Smiles, Winks, and Hearts: Unlocking Snapchat Emoji Meanings

With a whopping 406 million daily users and 750 million active users per month in 2024, Snapchat has continued to capture our creative consciousness.

Small and large businesses can capitalize on their marketing with Snapchat, gaining new followers, connecting more meaningfully with an existing audience, and increasing conversions.

Before you get very far with your Snapchat marketing, though, you need to know what you’re working with. That is, you have to understand the emojis this platform uses, as some of the meanings may surprise you.

In this blog post, we’ll unlock Snapchat emoji meanings through tables, and offer tips on how to use them in your marketing campaigns.

Let’s go!

Table of Contents

The Role of Emojis in Snapchat Communication

Emoticons, today known as emojis, have predated Snapchat for a good decade or so.

The emotive faces, then only expressed through text symbols, originated in Japan in the 1990s. The designs had several sources of inspiration, including weather forecasts and manga.

Mobile phone brands wanted to broaden their audience to include Japanese teenagers, so emojis took off. Today, we couldn’t imagine living without them, and that’s become truer with each new generation.

Statista published an interesting 2022 report that studied emoji use over the generations. Unsurprisingly, only 45% of the baby boomer generation use emojis, followed by 50% of Gen X, 55% of millennials, and 57% of Gen Z.

Snapchat users rely on emojis just like anyone else, especially in a marketing application. They can lend a message more clarity and elevate engagement. In some cases, the use of specific emojis can even become associated with a personal brand, especially when it comes to custom Snapchat emojis.

Emojis are also an excellent way to strengthen audience relationships, especially if you use an emoji beyond its standard application.

A Comprehensive Guide to Snapchat Emoji Meanings

Are you ready for a full list of Snapchat emojis and what they mean? Well, I hope so, because it’s coming your way now.

This table first covers the basic Snapchat emojis and how they’re used within the app (which is not how most people use them). You’ll also discover what it means to have a place in the Snapchat Planets order.

Snapchat emojis

Emoji Symbol	Emoji Name	Original Meaning on Snapchat
🎂	Birthday cake	If a Friend uses the Birthday Party feature and it’s their birthday, this is what you’ll see.
⌛	Hourglass emoji	You haven’t sent a Snap lately and will lose your streak.
💯	100 with two red underlines	You’ve kept up a Snapstreak for 100 consecutive days.
🔥	Fire or flames	Your Snapstreak with a Friend has just begun; keep it up!
😊	Smiling face blushing with smiling eyes	Appears beside a user who’s a Best Friend and who you share a lot of Snaps with.
😏	Smirking face or sly smiley	Appears beside a user who considers you their Best Friend, but you don’t regard them the same. They Snap you a lot more than you do them.
😬	Grimacing face or surprised face emoji	You and another user share the same Best Friend, and you send them more Snaps.
😎	Sunglasses emoji	You and another user share a Best Friend.
👶	Baby emoji	You and another user just became Friends.
💛	Yellow heart emoji	You and another user are Best Friends.
❤️	Red heart emoji	You and another user have been Best Friends for two consecutive weeks.
💕	Two hearts	You and another user have been Best Friends for two consecutive months.
📌	Pushpin	You’ve pinned a conversation to the top of the feed.
🌟	Gold star	Another user has replayed the Snap you sent within the last 24 hours.

Zodiac emojis

Emoji Symbol	Emoji Name	Original Meaning on Snapchat
♑	Capricorn	Born between December 22^nd and January 20^th.
♒	Aquarius	Born between January 21^st and February 19^th.
♓	Pisces	Born between February 20^th and March 20^th.
♈	Aries	Born between March 21^st and April 20^th.
♉	Taurus	Born between April 21^st and May 21^st.
♊	Gemini	Born between May 22^nd and June 21^st.
♋	Cancer	Born between June 22^nd and July 22^nd.
♌	Leo	Born between July 23^rd and August 22^nd.
♍	Virgo	Born between August 23^rd and September 23^rd.
♎	Libra	Born between September 24^th and October 23^rd.
♏	Scorpius	Born between October 24^th and November 22^nd.
♐	Sagittarius	Born between November 23^rd and December 21^st.

Snapchat icons

Emoji Symbol	Emoji Name	Original Meaning on Snapchat
	Blue overlapping arrows	The Chat you sent has been seen and screenshotted.
	Purple overlapping arrows	The Snap you sent with sound has been seen and screenshotted.
	Hot pink overlapping arrows	The Snap you sent without sound has been seen and screenshot.
	Blue empty chat window	The Chat message you sent has been seen.
	Purple empty chat window	The Snap you sent with sound has been seen.
	Hot pink empty chat window	The Snap you sent without sound has been seen.
	Blue filled-in chat window	You got a Chat message.
	Purple filled-in chat window	You got a Snap with sound.
	Hot pink filled-in chat window	You got a Snap without sound.
	Green and white right-facing arrow	A Friend opened your Snap and got Cash.
	Blue and white right-facing arrow	A Friend opened your Chat message.
	Purple and white right-facing arrow	A Friend opened your Snap with sound.
	Hot pink and white right-facing arrow	A Friend opened your Snap without sound.
	Blue right-facing arrow	Your Chat message was sent.
	Purple right-facing arrow	Your Snap was sent with sound.
	Hot pink right-facing arrow	Your Snap was sent without sound.

