Anya Zhukova · February 9, 2023 · 6 min read Every social media network constantly encourages you to connect and become friends with other people on their platforms. Snapchat is no different. Aside from your standard friends list, Snapchat’s algorithm determines who your best friends and super BFFs are on the platform.
In this article, we’ll tell you everything there is to know about Snapchat Best Friends, how Snapchat’s algorithm works, and how to get someone on and off your best friends list on the Snapchat app.
How to Find Your Snapchat Best Friends List
Unlike other social networks like Facebook or TikTok that demonstrate the number of friends and followers on your profile page, Snapchat keeps this information private and doesn’t show how many friends you have. If you want to see who your Snapchat friends are, follow the steps below.
(The instructions are the same for both Android and iOS).
- Open Snapchat and select your Bitmoji (your avatar) in the top left corner of the screen.
- Scroll down and find the Friends section with two options: Add Friends and My Friends.
- Select My Friends.
This will take you to the list with all of your Snapchat friends. On top of the list, you’ll see the Best Friends section. The Snapchat users listed in this section are your best friends on Snapchat.
How Does Snapchat Determine Your Best Friends?
A special algorithm determines your best friends on Snapchat. This algorithm considers your engagement with other Snapchat users over the course of the last couple of months. Things that count include the number of snaps you send to each other, whether you have a Snapstreak going, and more. Based on this information, the algorithm creates an ordered list of your besties on the platform.
People on your best friends list are also marked with different friend emojis. You’ll see one of these in the top right corner of the screen, next to your best friend’s name.
The smiley emoji is the standard Snapchat emoji that all your best friends get.
Your #1 best friend or “bestie” will get a yellow heart next to their nickname.
A single red heart emoji states that you’ve been each other’s #1 best friend for two weeks in a row.
Finally, after you’ve been each other’s #1 BFs for two continuous months, Snapchat awards you with two pink hearts emoji, and you become each others’ Super BFFs.
Other emojis you might see on your best friends list are a gold heart and a grimace emoji. The gold heart marks the person you send Snaps to most, which also sends Snaps to you most. The grimace or grit teeth emoji means you and the person it marks have a mutual #1 best friend on Snapchat.
If you’re confused about what Snapchat emojis mean, we have an extensive tutorial that explains all Snapchat emojis.
To understand better how the best friends feature works on Snapchat, we put together a list of factors that determine the best friends list and how it’s ordered on the platform.
1. Do You and the Person Have a Streak?
One of the most significant factors in deciding whether or not the person makes it into your best friends list is the two of you having a Snapchat streak for more hours (or days) than the others.
If you message each other on Snapchat at least once within 24 hours for a number of consecutive days, you’ll have a streak going, and this friend will be placed at the very top of your list.
2. How Regularly Do You Speak to Each Other on Snapchat?
If you don’t have a streak going, the second factor that plays a role in placing someone on your best friends list is the number of Snaps and chats that you send each other. The more messages you exchange, the higher up this person will end up on your best friends list.
3. Other Types of Interaction on Snapchat
Interacting with each other’s Snaps and stories also helps move someone up your best friends list. Simply chatting or sending each other a lot of Snaps isn’t enough. If you want someone to move to the top of your best friends list, you both need to reply to each other’s Snapchat stories and snaps regularly. This will also help both of you increase your Snapscore.
How Many Best Friends Can You Have on Snapchat?
You can have up to 8 best friends on the Snapchat best friends list. If you only have eight or fewer friends on Snapchat, they will all be shown as your best friends. However, you’ll have to interact with all of them frequently.
If you have more than eight friends on Snapchat, you’ll still have to exchange messages, react to their Snapchat stories, and have streaks with them if you want people to move from your friends list to the best friends category.
How to Make Someone Your Best Friend on Snapchat
It’s relatively easy to make someone become your best friend on Snapchat. You need to keep a consistent chat with them on the platform (sometimes even chatting for a few days is enough for the algorithm to recognize them as your best friend).
This activity also needs to be mutual. If you send someone many snaps and they don’t reply or react to them, Snapchat won’t place them on your best friends list. The same goes for replying to your messages only once in a while. The interaction must be consistent for the algorithm to pick up the pattern.
How to Remove Someone From Your Best Friends List
Once someone is on your best friends list, you cannot edit the list – add or remove someone from it manually. However, you can remove this person from your friends list altogether by unfriending them on Snapchat.
You can also use the extreme measure of blocking them on Snapchat temporarily. Once you unblock them, they won’t be on your best friends list anymore.
If you want the person to move from your best friends list down to the friends list, you can stop messaging them on Snapchat and interact more with other people instead.
Who Can See Your Best Friends?
The best friends list is private. You’re the only person who can see your best friends on Snapchat.
The people you have on the best friends list can see that they’re your best friend but don’t have access to the entire list and can’t see who else is your best friend on Snapchat.
Do You Have Best Friends on Snapchat?
As you can see, Snapchat best friends can be different from your best friends in real life. If having your real-life friends in your Snapchat best friends list is important to you, make sure to chat with them on Snapchat regularly so that the algorithm places them on top of your list.
