In the ever-evolving universe of social media, platforms constantly introduce new features to keep users engaged and enhance their digital interactions. Snapchat, renowned for its ephemeral messaging and quirky filters, has long been at the forefront of innovative ways to visualize friendships. While traditional emojis like hearts and grimacing faces have served as indicators of closeness, Snapchat has taken friendship tracking to a celestial level with its “Friend Solar System” feature, more commonly known as “Snapchat Planets.”
This engaging and visually appealing feature, exclusively available to Snapchat+ subscribers, transforms your inner circle into a personal solar system, where each friend orbits around you, the Sun, with their proximity determined by your level of interaction. It’s a whimsical yet insightful way to understand the dynamics of your digital relationships.
What Exactly Are Snapchat Planets?
At its core, the Snapchat Friend Solar System is a visual representation of your top eight closest friends on the platform. If you are a Snapchat+ subscriber, you become the “Sun” at the center of your personal solar system. Your friends, based on how much you interact with them, are assigned specific planets in the order of their distance from the Sun in our actual solar system.
This feature is designed to gamify your connections, adding a layer of intrigue and encouraging more frequent engagement. Instead of simply seeing a list of “Best Friends,” you get a personalized, dynamic map of your closest connections, reflecting real-time engagement levels.
How Do Snapchat Planets Work? The Mechanics of Friendship Astronomy
The concept behind Snapchat Planets is remarkably simple yet effectively implemented. Your position in a friend’s Solar System (and vice-versa) is determined by the frequency and nature of your interactions. This includes:
Snaps Sent and Received: The more snaps you exchange with someone, the higher their ranking.
Chats: Consistent chatting also contributes significantly to your interaction score.
Snap Streaks: Maintaining long Snap Streaks with a friend is a strong indicator of a close connection and boosts their position in your solar system.
Key Principles of the Friend Solar System:
You are the Sun: In your own Friend Solar System, you are always the central star.
Top 8 Friends: Only your top eight most interacted-with friends are represented as planets. If you have fewer than eight “best friends,” you’ll see fewer planets.
Dynamic Ranking: The planet assignments are not static. They update constantly based on your ongoing interactions. This means a friend who was once Mercury could move to Venus if your interaction with another friend surpasses theirs, and vice-versa.
Snapchat+ Exclusive: This feature is a perk for Snapchat+ subscribers. If you or your friend are not subscribed, you won’t be able to see or participate in the Friend Solar System.
Badge Indicator: If you and a friend are both Snapchat+ subscribers, you’ll see a special “Best Friends” badge (with a gold ring) or a “Friends” badge (without the gold ring) on their chat profile. Tapping on this badge reveals which planet you are in their solar system, and which planet they are in yours.
The Planetary Order: Decoding Each Friend’s Significance
The order of planets in the Snapchat Friend Solar System mirrors the actual solar system, with each planet representing a specific level of closeness. This provides a clear visual hierarchy of your relationships. Here’s a breakdown of each planet and its meaning:
Mercury: Your Closest Friend (First Best Friend)
Meaning: Mercury is the planet closest to the Sun, and in Snapchat’s solar system, it represents your absolute closest friend. This is the person you interact with the most frequently – sending the most snaps, chats, and maintaining the longest streaks. If someone is your Mercury, it means you’re their Mercury too, indicating a mutual “best friend” status.
Visuals: Often depicted with several red hearts around the planet, signifying intense closeness.
How to achieve: Consistent, high-volume interaction in snaps and chats.
Venus: Your Second Closest Friend (Second Best Friend)
Meaning: Venus, the second planet from the Sun, signifies your second-closest friend. You interact a lot with this person, but slightly less than your Mercury.
Visuals: Typically yellow-white, with various pink, yellow, and blue hearts around it.
How to achieve: Frequent snaps and chats, just not quite at the level of your Mercury.
Earth: Your Third Closest Friend (Third Best Friend)
Meaning: Earth, our home planet and the third from the Sun, represents your third-closest friend. This is still a strong connection, showing consistent engagement.
Visuals: Resembles Earth, often with a natural satellite (the Moon) making it recognizable.
How to achieve: Maintaining a good level of interaction through snaps and chats.
Mars: Your Fourth Closest Friend (Fourth Best Friend)
Meaning: Mars, the “Red Planet” and fourth from the Sun, denotes your fourth-closest friend. Your interactions are still significant, but perhaps a bit less frequent than with your top three.
Visuals: A bright red planet with purple and blue hearts and different colored stars around it.
How to achieve: Continued regular interaction, though perhaps not as intense as the top three.
Jupiter: Your Fifth Closest Friend (Fifth Best Friend)
Meaning: Jupiter, the largest planet and fifth from the Sun, represents your fifth-closest friend. This is a solid friendship, indicating that you still communicate regularly.
Visuals: An orange-tinted planet with several stars of different colors.
How to achieve: Consistent, if not daily, engagement.
Saturn: Your Sixth Closest Friend (Sixth Best Friend)
Meaning: Saturn, known for its distinctive rings and sixth from the Sun, signifies your sixth-closest friend. The interactions are still there, but perhaps less frequent than the inner planets.
Visuals: Easily identifiable by its gold ring, symbolizing its place in the solar system.
How to achieve: Regular, but perhaps less intensive, communication.