Friend solar system

Snapchat Friend Solar System is offered to Snapchat Plus subscribers and lets them visualize their eight closest friends on the platform. Each one will be assigned a planet based on how close you are to them.

Emoji Symbol	Emoji Name	Original Meaning on Snapchat
	Neptune	You’re the eighth planet in another user’s Snapchat Planet Order, meaning you’re eighth in their friends list out of a possible eight (eighth closest Friend).
	Uranus	You’re the seventh planet in another user’s Snapchat Planet Order, or in seventh place out of eight (seventh closest Friend).
	Saturn	You’re the sixth planet in another user’s Snapchat Planet Order, or in sixth place out of eight (sixth closest Friend).
	Jupiter	You’re the fifth planet in another user’s Snapchat Planet Order, or in fifth place out of eight (fifth closest Friend).
	Mars	You’re the fourth planet in another user’s Snapchat Planet Order, or in fourth place out of eight (fourth closest Friend).
	Earth	You’re the third planet in another user’s Snapchat Planet Order, or in third place out of eight (third closest Friend).
	Venus	You’re the second planet in another user’s Snapchat Planet Order, or in second place out of eight (second closest Friend).
	Mercury	You’re the first planet in another user’s Snapchat Planet Order, or in first place out of eight (first closest Friend).

In the case of Snapchat emojis, the meanings are incredibly straightforward and should only be interpreted one way. Therefore, message clarity can take a nosedive, and businesses might struggle with engagement by misinterpreting or misusing emojis.

Key Takeaways for Small Business Owners

Using emojis can elevate your brand presence and connect your small business with your audience, but only if you use the right emojis correctly.
Small business owners must understand how they’re ranked in the Snapchat Planets order to determine which customers they’re closest to and then capitalize on those professional relationships.
Knowing the meaning of basic Snapchat emojis will help you glean which users you’re growing close with so you can continue building the bond.

Customizing Snapchat Emojis to Align With Your Brand Image

While Snapchat includes a series of default emojis, did you know you’re not stuck with them if they don’t suit your small business brand image?

You can customize the basic Snapchat emojis, setting up different ones for each friend. Remember that the emojis only display that way for you, and you will have to remember which emoji set you use for each friend to keep them straight!

How to customize Snapchat emojis on iPhone

Tap your profile picture on the top left in Snapchat.
Select Settings.
Find the Additional Services menu, and within that, choose Manage.
Tap Friend Emojis.
Edit a category, picking a replacement emoji to assign.
Press the back arrow to save your progress automatically.

How to customize Snapchat emojis on Android

In Snapchat, find your profile image on the top left.
Open your Settings.
Find the Customize Emojis field.
Configure each emoji and save.

Leveraging Snapchat Emojis for Business Growth

Taking your business growth to the next level on Snapchat is achievable with emojis. Here are how some pioneers paved the way for future business growth across industries.

Branded stickers

On Snapchat, you can use the traditional emoji as a sticker, inserting one or many over your Snaps, including public and private ones.

Rather than exploring only the standard emojis, many brands have begun creating their own sticker sets, allowing for custom emoji use within Snapchat.

Take the popular brand Sanrio, the creators of Hello Kitty, for instance. Below, you can see some of their exclusive Snapchat emoji stickers.

Hello Kitty and Sanrio Snapchat emoji stickers — *Image courtesy of Vista*

Of course, it’s not always about using stickers for fun and games. They can be used to raise awareness, such as for International Week of the Deaf, as seen here.

Snapchat stickers for raising awareness — *Image courtesy of Adweek*

Bitmoji apparel

Snapchat’s Bitmojis are cartoon avatars of yourself and your friends. While Snapchat has since redesigned them from the OGs, there have been 1.7 billion Bitmojis (and then some) since their debut in October 2014.

With such a popular social media trend, brands have gotten involved, creating digital clothing for the avatars.

For example, Ralph Lauren debuted a virtual clothing line, as shown here.

Snapchat Bitmojis wearing Ralph Lauren apparel — *Image courtesy of 9to5toys*

So did Hollister.

Hollister Bitmoji clothing line on Snapchat — *Image courtesy of WWD*

Hollister mentioned when it unveiled its virtual clothing line that it was about improving brand and emotional experiences and went beyond transactions.

