Snapchat’s symbols tell you what happened to a Snap or Chat, while Friend Emojis describe your relationship with someone. The quickest rule is: red usually means a Snap without audio, purple means a Snap with audio, blue means Chat, and grey means pending or expired.
Snapchat changes its interface regularly, so this guide follows the symbols and Friend Emojis in Snapchat’s current support documentation rather than preserving old icons that are no longer documented.
| Symbol type | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Red arrow / square | Snap without audio |
| Purple arrow / square | Snap with audio |
| Blue arrow / square | Chat |
| Grey pending icon | Snap or Chat is pending; this can happen when a friend request has not been accepted |
| Hollow icon | The Snap or Chat has been opened/viewed |
| Screenshot icon | A screenshot was taken |
| Replay icon | A Snap was replayed |
Snapchat’s official reference is What do the icons on the Chat screen mean?. The exact artwork can look slightly different across app versions, but the status categories below remain the useful part.
Snapchat sent icons: arrows
When you send something, Snapchat uses arrow-style icons.
- Red sent arrow: you sent a Snap without audio.
- Purple sent arrow: you sent a Snap that includes audio.
- Blue sent arrow: you sent a Chat message.
- Grey pending icon: the Snap or Chat is pending. Snapchat says this can appear when someone has not accepted your friend request, depending on their privacy settings.
Opened and viewed icons
When the recipient opens what you sent, the corresponding icon changes to an opened/viewed state:
- Opened red: your Snap without audio was opened.
- Opened purple: your Snap with audio was opened.
- Opened blue: your Chat was opened.
Snapchat also shows viewed-status icons for Snaps and Chats you sent. A grey status can indicate that a Snap or Chat is pending and may have expired.
Received icons: squares
Square-style icons tell you what you have received and have not yet opened:
- Red square: an unopened Snap without audio.
- Purple square: an unopened Snap that includes audio.
- Blue square: an unread Chat.
Screenshot icons
Snapchat shows a dedicated screenshot status when somebody captures what you sent. It distinguishes between:
- a screenshot of a Snap without audio;
- a screenshot of a Snap with audio; and
- a screenshot of a Chat.
For Stories, you can also check whether a screenshot was taken by opening your Story and swiping up to the viewer list. Snapchat currently shows the names of up to 200 Story viewers; after that, you see a view count rather than additional names.
Replay icons
A replay icon means a friend replayed a Snap you sent. Snapchat currently distinguishes between replayed Snaps without audio and replayed Snaps with audio.
A replay is different from a screenshot: replay means the person watched the Snap again inside Snapchat; screenshot means they captured the screen.
Current Snapchat Friend Emojis
Friend Emojis appear next to people in Chat and on the Send To screen. Snapchat says you can have up to eight Best Friends, and the list updates regularly based on who you Snap and Chat with most.
| Emoji | Snapchat meaning |
|---|---|
| 💕 | Super BFF: you have been each other’s #1 Best Friend for two months in a row |
| ❤️ | BFF: you have been each other’s #1 Best Friend for two weeks in a row |
| 💛 | Besties: you are each other’s #1 Best Friend |
| 😊 | BFs: this person is one of your Best Friends, but not your #1 |
| 😬 | Mutual Besties: your #1 Best Friend is also their #1 Best Friend |
| 😎 | Mutual BFs: one of your Best Friends is also one of their Best Friends |
| 🔥 | Streak: you and this friend have been continually Snapping each other |
| ⌛️ | Streak ending: your Snapstreak is close to expiring |
| 🎂 | Birthday: it is the birthday this friend entered in Snapchat |
These meanings come from Snapchat’s current Friend Emoji guide.
What does the yellow heart mean on Snapchat?
The yellow heart 💛 means you are each other’s #1 Best Friend. You send the most Snaps to that person, and they send the most to you.
If that continues for two weeks, the status becomes a red heart ❤️. Keep it for two months and it becomes the two pink hearts 💕.
What do the fire and hourglass mean?
The fire emoji 🔥 marks a Snapstreak. The number beside it is the number of days in the streak.
The hourglass ⌛️ warns that the streak is about to end. Snapchat says both people need to send a Snap to each other within the required 24-hour window to keep the streak going.
Can you change Snapchat Friend Emojis?
Yes. Snapchat still lets you customize Friend Emojis, although the menu wording differs slightly between iPhone and Android.
- iPhone: Profile → Settings → App & Privacy → My App → Friend Emojis.
- Android: Profile → Settings → App & Privacy → My App → Customize Emojis.
Snapchat notes that available customization choices can vary by device. If you’re looking for more Snapchat customization options, see our guide to Snapchat filters.
What does the eyes emoji mean on a Snapchat Story?
For Snapchat+ subscribers, the eyes emoji under a Story is the Rewatch Indicator. It tells you how many friends rewatched the Story.
It does not show the total number of replays, and it does not tell you which specific friends rewatched it. Snapchat explains the feature in its Rewatch Indicator guide.
Why do some Snapchat symbol guides show different emojis?
Older Snapchat guides often list Friend Emojis or app features that Snapchat’s current help pages no longer include. The app also lets users customize Friend Emojis, so your screen may not perfectly match a screenshot from someone else’s phone.
For that reason, it is better to identify what category the icon belongs to — sent, opened, received, viewed, screenshot, replay or Friend Emoji — than to rely on an old screenshot.
Snapchat symbols: quick answer
Red = Snap without audio, purple = Snap with audio, blue = Chat, grey = pending/expired. Arrows generally describe things you sent, squares describe things you received, screenshot icons mean something was captured, and replay icons mean a Snap was watched again.
For Friend Emojis, the current official set includes the yellow/red/pink hearts, smile, grimace, sunglasses, fire, hourglass and birthday cake shown above.
