You’re staring at a tiny gold ring around a friend's profile picture and wondering why on earth you’re suddenly "Uranus." It's a bit weird, right? If you’ve spent any time on Snapchat recently, specifically as a Snapchat+ subscriber, you’ve likely bumped into the Solar System feature. It’s Snapchat’s way of gamifying your social hierarchy. Basically, it’s a visual representation of who you talk to the most, mapped out across the eight planets in our solar system. But because Snapchat doesn’t exactly hand out a manual when you sign up, people get confused. They get offended. They wonder why they’ve dropped from being someone's "Mars" to their "Saturn" overnight.
Let's be real: social media status matters to people. Whether we admit it or not, seeing where you stand in someone’s digital inner circle carries weight. The Snapchat best friends list planets system is a bit like a digital mood ring for your friendships. It tells you exactly how close you are to someone else, but only from your perspective.
The Order of the Planets: Who is Your Mercury?
The system follows the actual order of the planets from the Sun. In this metaphor, the "Sun" is the person whose profile you are looking at. If you are their Mercury, you are the closest person to them on the app.
- Mercury: This is the top spot. You are their #1 Best Friend. The person they snap more than anyone else.
- Venus: You’re the second closest.
- Earth: You are third in line.
- Mars: Fourth place. You're still in the "inner" rocky planet circle, which usually feels pretty good.
- Jupiter: Fifth.
- Saturn: Sixth.
- Uranus: Seventh.
- Neptune: Eighth.
Being Neptune is a bit of a double-edged sword. On one hand, you made the top eight! On the other hand, you’re as far away as you can get while still being on the list. It’s the "we talk, but you definitely have a lot of other people you talk to more" zone.
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Why Does the Order Change?
Snapchat's algorithm is a living thing. It doesn't just look at how many snaps you sent today; it looks at frequency and recency over a rolling period. If you stop snapping someone for two days, you might see yourself drift from Earth to Jupiter. It’s a ruthless calculation. The app counts both photos and videos, but it generally doesn't weigh text chats as heavily as visual communication. This is "Snap"-chat, after all.
The Controversy and the "Friend Solar System" Opt-out
Honestly, this feature caused so much drama that Snapchat actually had to change how it works. Back in early 2024, after hearing a lot of feedback that the solar system was making people feel anxious or insecure about their friendships, Snap Inc. decided to turn the feature off by default.
You now have to actively "opt-in" to see the solar system.
This was a major move for the company. They realized that seeing yourself as "Uranus" on your crush's profile when you thought you were their "Mercury" was causing actual emotional distress. It’s the digital equivalent of finding out you weren't invited to a party. By making it an opt-in feature for Snapchat+ subscribers, they added a layer of protection. You only see it if you want to see it.
How to Find Your Place in the Stars
To see where you stand, you need to have a Snapchat+ subscription. It’s the paid tier that gives you experimental and pre-release features. If you have it, you go to a friend's Friendship Profile. If you are one of their top eight friends, you’ll see a "Best Friends" or "Friends" badge with a gold border.
When you tap that badge, it reveals your planet.
It’s important to note that this is private. Only you can see your position in their solar system. Your friend doesn't get a notification that you checked, and they can't see where you rank on their list unless they also have Snapchat+ and look at your profile. It’s a one-way mirror.
Does it actually mean anything?
Well, yes and no. It means you communicate frequently. It doesn't necessarily mean you are "best friends" in the real-world sense. You could be someone's Mercury because you send them a streak-saver every morning and a few memes throughout the day, while their actual childhood best friend is "Venus" because they prefer to talk on the phone or meet in person.
The algorithm is a math equation, not a soul reader.
Technical Glitches and Rank Drops
Sometimes the Snapchat best friends list planets just... break. Users often report that their ranks disappear or shift wildly for no reason. This usually happens after an app update or if the Snapchat servers are having a bad day. If you suddenly disappear from someone's solar system, don't panic. Check if your "Best Friend" emoji (like the yellow heart or the smirking face) is still there. If the heart is still there but the planet is gone, it’s likely a bug.
Another factor is the "Best Friends" list length. Snapchat allows you to have up to eight best friends in the solar system. If your friend suddenly starts talking to five new people intensely, you might get bumped off the edge of the system into the deep space of "regular friends."
Privacy and Social Pressure
We have to talk about the psychological aspect of this. Snapchat+ has over 9 million subscribers as of late 2024, which means millions of people are monitoring these rankings. Psychologists have pointed out that "quantified friendship" can lead to obsessive behavior.
If you find yourself checking your planet status more than once a day, it might be time to take a breath. The "Friend Solar System" is a feature designed to keep you opening the app. It's an engagement tool. By creating a hierarchy, Snapchat encourages you to snap more to "climb the ranks."
The Difference Between Best Friends and the Solar System
Don't confuse the two.
- Best Friends List: This is the list of people you see when you go to send a snap. It's for your convenience.
- Solar System: This is a specific Snapchat+ badge that shows your rank on their list.
You might have someone at the top of your Best Friends list, but you are only their "Saturn." That just means they are more important to your social habits than you are to theirs. It sounds harsh when you say it out loud, but that’s just how the data crumbles.
Actionable Steps for Snapchat+ Users
If you're using the solar system feature, here is how to handle it without losing your mind:
- Turn it off if it stresses you out: You can toggle the "Solar System" feature in your Snapchat+ settings. If seeing your rank makes you anxious, hide it.
- Don't read into the "distance": Being Neptune doesn't mean they don't like you. It just means they have a high volume of snaps with seven other people.
- Use it for insights, not validation: It’s a cool way to see who you’re interacting with most. If you see someone you haven't talked to in a while rise to "Mars," it might remind you to reach out and have a real conversation.
- Check your settings: If you can't see the planets at all, make sure your subscription is active and that you’ve tapped the "Best Friends" badge on a friend's profile. Remember, you both have to be in each other's "Best Friends" lists for the badge to even appear.
The Snapchat best friends list planets are ultimately just icons on a screen. They reflect data, not the complexity of human connection. Use the feature to have a bit of fun with your streaks, but don't let a virtual Uranus ruin a real-life friendship. Keep your streaks alive if you want, but remember that the best friendships usually happen outside the confines of an algorithm.
To manage this feature effectively, open your profile, tap the Snapchat+ banner, and look for the "Solar System" toggle. From there, you can decide whether you want the rankings visible or if you'd rather keep your friendships unquantified. If you're seeing a badge but no planet, try clearing your app cache in the settings menu to force a refresh of the friendship data.