Ever opened Snapchat, tapped on a "Best Friends" badge, and felt a sudden wave of cosmic anxiety because you’re suddenly Uranus instead of Mars? It happens. One day you’re the center of someone’s universe, and the next, you’ve been relegated to the outer reaches of the solar system.
Honestly, the Snapchat Plus solar system feature—commonly referred to as best friend snap planets—is one of the most brilliant and simultaneously stressful additions to social media in years. It turned friendship into a literal hierarchy of celestial bodies. If you’re paying for Snapchat+, you get to see exactly where you stand with your friends based on how often you interact. It’s digital status-seeking at its finest, or perhaps its most neurotic.
Basically, the system assigns a planet to your top eight friends. If you’re someone’s "Sun," you are their absolute number one. If you’re Neptune, you’re still in the inner circle, but you’re barely hanging on at the edge.
How the Best Friend Snap Planets Order Works
The order follows the actual solar system. It’s not random. Snapchat uses the proximity to the Sun to represent the "closeness" of the friendship.
✨ Don't miss: Real time weather radar: Why those colorful blobs are often lying to you
Mercury is the closest. If you see yourself as Mercury on a friend's profile, you guys are snapping more than anyone else. Then comes Venus, the second closest. Earth is third. You get the idea.
It gets tricky when people start obsessing over the jump from Mars (4th) to Jupiter (5th). There is a psychological weight to being an "inner planet" versus an "outer planet." Jupiter is where the "Besties" list starts to feel a bit more distant. After Jupiter, you have Saturn, Uranus, and finally Neptune.
Here’s the thing: these rankings are updated constantly. If you stop sending selfies for two days, you might find yourself drifting from Venus out to the asteroid belt. It’s a dynamic ranking system based on the volume of snaps sent back and forth. Chatting (texting) counts, but snaps are the primary fuel for this cosmic engine.
Decoding the Visuals: What Do the Planets Look Like?
Snapchat didn’t just put names; they used specific Bitmoji-style graphics for each planet. This is usually where the confusion starts. Unless you’re an astrophysicist, identifying a small, stylized cartoon of Uranus versus Neptune at a glance is harder than it looks.
- Mercury: This one is a pinkish-red planet with red hearts floating around it. It’s tiny but important.
- Venus: A beige/tan planet with yellow and blue hearts.
- Earth: You’ll recognize this—it’s green and blue with the moon and small stars.
- Mars: The red planet. It’s got red hearts and some craters.
- Jupiter: A large, reddish-orange planet with stripes. No hearts here, just the size indicating you’re still in the top five.
- Saturn: The easiest to spot because of the rings. It’s yellow-orange.
- Uranus: A green-blue planet, also with rings (though they are vertical).
- Neptune: A dark blue, lonely-looking planet. If you’re Neptune, you’re the 8th most messaged person.
Why Did Snapchat Make Planets Optional?
Earlier in 2024, Snapchat actually changed how this feature works. They didn't get rid of it, but they "dimmed" it. Why? Because teenagers—and, let's be real, plenty of adults—were having actual meltdowns over their rankings.
Imagine being a teenager and seeing your boyfriend's "Mercury" is someone else. That is a recipe for a digital disaster. Snapchat recognized that the best friend snap planets feature was creating a lot of friction. Now, the Friend Solar System is "off" by default. If you want to see it, you have to intentionally go into your settings and enable the "Solar System" feature.
This move toward an "opt-in" model was a direct response to feedback about social anxiety. It's a fascinating look at how UI design can directly impact human relationships. By hiding the rank behind an extra tap, Snapchat added a layer of friction that makes the feature feel slightly less "in your face."
The Science of the "Bestie" Algorithm
We don't have the exact source code—Snapchat guards that like a state secret—but we do know how the general algorithm functions through observation and user testing. The best friend snap planets aren't just about the raw number of snaps.
Reciprocity matters. If you send 100 snaps to someone and they never reply, you aren't going to be their Mercury. The system prioritizes mutual engagement. It also heavily weights recent activity. This is why you can drop three spots in a single weekend if you go on a camping trip without service.
Interestingly, some power users have noted that "Groups" don't seem to impact the individual planet rankings as much as one-on-one direct snaps. If you want to climb someone’s solar system, the direct-to-camera selfie is your best weapon.
Privacy and the Social Cost of Transparency
There is a weird tension here. You can only see your position in their solar system. You can't see who else is in it. You know you’re their "Mars," but you don't know who is their "Mercury." This lack of total transparency is intentional. It provides just enough information to keep you engaged (or jealous) without giving you the full picture.
Critics argue that this gamifies human connection. When we turn friendships into a tiered list of 1 through 8, we strip away the nuance of why we talk to people. Maybe you snap your coworker 50 times a day about boring office stuff, making them your Mercury, while your actual best friend is your Saturn because you prefer talking on the phone or seeing them in person. The best friend snap planets don't measure "love" or "loyalty"—they measure digital frequency.
How to Check Your Rank (Step-by-Step)
If you have a Snapchat Plus subscription and want to brave the potential ego bruise, here is how you find your planet:
- Open Snapchat and go to the Chat screen.
- Tap on the Bitmoji or the name of a friend you have a "Best Friends" or "Super BFF" badge with.
- Look for the "Best Friends" or "Friends" badge with a gold border.
- Tap that badge.
- A pop-up will appear saying "You're in their Solar System!" and it will show you which planet you are.
If you don't see this, one of two things is happening. Either you aren't in their top eight, or one of you hasn't enabled the Solar System feature in the Snapchat Plus management settings.
Common Misconceptions About Friend Planets
One of the biggest myths is that the planets represent how much they snap you. It’s actually the other way around. If you are "Mercury" in their solar system, it means they snap you more than anyone else. It’s a reflection of their behavior, not yours.
Another misconception is that the "yellow heart" or "red heart" emojis are the same as the planets. They are related but separate. The hearts indicate mutual top-ranking status. The planets are a one-way window into their habits. You could be someone's Earth (3rd place) while they aren't even in your top eight. That’s where the drama usually starts.
Managing the Social Anxiety of the Solar System
Look, if seeing that you’re "Uranus" in your crush’s solar system is ruining your day, the best move is to turn the feature off. The "out of sight, out of mind" rule applies heavily here.
Social media experts often point out that these features are designed to keep you "streaking"—maintaining consistent daily activity. The best friend snap planets are essentially a retention tool for Snapchat. It encourages you to send that extra snap just to maintain your orbit.
Actionable Steps for Snapchat+ Users
If you're going to use this feature, use it with a bit of perspective.
- Audit your "Inner Circle": Take a look at your own solar system. Is it filled with people you actually care about, or just people you "streak" with out of habit?
- Enable/Disable based on mood: If you’re going through a rough patch in a relationship, go into your Snapchat Plus settings and toggle the "Solar System" off. You don't need the extra data points.
- Don't ignore the "Outer Planets": Just because someone is your Neptune doesn't mean they aren't a priority. It just means your communication style with them might be less "visual."
- Check for updates: Snapchat frequently tweaks these badges. If the icons look different tomorrow, it's likely a UI refresh rather than a change in your friendship status.
At the end of the day, the best friend snap planets are a fun, slightly chaotic way to visualize your digital life. They are a snapshot of frequency, not a final verdict on the quality of your soul. Keep your eyes on the stars, but maybe keep your self-worth on solid ground.
To manage your settings, tap your Profile icon, then the Snapchat+ banner. From there, you can toggle the "Solar System" option on or off whenever you need a break from the cosmic hierarchy.