You Just Saw That Red Heart and Now You Need One
You’re scrolling through your Snapchat friend list, and there it is. Next to your best friend’s name, or maybe that special someone you’ve been snapping, sits a bright red heart emoji. It’s not the yellow one, or the smiley face, or the baby. It’s the red heart.
Instantly, questions flood your mind. What did they do to get it? How can you get one too? Does it mean they’re officially “Snapchat official”? That little icon carries a surprising amount of weight in the silent language of social media relationships.
If you’re searching for how to get the red heart on Snapchat, you’re not just looking for a technical guide. You’re trying to decode a modern social signal. This article will break down exactly what the red heart means, the non-negotiable rule to earn it, and the practical steps to make it appear next to a friend’s name.
Understanding Snapchat’s Friend Emojis: More Than Just Icons
Before we target the red heart, it’s crucial to understand the system it belongs to. Snapchat uses a set of friend emojis, sometimes called “friendmojis,” to visually represent the strength and nature of your interactions with someone on the platform.
These emojis appear next to a friend’s name in your Chat and Friend list. They are automatic; you cannot manually assign them. The app’s algorithm quietly watches your snapping habits and updates these icons accordingly.
Here’s a quick rundown of some common ones you might see:
– Yellow Heart: You are #1 Best Friends with each other. You send each other the most snaps.
– Red Heart: You have been #1 Best Friends with each other for two weeks straight.
– Pink Hearts: You have been #1 Best Friends with each other for two months straight.
– Smiley Face: This person is one of your Best Friends (you are one of their top friends, but they are not necessarily your #1).
– Grimacing Face: You share a Best Friend with this person. Your #1 Best Friend is also their #1 Best Friend.
– Baby: You just became friends with this person.
The system is designed to reflect reciprocity and consistency. It’s not just about you sending a lot of snaps; it’s about that person sending a lot back to you.
The One Rule for the Red Heart: Unbroken Streaks Aren’t Enough
This is the most important point and the source of much confusion. A very common misconception is that the red heart is about having a long Snapstreak.
It is not.
You could have a 500-day Snapstreak with someone and still never see a red heart. While maintaining a streak requires daily communication, it doesn’t necessarily mean you are each other’s most frequent contact. You might have a 100-day streak with your cousin, but if you send 50 snaps a day to your best friend and only 1 to your cousin, your best friend is your #1.
The red heart has one specific, algorithmic requirement: You and a friend must be each other’s #1 Best Friend on Snapchat for two consecutive weeks.
Being “#1 Best Friends” means that over a rolling period, you send more snaps to that person than anyone else on your friends list, and they send more snaps to you than anyone else on their list. It’s a mutual top spot. The app confirms this status with a yellow heart. If you maintain that exclusive #1 position with each other for two full weeks, the yellow heart will upgrade to a red heart.
How Snapchat Calculates Your #1 Best Friend
Snapchat doesn’t publicly disclose the exact formula, but it’s understood to be based on the volume and frequency of snaps sent within a Chat. This includes picture and video snaps, as well as text chats within the Snapchat messaging window.
It’s a sliding window, likely looking at the last week or so of activity. This means the title can change if your snapping habits change. If you start snapping another person more frequently, they can overtake the #1 spot.
The key is mutual activity. You sending 20 snaps a day to someone who only opens them and never replies won’t make them your #1. The exchange must be two-way.
The Step-by-Step Plan to Earn a Red Heart
Now that you know the rule, the action plan becomes clear. You need to become mutual #1 Best Friends with someone and sustain it for 14 days. Here’s how to do it strategically.
Step 1: Identify Your Target Reciprocator
This might sound clinical, but it’s practical. The person most likely to become your #1 Best Friend is someone you already communicate with regularly on Snapchat. Choose someone who consistently replies to your snaps and initiates conversations. Trying to force this with someone who is a sporadic user or a poor responder will be frustrating and likely unsuccessful.
Step 2: Increase Your Snap Exchange Volume and Consistency
You don’t need to spam, but you do need to increase your share of voice with this person relative to everyone else on your list.
– Initiate snaps throughout the day, not just once. Share moments from your morning, your lunch, your evening.