Uranus: Your Seventh Closest Friend (Seventh Best Friend)
Meaning: Uranus, the seventh planet, represents your seventh-closest friend. As you move further out in the solar system, the intensity of interaction tends to decrease.
Visuals: Typically a green globe. The presence of hearts around the planet becomes less prominent as you move past Mars, signifying a slightly less intense connection.
How to achieve: Periodic but consistent communication.
Neptune: Your Eighth Closest Friend (Eighth Best Friend)
Meaning: Neptune, the farthest planet from the Sun (in the standard solar system model used by Snapchat), symbolizes your eighth and final “best friend” in the solar system. While still a “best friend,” this indicates the least frequent interaction among your top eight.
Visuals: A blue planet, often with minimal or no hearts, indicating a more distant, though still significant, connection.
How to achieve: Less frequent but still regular communication.
What about Pluto? It’s important to note that Snapchat’s Friend Solar System typically only includes the eight traditional planets (Mercury through Neptune). While Pluto is a fascinating celestial body, it is classified as a dwarf planet and is not generally part of Snapchat’s core “planets” feature for friendship ranking.
How to See Your Snapchat Planets and Your Friend’s Position
For Snapchat+ subscribers, checking your planet ranking or a friend’s position in your solar system is straightforward:
Open Snapchat: Launch the Snapchat application on your mobile device.
Go to your Profile: Tap on your Bitmoji or profile icon located at the top left corner of the screen.
Access Snapchat+ Features: Look for the Snapchat+ banner or option, usually right under your profile name. Tap on it.
Find the Friend Solar System: Within the Snapchat+ features, you’ll find the “Friend Solar System” or “Planets” feature listed.
View Your Solar System: Tapping on this will display your personal solar system with you as the Sun and your top eight friends orbiting as planets.
Check a Friend’s Profile: To see which planet you are in a friend’s solar system, or to see their planet in yours, go to their chat profile. If both of you are Snapchat+ subscribers and are among each other’s top friends, you will see a special “Best Friends” or “Friends” badge. Tap on this badge, and it will reveal the planet assignment for both of you.
FAQs
What is the Snapchat Friend Solar System?
The Friend Solar System is a feature in Snapchat+ that represents your top eight friends as planets orbiting around you, the Sun. Each planet corresponds to a friend’s rank based on how frequently you interact with them through snaps and chats.
How are the planets assigned to friends?
The planets are assigned based on the order of your friends in your Best Friends list:
Mercury: Closest friend (#1)
Venus: Second closest friend (#2)
Earth: Third closest friend (#3)
Mars: Fourth closest friend (#4)
Jupiter: Fifth closest friend (#5)
Saturn: Sixth closest friend (#6)
Uranus: Seventh closest friend (#7)
Neptune: Eighth closest friend (#8)
How can I view my Friend Solar System?
To view your Friend Solar System:
Open Snapchat and go to a friend’s profile.
Tap on the “Best Friends” badge with a gold ring.
A screen will display your position in their solar system, showing which planet you are in their friend ranking.
Can my friends see their position in my solar system?
Yes, if your friend is also a Snapchat+ subscriber and has the feature enabled, they can view their position in your solar system by following the same steps.
How do I enable or disable the Friend Solar System feature?
The Friend Solar System feature is off by default for new Snapchat+ subscribers. To enable or disable it:
Go to your Snapchat settings.
Navigate to the Snapchat+ feature management page.
Toggle the Friend Solar System feature on or off as desired.
Does the Friend Solar System update in real-time?
Yes, the Friend Solar System dynamically updates based on your interactions. As you communicate more or less with friends, their positions in your solar system may change accordingly.
What do the different planets signify in terms of friendship?
Each planet represents a level of closeness:
Mercury: Your most interacted-with friend.
Venus: High interaction, close friend.
Earth: Moderate interaction, good friend.
Mars: Less frequent interaction.
Jupiter: Occasional interaction.
Saturn: Infrequent interaction.
Uranus: Rare interaction.
Neptune: Minimal interaction among top eight.
Can I change the planet assigned to a friend?
No, the planet assignments are automatically determined by Snapchat based on your interaction frequency with each friend. To influence a friend’s position, you would need to adjust how often you communicate with them.
Is the Friend Solar System feature available to all Snapchat users?
No, the Friend Solar System is exclusive to Snapchat+ subscribers. Standard Snapchat users do not have access to this feature.
Are there any privacy concerns with the Friend Solar System?
Some users have expressed concerns about the feature causing anxiety or tension in relationships due to the visibility of friendship rankings. In response, Snapchat made the feature optional, allowing users to enable or disable it at their discretion.
To conclude
Snapchat’s Friend Solar System offers a unique and engaging way to visualize your closest friendships on the platform. By representing friends as planets orbiting around you, it provides a dynamic snapshot of your social interactions. However, it’s essential to remember that these rankings are based solely on interaction frequency within the app and may not accurately reflect the depth or quality of your real-life relationships.
While the feature can be fun and insightful, it’s crucial to use it mindfully. Be aware of how it might impact your perceptions of friendships and consider the potential for misunderstandings. If you find that the Friend Solar System causes more stress than enjoyment, remember that you have the option to disable it.
Ultimately, the Friend Solar System is a tool designed to enhance your Snapchat experience. Use it to celebrate your connections, but don’t let it define them. Your friendships are more than just digital interactions—they’re built on trust, support, and shared experiences that go beyond the app.
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