Product stickers

Who says custom stickers have to stop at fun Sanrio characters? You can also create stickers for your products.

Users can try the stickers for free and then purchase the products in the stickers via the attached links. Sharing the stickers can make others curious about what the products displayed are, turning them onto your brand.

How do you create product stickers? It’s easy! Open an image in Snapchat, then select Preview. Next, tap the scissors icon.

Outline the subject using your finger. Try to be accurate, but draw it all in one go. Once you lift up your finger, the cutout image becomes a sticker that’s automatically added to your Snap.

You can find the sticker and any other things you make in the sticker drawer.

Common Misinterpretations of Snapchat Emojis

Since the way Snapchat uses emojis is different than the way you and I might when texting family and friends, it’s easy to make mistakes in their usage.

For clarity, let’s review what the following Snapchat emojis DON’T mean.

Misconceptions with the fire emoji

If you see a flames emoji besides two users on Snapchat, it doesn’t indicate a fiery romance. Well, I mean, it could if Snapstreaks lead to love, which I’m sure they do in today’s age.

Otherwise, this emoji is only used to represent a Snapstreak, so don’t feel secondhand embarrassment if you see the flames icon beside a customer’s account. It’s a good thing!

Misconceptions about the baby emoji

It’s hard to interpret a baby emoji, right? Usually, it is. Most people who use this emoji just found out they’re pregnant, got an ultrasound, celebrated a baby shower, gave birth, or just rang in their baby’s first birthday.

However, the baby emoji on Snapchat only represents new friendships, so don’t mention baby shoes when you see it.

Misconceptions with the grimacing emoji

Uh-oh, a grimacing emoji! To the uninitiated, this is a bad thing. I’m unsure why Snapchat chose this emoji to represent that you and another user have the same Best Friend.

I guess because maybe it can be a grimace-inducing awkward experience at times?

Misconceptions with the heart emojis

Like the fire emoji doesn’t indicate romance, neither do the hearts, be they yellow, red, or pink. Instead, the hearts are how Snapchat indicates two besties.

You’ll also see hearts in the Snapchat Planet Order, and again, it doesn’t necessarily mean the two people are in love.

Tips for Staying Professional When Using Snapchat Emojis

As a small business, one serious misstep could damage your reputation, perhaps irreparably. These pointers on professional Snapchat use will come in handy as you establish and build your presence.

No bitmojis

Listen, I know Bitmojis are fun, and you know Bitmojis are fun. However, that’s their reputation: for fun. They don’t exactly make sense in a business context, even if you dress your Bitmoji up in a three-piece suit and tie.

Your business can (and should) create Bitmoji items or stickers, but as for using Bitmojis yourself, you should think twice.

Limit the use of emojis

Although emojis can help you connect with your audience on Snapchat and build engagement, you shouldn’t abuse them. Remember, you’re striving to connect professionally. Just like you wouldn’t bog down an email subject line with ten emojis, your Snaps don’t need many, either.

The limit is between one and three. If you have four or more, it’s time to reel it back in and delete the unimportant ones.

Stick to the safer emojis

Since you have access to the traditional emoji library as stickers within Snapchat, you can use any and every emoji your heart desires.

The keyboard may be vast, but there are plenty of emojis you should stay away from.

Skip any violent emojis like the knife and gun, pass on the gross-out emojis like the needle, and don’t touch any sexual, religious, or political emojis.

Conclusion

Snapchat may use the same emojis as most apps, but the meanings differ. Small businesses must be rock solid on what each emoji means to make the most of this platform, as certain emojis indicate different levels of closeness.

You can also tailor Snapchat emojis to suit your brand better, so feel free to experiment with various ones to enhance your brand storytelling and build better engagement.

Start implementing these great emoji strategies in your Snapchat marketing efforts!

EngageBay is an all-in-one marketing, sales, and customer support software for small businesses and startups. You get email marketing, marketing automation, landing pages and email templates, workflows, contact management, segmentation, and more.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. What do different heart emojis on Snapchat mean for my business interactions?

The various heart colors denote how long you and another Snapchat user have been Best Friends. The yellow heart means you’ve been Best Friends for the least amount of time, while the pink heart emoji means you’ve been Best Friends for two consecutive months.

2. Can certain emojis affect my Snapchat account’s visibility or engagement rates?

Data has found that on Instagram, the use of emojis can positively impact engagement. Although we’re talking about two different platforms, it’s not outside the realm of possibility to assume that using emojis on Snapchat could also positively benefit your small business.

3. How often does Snapchat update its emojis, and where can I stay updated?

As Snapchat adds more emojis, the meanings can change. You can stay updated here on the EngageBay blog or through Snapchat’s website for more information.