– Reply to their Story with a snap. This starts a direct chat thread.
– Use Chat more frequently. Sustained text conversations within Snapchat count toward your interaction score.
– Be responsive. When they send you a snap, reply with one back promptly to keep the exchange loop active.
The goal is to make your interaction thread the most active one for both of you.
Step 3: Monitor for the Yellow Heart
You won’t get a notification. You need to check manually. Go to your Chat or Friend list and look next to the person’s name. If you see a yellow heart, congratulations! You are now mutual #1 Best Friends.
This is the critical first milestone. The clock for the red heart starts now.
Step 4: Maintain the #1 Spot for Two Weeks
This is the endurance phase. For the next 14 days, you must ensure no one else on your friends list receives more snaps from you than this person, and vice-versa.
– Keep up the consistent communication pattern you established.
– Avoid starting a new, highly active snapping streak with another person during this period, as they could dethrone your #1.
– Life happens, but try not to let a full day go by without at least a few snaps or chats exchanged.
If you successfully maintain the mutual #1 status, after two weeks, the yellow heart will automatically turn into a red heart.
What If the Heart Disappears or Changes?
The friend emoji system is dynamic. It updates as your interactions change. Don’t panic if you see changes; they are just reflecting reality.
The Red Heart Turned Back to Yellow or Disappeared
This means one of two things happened:
– You or they are no longer mutual #1 Best Friends. Someone else has become the top contact for one of you. This breaks the streak, resetting the two-week timer.
– You stopped interacting for a while. If the #1 status lapses, the heart will revert or vanish.
To get the red heart back, you simply need to re-establish yourselves as mutual #1s and maintain it for another two-week period.
You See a Red Heart But Didn’t Do Anything Special
This is common! It means you and that friend have naturally been each other’s most frequent contact for the past two weeks. The app is just making it official. It’s a sign of a strong, active, and reciprocal Snapchat friendship.
Beyond the Red Heart: Pink Hearts and Super BFF
If you manage to keep the red heart—meaning you stay as mutual #1 Best Friends—for two full months (about 8 weeks), it will upgrade again to pink hearts. This is the highest tier in the Best Friend emoji system.
Some users also report seeing a “Super BFF” designation, which may appear alongside these emojis after an extended period. This is simply the app’s way of highlighting an exceptionally long-standing #1 friendship.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Snapchat Red Heart
Can I remove or hide the red heart?
You cannot remove a specific emoji. However, you can turn off the entire Best Friends emoji feature. Go to your Profile (bitmoji icon) > Settings (gear) > Privacy Control > See My Best Friends. Toggle “Best Friends” to off. This will hide all friend emojis for you, but not for your friends. They may still see them next to your name.
Does the red heart mean we’re dating?
Not officially, no. Snapchat’s algorithm doesn’t know the nature of your relationship. It only measures snap volume. While many couples do have the red heart because they communicate frequently, you could also have a red heart with a platonic best friend or a family member you snap constantly. It indicates close and frequent communication, not necessarily romance.
Do group chats or Story views count?
No. The #1 Best Friend calculation is based solely on one-on-one communication within your direct Chat thread. Snaps sent in a group chat or views of someone’s public Story do not contribute to the score for the Best Friend emojis.
What if we use other apps to talk more?
It doesn’t matter. Snapchat’s algorithm only considers activity within Snapchat. You could be on a 4-hour phone call every day with someone, but if you never snap them, they won’t be your #1 Best Friend on the app.
Your Actionable Roadmap to the Red Heart
Forget about shortcuts or secret codes. The path to the red heart is straightforward, but it requires genuine, consistent, and reciprocal effort.
Start by focusing on one person you already have a good snapping rhythm with. Gently increase the frequency and quality of your exchanges. Make your chat thread the most active one. Watch for the yellow heart as your sign that you’re on the right track. Then, commit to maintaining that top position for the next two weeks.
Remember, these emojis are a reflection, not a goal in themselves. The real value isn’t the red heart icon; it’s the strengthened connection and daily communication it represents. If you focus on having fun, sharing moments, and being a responsive friend, the emojis will follow naturally.
Now, go open Snapchat. That red heart isn’t going to earn itself.
