How to Change Friend Emojis on Snapchat

This guide shows you how to change or customize the friend emojis that appear next to your friends’ names in Snapchat. These emojis indicate your friendship status, like your #1 Best Friend or a Snapstreak. By default, Snapchat assigns them automatically, but you can pick your own emojis for each status. You only need the Snapchat app on your phone and your account logged in.

What You’ll Need

The Snapchat app installed on your iOS or Android device
An active Snapchat account
Your login credentials (in case you need to re-authenticate)

Step-by-Step

Open Snapchat – Tap the Snapchat icon on your home screen to launch the app.
Go to your Profile – Tap your Bitmoji avatar or the ghost icon in the top-left corner of the camera screen. This opens your profile page.
Open Settings – In the top-right corner of your profile page, tap the gear icon (⚙️) to enter Settings.
Scroll to ‘Friend Emojis’ – Scroll down through the Settings menu until you see a section called “Additional Services.” Under it, tap Manage next to “Friend Emojis.” (On some versions, it may be listed directly under “Account Actions” or “Privacy Control.”)
Review the list of friendship statuses – You’ll see a list of all the friend emoji meanings, such as:
- Super BFF – You and your friend are each other’s #1 Best Friend for 2 months straight.
- BFF – You and your friend are each other’s #1 Best Friend for 2 weeks straight.
- Best Friends – You and your friend are each other’s #1 Best Friend.
- #1 Best Friends – Your #1 Best Friend.
- Snapstreak – You and your friend have snapped each other within 24 hours for multiple days.
- Birthday – It’s your friend’s birthday.
- Mutual Best Friends – You share a Best Friend with this person.
- Mutual #1 Best Friends – You share a #1 Best Friend with this person.
Tap the emoji you want to change – For example, tap the current emoji next to “Snapstreak” (usually a 🔥).
Choose a new emoji – A full emoji keyboard will pop up. Scroll or search for the emoji you want to use instead. Tap it to select it.
Repeat for any other statuses – Go through the list and change as many emojis as you like. There’s no limit.
Exit Settings – Once you’re done, tap the back arrow or simply close the Settings screen. Your changes are saved automatically.
Verify the change – Go back to your Chat list or Friends page. The friend emoji next to the relevant friend should now show your new selection.

Common Mistakes

Looking in the wrong Settings section – The “Friend Emojis” option is not under “Chat Settings” or “Notifications.” It’s under “Additional Services” > “Manage.”
Confusing friend emojis with Snapstreak emojis – The Snapstreak emoji (🔥) is a friend emoji, but the hourglass emoji (⏳) that warns your streak is about to end is NOT customizable through this menu. That one is fixed by Snapchat.
Expecting the change to apply retroactively – If you change the “Snapstreak” emoji, it only changes how it appears going forward. It won’t change the history of past snaps.
Tapping the emoji in the chat list instead of Settings – You can’t change emojis by tapping them in the chat list; you must go through Settings.
Using an outdated app version – If you don’t see the “Friend Emojis” option at all, your app may be outdated. Update Snapchat from your app store first.

Tips

Pick emojis that are easy to distinguish – Avoid using two very similar emojis (like 🍎 and 🍏) for different statuses, as you’ll confuse yourself.
Use emojis that reflect your friendship – Many people use hearts for close friends, animals for streaks, or inside-joke emojis.
Remember that emojis are per-account – Your custom emojis only show on your device. Your friend will still see their own default or custom emojis.
Check the meaning list – If you forget what a custom emoji means, you can always go back to this same Settings page to see the label next to it.
Use the search bar in the emoji picker – If you have a specific emoji in mind (like a specific animal), use the search function instead of scrolling endlessly.

Troubleshooting

The “Friend Emojis” option is missing – First, update the app. If it’s still missing, log out and log back in. As a last resort, uninstall and reinstall Snapchat (this won’t delete your account or chats).
My changes aren’t saving – Make sure you have a stable internet connection. The setting syncs to your account, so it needs data. Try toggling airplane mode on and off, then retry.
The emoji I chose doesn’t appear next to a friend – Remember that friend emojis only show for friends you interact with regularly. If you haven’t snapped someone in a while, they may not have any friend emoji next to their name at all.
I changed the emoji but my friend says they see a different one – That’s normal. Friend emojis are personal to each user. Your friend sees their own settings, not yours.
The emoji picker is blank or won’t open – Close the app completely (swipe it away from recent apps) and reopen it. If that fails, restart your phone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I turn off friend emojis completely?

No, Snapchat doesn’t offer an option to disable friend emojis entirely. You can only change which emoji represents each status, not remove them.

Will my friend know I changed their emoji?

No. Friend emojis are entirely private to you. Your friend cannot see the emojis you see next to their name, nor can they see what you changed them to.

Why do I see a different emoji next to someone than they see next to me?

Friend emojis are based on your relationship from each person’s perspective. For example, you might be their #1 Best Friend, but they might not be yours, so the emoji you see next to them will be different from the one they see next to you.

Do custom friend emojis affect Snapstreaks?

No. Changing the emoji for “Snapstreak” only changes the visual icon. It does not affect the streak counter, the hourglass warning, or how many days you’ve kept the streak alive.

How often can I change friend emojis?

There is no limit. You can change them as many times as you want, every day if you like. There’s no cooldown period.

Will uninstalling Snapchat reset my custom friend emojis?

No. Your friend emoji settings are saved to your account on Snapchat’s servers. Reinstalling the app or logging in on a new phone will restore your custom emojis automatically.

General steps for current mainstream versions; menus can differ by device and version. See the disclaimer or report an error.

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