow | You sent a chat message and it is unopened |
| Unfilled Blue Arrow | Your chat message has been opened |
| Filled Red Square | You received a snap without audio and it is unopened |
| Unfilled Red Square | You opened the snap without audio |
| Filled Purple Square | You received a snap with audio and it is unopened |
| Unfilled Purple Square | You opened the snap with audio |
| Filled Blue Square | You received an unread chat message |
| Unfilled Blue Square | You opened the chat message |
| Double Red Arrows | Someone took a screenshot of your snap without audio |
| Double Purple Arrows | Someone took a screenshot of your snap with audio |
| Double Blue Arrows | Someone took a screenshot of your chat |
| Circular Arrows | Your snap has been replayed |
| Peace Sign ✌️ (Favorite Group) | This emoji next to a Snapchat group means it’s your favorite group |
| Gold Star | Someone other than you has replayed your friend’s story or snap within twenty four hours |
You may like to read: How to Create, Edit, or Delete Shortcuts on Snapchat
Snapchat Purple Zodiac Emoji and Their Meanings
When you visit a friend’s profile, you’ll notice a purple zodiac emoji beneath their name. These symbols are assigned based on their birthday and help you identify someone’s astrological sign instantly.
| Emoji | Zodiac Sign | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ♈ | Aries | Born between March 21 and April 19 |
| ♉ | Taurus | Born between April 20 and May 20 |
| ♊ | Gemini | Born between May 21 and June 20 |
| ♋ | Cancer | Born between June 21 and July 22 |
| ♌ | Leo | Born between July 23 and August 22 |
| ♍ | Virgo | Born between August 23 and September 22 |
| ♎ | Libra | Born between September 23 and October 22 |
| ♏ | Scorpio | Born between October 23 and November 21 |
| ♐ | Sagittarius | Born between November 22 and December 21 |
| ♑ | Capricorn | Born between December 22 and January 19 |
| ♒ | Aquarius | Born between January 20 and February 18 |
| ♓ | Pisces | Born between February 19 and March 20 |
Snapchat Map and Location Symbols
Snap Map uses Bitmoji and color intensity to show a friend’s activity and the level of snaps being posted in an area. These symbols help you understand movement and activity.
| Icon | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 🧍 Bitmoji on Map | Shows your friend’s live location |
| 🚗 Bitmoji in Car | Friend is driving |
| ✈️ Bitmoji on Plane | Friend is traveling by air |
| 🎧 Bitmoji with Headphones | Friend is listening to music |
| 😴 Sleeping Bitmoji | Friend is inactive or has not used Snapchat recently |
| 🔵 Heat Map Blue | Low activity in that area |
| 🔴 Heat Map Red | High activity showing many snaps |
Snapchat Planet Emojis and Their Meanings
Limited to Snapchat Plus users, Snapchat Solar System, when enabled, assigns a planet emoji to each of your eight closest friends on the platform. Similar to the real solar system, planet emojis are assigned based on how frequently you both interact.
To help you understand, the Mercury planet emoji is assigned to your number 1 best friend, Venus to number 2, Earth to number 3, and so on.
Additional Snapchat Emojis and Indicators
These icons appear in chats and stories to show when someone viewed a post, peeked at it without opening it fully, enabled a premium feature, or is active in the conversation.
| Icon or Emoji | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Friend’s Bitmoji in Chat | Appears when your friend is currently viewing the chat window with you |
| Post View Emoji | Shows that the friend viewed your post or story on Snapchat. Limited to Snapchat Plus users |
| 👁 Peek a Peek Icon | Indicates that a friend half-opened or lightly swiped on your chat without fully opening it. Only Snapchat Plus users can see this |
| 🔢 Story Rewatch Count | Displays how many friends rewatched your story. It does not reveal who rewatched it, only how many times it was viewed again |
| Snapchat Plus Badge | Appears next to a Snapchat Plus user’s name and signals access to premium features like story rewatch insights and pinned best friends |
How to Customize Friend Emojis on Snapchat
If the default Snapchat friend emoji doesn’t feel right, you can change it to something that suits your style. While the built-in categories stay the same, you’re free to pick a different emoji. Here’s how to customize a friend emoji on Snapchat.
- Head to your Snapchat account settings.
- Here, scroll to the Additional Services section and tap Friend Emoji underneath it.
- Select the Friend Emoji you want to replace.
- Choose your preferred emoji.
Signing Off
The sheer number of emojis Snapchat uses for various purposes can easily be overwhelming, even for a seasoned Snapchat user, let alone a new user. Our Snapchat symbols and meanings guide helps you understand the meaning behind every icon, so you can navigate Snapchat with confidence.
Need help with more Snapchat features? Comment below and we’ll respond promptly.
FAQs
The 😎 sunglasses emoji means you and that friend share a mutual Best Friend. One of your Best Friends is also one of their Best Friends.
Nothing. The 💕 two pink hearts represent Super BFF, which is the highest friendship level on Snapchat. There is no official emoji after 💕.
The 😊 smiling face means this person is one of your Best Friends, but not your #1 Best Friend. You snap each other a lot, just not the most.
The 💋 kiss mark is not a system emoji. It usually means the sender is being flirty, affectionate, or playful, like sending a kiss. The meaning depends on your relationship and the context of the chat.
The 💛 yellow heart means you and that person are #1 Best Friends right now. You send them the most snaps, and they send you the most snaps.
The 🔥 fire emoji means you are on a Snapstreak with that friend. You have both sent each other at least one snap per day for multiple days in a row.
The ⭐ gold star emoji means someone has replayed that friend’s Snap in the last 24 hours. It signals that their snap was interesting enough to watch again.
With Snapchat+, planet emojis (like 🌍, 🌕, 🪐) show your friendship ranking in that person’s solar system. Each planet represents how close you are compared to their other friends. The exact order depends on which Friend Solar System style they use.
The 😏 smirking face used to be an official Snapchat friend emoji, but it was removed. If you see 😏 now, it is just part of a regular message and usually feels teasing, confident, or flirty, depending on context.
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