Can You See Other People’s Best Friends on Snapchat?
The short answer is no. Snapchat made sure that your best friends list stays completely private and visible only to you. This wasn’t always the case, though, and there’s more to this story than meets the eye.
Back in Snapchat’s early days, you could actually see who someone else’s best friends were. The app would display little emojis next to people’s names that showed their relationship status with other users. But Snapchat changed this years ago when they realized it was causing drama and privacy concerns.
How Snapchat’s Best Friends System Works?
Snapchat creates your best friends list automatically based on who you snap with most often. The app tracks everything from how many snaps you send to someone, how quickly you respond to each other, and how long your conversations go on for. You can have up to 8 best friends at any time.
The algorithm looks at your activity over the past few weeks, giving more weight to recent interactions. So if you suddenly start snapping someone new every day, they’ll quickly move up your best friends list. If you stop talking to someone regularly, they’ll drop off just as fast.
These best friends show up at the top of your chat list and when you’re sending snaps. They also get special emoji indicators next to their names that show different levels of friendship, like yellow hearts for your number one best friend or fire emojis for snap streaks.
Why Snapchat Keeps Best Friends Lists Private?
Snapchat focuses heavily on privacy, which is why your best friends list is hidden from everyone else. The app was designed around the idea of ephemeral content that disappears quickly. This privacy-first approach extends to friend relationships too.
Making best friends lists visible to others created jealousy and relationship drama. People would get upset if they weren’t on someone’s best friends list, or if they saw their partner talking to someone else frequently. Parents would get concerned about who their teens were messaging most.
By keeping these lists private, Snapchat removed a major source of social pressure and conflict from their platform.
How to Figure Out Someone’s Best Friends?
Even though you can’t directly see someone’s best friends list, people have found some workarounds that give hints about who someone talks to most.
Look at Quick Add Suggestions
When you go to add new friends on Snapchat, the app suggests people who might know you. Sometimes these suggestions include people who are friends with your friends. While this doesn’t directly show best friends, it can give you clues about someone’s social circle.
Check Emoji Clues
If you have access to someone’s phone, you might notice certain emojis next to names in their chat list. Yellow hearts, fire emojis, and other indicators show close relationships and snap streaks. But this requires physical access to their device.
Using Snapchat Plus Features
Snapchat Plus subscribers get access to a “Friend Solar System” feature that shows where you rank in someone’s best friends list, but only if you’re already one of their top 8 friends. You also need to be mutual best friends for some of these features to work.
Monitor Story Views and Activity
Some people try to figure out best friends by watching who views someone’s stories first or who appears in their snaps frequently. This method isn’t reliable since story viewing order isn’t based on best friends status.
Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q)
Can I hide my best friends list from specific people?
Your best friends list is already completely private. No one can see it except you, so there’s nothing to hide.
Why did my best friend disappear from my list?
Best friends lists update automatically based on recent activity. If you haven’t been snapping someone regularly, they’ll drop off your list as others move up.
Can someone tell if they’re on my best friends list?
Not directly, but they might notice if they consistently appear at the top of your chat list or if you have certain emojis next to your name in their app.
Do best friends get notified about anything special?
No, being someone’s best friend on Snapchat doesn’t send any notifications or give access to special content unless you specifically choose to send them something.
Can I manually choose my best friends?
No, the list is completely automatic based on your messaging patterns. You can’t add or remove people manually from your best friends list.
Conclusion
Snapchat designed their best friends feature to be completely private for good reasons. While people have found creative ways to get hints about someone’s closest contacts on the app, there’s no reliable method to see another person’s actual best friends list.
