Hundreds of emojis are available on the keyboards of iOS and Android mobile devices: from tacos to national flags to artists, everything is represented in the form of cartoon emojis.
On Snapchat, however, the emojis you see appear next to your friends’ names mean a myriad of different things — and they can be hard to decipher.
Anyone who knows me knows that I love two things more than anything: cats and sleep. So it’s fitting that the two emojis I use the most on my regular texting keyboard are:
Another thing you might already know about me is that I love using Snapchat. When emojis also show up in my list of chats with friends on the app, she has to investigate.
In this post, we dive into the history of Snapchat emojis and what they mean. Please note that these emojis vary slightly between iOS and Android devices, so we’ve also written what the faces look like.
What do Snapchat emojis mean?
Snapchat emojis track activity and behavior between you and your Snapchat friends. The frequency, timing, and pattern of your Snapchat interactions determine which emoji appears in your list of Snapchat chats. For example: 😊 smiley face means the user is your best friend, 💛 yellow heart means the user is your number 1 best friend.
Want to see these Snapchat emojis in their proper context? Check out the Snapchat screenshot below, along with some different emojis you can see in your own app. To access this page, open your Snapchat app and swipe right.
As YOU can see in the screenshot above, each emoji appears to the far right of the user that has a unique Snapchat relationship with.
When Snapchat was first created, the app publicly displayed who a user’s best friends were (your “best friends” on Snapchat are the users you’ve sent the most snaps to). You can imagine why users objected to this; Can you imagine how awkward it is to find your best friend or partner as best friends on Snapchat with someone else?
In 2015, Snapchat (now Snap. Inc.) made “best friends” emoji private and hidden lists of other users’ best friends in the name of user privacy. This is of course due to more outraged reactions. Snap Inc. CEO Evan Spiegel said the app will reintroduce public best friends, but how and when dies will take shape remains to be seen.
Today, the friend emojis we have decoded for you below may appear within a specific group of best friends, as shown in the screenshot above, to provide more detail about the nature of your relationship with each of your friends. from Snapchat.
But with more insight into how users interact with their friends, you’ll know how those behaviors are reflected in the app. Let’s dive into each emoji to help better understand your Snapchat contact list. And remember: these emojis are only visible to you.
Snapchat Emoji Meanings
Snapchat Friend Milestones
1. Smiley Face Emoji on Snapchat
What it means: This user is one of your best friends on Snapchat. You frequently send Snaps back and forth to each other.
2. Yellow Heart Emoji on Snapchat
What it means: This user is your #1 best friend. You send the most Snaps to this user, and they send the most Snaps to you.
3. Smirking Face Emoji on Snapchat
What it means: You’re one of this user’s best friends, but they aren’t one of your best friends. They send you more Snaps than you send them.
4. Grimacing Face Emoji on Snapchat
What it means: Your #1 best friend is their #1 best friend, too. You both send lots of Snaps to the same user.
5. Sunglasses Face Emoji on Snapchat
What it means: One of your best friends is one of their best friends. You send a lot of Snaps to someone they also send a lot of Snaps to.
6. Red Heart Emoji on Snapchat
What it means: You’ve been #1 best friends (yellow heart status) with this user for two weeks in a row.
7. Pink Hearts Emoji on Snapchat
What it means: You’ve been #1 best friends with this user for two months in a row.
8. Fire Emoji on Snapchat
What it means: You and this user are on a Snapstreak — you’ve been sending each other Snaps for several days in a row. The number of fire emojis you have next to your friend’s name dictates the number of days you’ve been on a Snapstreak with them. After a certain number of days, a numeral will appear next to a single fire emoji to tell you how long your streak has lasted.
9. 100 Emoji on Snapchat
What it means: You’ve been on a Snapstreak with this user for 100 days in a row.
10. Hourglass Emoji on Snapchat
What it means: Your Snapstreak with this user will end if you don’t send them a Snap very soon. You can send them a Snap or a Chat to keep it going.
11. Baby Emoji on Snapchat
What it means: You and this user have recently added each other as Snapchat friends.
12. Gold Star Emoji on Snapchat
What it means: Someone has replayed this user’s Snap within the past 24 hours.
13. Gold Sparkles Emoji on Snapchat
What it means: You’re in a Snapchat Group Chat with this user. Learn how to start a Snapchat Group in this article.
14. Birthday Cake Emoji on Snapchat
What it means: Today is this user’s birthday. This emoji will only appear if the user indicated their date of birth in their Account information. Learn how to add your birthday to your account in this article.
Snapchat Story Emojis
While the 14 emojis above describe your relationship with each of your Snapchat friends, there are other emojis that represent the “verified” accounts of Snapchat’s most famous users. Here are some of them:
- Key 🔑 — Musician DJ Khaled (username: djkhaled305)
- Balloon 🎈 — Musician Rihanna (username: rihanna)
- Cactus 🌵 — Actor and musician Jared Leto (username: jaredleto)
- Bicep 💪 — Actor and bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger (username: arnoldschnitzel)
- Pink Heart 💟 — Actor and musician Selena Gomez (username: selenagomez)
- Clapboard 🎬 — TV personality Ryan Seacrest (username: ryanseacrest)
- Shortcake 🍰 — Musician Steve Aoki (username: aokisteve)
- Disc 📀 — DJ and musician David Guetta (username: davidguettaoff)
- Crescent Moon 🌙 — Musician Ariana Grande (username: moonlightbae)
- Fleur-De-Lis ⚜ — New Orleans Saints football team (username: saints)
- Lipstick 💄 — Actor and model Ashley Benson (username: benzo33)
- Praying Hands 🙏 — Musician Justin Bieber (username: rickthesizzler)
- Pear 🍐 — Musician Rick Ross (username: ferrarifatboy)
- Cherry 🍒 — Actor and musician Demi Lovato (username: theddlovato)
- Chequered Flag 🏁 — Racing driver Lewis Hamilton (username: lewishamilton)
- Rowboat 🚣 — Musical group The Lonley Island (username: tliboys)
- Up Arrow ⬆️ — Musical group One Direction (username: onedirection)
Snapchat Status Icons
Last, but not least, in your Snapchat emoji lexicon are the chat icons. These icons appear underneath the name of the Snapchat user on your friends list, as shown below.
These icons represent the status of a chat YOU have sent or received from one of your Snapchat friends and can help you identify who YOU sent or received a Snap to, what type of Snap, and whether it was opened. Here they are and what they mean.