Snapchat Solar System: Planets Order and Friend Rankings Explained
If you’re a Snapchat Plus user, you’ve probably seen the Snapchat Solar System feature or heard people talking about Snapchat Planets and might be curious what it actually means, how it works, and where these planets appear in your app.
Inspired by the real solar system, this feature turns your top eight best friends into planets, lined up from Mercury to Neptune. From understanding how this feature works to finding your spot in your friend’s Solar System, this complete Snap Solar System guide makes everything easy for you.
What Is the Snapchat Friend Solar System?
It is a premium feature of Snapchat Plus and has a cute space-themed animation. It has the same concept as the actual solar system in the universe, where planets revolve around the sun. Being a Snapchat Plus subscriber, you are the sun of your Snapchat solar system, and your top eight friends with whom you interact or engage the most act as planets in your orbit. The Snapchat orbit system shows how close you are to each friend based on your interaction. That is why the Snapchat solar system is also referred to as the Friend solar system.
How the Snapchat Planet System Actually Works
Snapchat’s algorithm tracks activity, such as the number of streaks, your connections, chat frequency, and overall engagements, to determine your best friend’s planet distance from you. The friend who has the strongest connection with you is your best friend, and his planet is closer to you than others, just like Mercury, which is closest to the sun. In short, the closeness is represented in the form of planets.
For Example:
If you are Mars in your friend’s solar system, that means you’re in the fourth position of closest friends.
- Your position will be ranked based on your interaction.
Note: The position of your friends can change over time based on their behaviour and interaction with you.
Snapchat Planets Order
As we know, Snapchat indexes your top 8 friends in the form of planets. All the planets are arranged in the same order as the actual planets in the solar system. The Snapchat best friends Planets list is arranged in the following order:
The Meaning Behind Each Snapchat Planet
Your top eight friends get a planet based on their interaction with you, and each planet describes a different level of friendship. This planet’s rankings help you visualize your closest friendships. For a better experience, we have explained the meaning of each snap planets in detail:
Mercury
Mercury is the first planet in the Snapchat Solar System, same as the real world. It represents your #1 best friend with whom you interact the most. He is your most active friend on Snapchat with whom you make the longest streaks. This planet appears in bright red, with 4-5 red hearts surrounding it, which indicates closeness or purity. It also has some small stars around it.
Venus
Venus is the second planet in the solar system and represents your 2nd closest friend. The interaction with this friend is also frequent and strongest, but less than with Mercury and more than with others. This planet appears in light brown with multiple colored hearts around it, such as pink, blue, and yellow.
Earth
The Earth symbolizes your 3rd closest friend on Snapchat. The relationship with this friend is solid and reliable. He is the person who also has good and meaningful conversations with you and is important in your Snapchat universe. This friend planet is represented by the same colors as the real Earth, i.e., blue and green, with red hearts, a moon, and small yellow stars around it.
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet in the solar system and represents your 4th best friend. You still have a solid connection with your Mars friend, maintained through a few chats, snaps, and streaks. This friendship has a spark, just like the planet is symbolized by a fiery red color, accompanied by some yellow stars and purple, blue hearts surrounding it.
Jupiter
Jupiter represents your 5th closest friend in the Snapchat solar system. Just like the real Jupiter, the massive planet symbolizes a strengthened connection. It is an orange planet with dark orange stripes, surrounded by multiple colored stars.
Saturn
Saturn is the 6th planet in your Snapchat universe, indicating your sixth closest friend. The snap streaks, conversations, and overall connection are not as frequent as those of other planets, but they still have a good relationship. Saturn appears as a yellow-colored planet with a beautiful ring, surrounded by blue, pink, and yellow stars.
Uranus
Uranus, positioned seventh in the solar system, represents your 7th closest friend. You are still tied up in a bond with limited interactions. This planet is green in color, with some stars, but no hearts.
Neptune
The last and the most distant planet in the solar system is Neptune, presented to your 8th closest friend with whom you have the least interaction among your top 8 closest friends. Neptune is a simple planet with a blue hue and blue stars only.
Snapchat Moons
The moon icon in the top right corner of the Snapchat camera screen enables Low-Light mode, which helps capture better photos in the dark. In Snapchat Planets, the Moon doesn’t play any role, but Earth is the only planet with a Moon in the background.
What is Snapchat Plus?
Snapchat Plus is a premium subscription offered by Snapchat that unlocks advanced and exclusive features designed to elevate your social experience. This upgraded version is ideal for users who want more personalization, early access to experimental tools, and deeper insights into their Snapchat activity.
How to Get Snapchat Plus: Step-by-Step Guide
The first and most basic step to get a Snapchat Plus subscription is to install the Snapchat app and create an account. Here are the step-by-step details of how to buy a subscription to it:
Now, officially, you are a Snapchat Plus member and enjoy all the perks of advanced features.
Snapchat Plus Subscription Pricing
Snapchat Plus offers exclusive subscription plans and has recently introduced a new Platinum Monthly plan, which is significantly more expensive and provides users with an ad-free experience. Here are the pricing details of each plan:
Monthly Plan
$3.99
Per Month
Annual Plan
$29.99
($2.50) Per Month
Platinum Plan
$15.99
Per Month
Lens+ Plan
$8.99
Per Month
Lens+ is the latest launched subscription plan of Snapchat+, which lets you enjoy 40+ exclusive features and lenses powered by GenAI
Note: Subscription privacy may vary in different countries and devices.
How to Enable or Disable the Snapchat Solar System Feature
The main aim of the Snapchat solar system was to highlight close friends, but this feature has faced a lot of criticism because it causes stress and insecurities among young users after seeing their positions in friends’ solar systems. After this feedback, Snapchat decided to turn the feature off by default, and the desired users have to enable it manually.
How to enable it:
How to disable it:
Pros and Cons of the Snapchat Planets Feature
|
Pros |
Cons |
|---|---|
How to See a Friend’s Planet Position in Your Snapchat Solar System
Note: Bitmoji is a personalized avatar on Snapchat, appearing as a profile icon across the app.
Note: If your friend doesn’t have Snapchat Plus, you can still see their planet position, as long as you have the Plus subscription and the Solar System feature is enabled in your settings.
Snapchat recently updated its badge system, which left many users confused. Previously, there were two badges: the Friend and Best Friend badges, both with golden outlines.
In the new update, both now appear as Best Friend badges, with or without the golden ring, indicating whether the friendship is mutual or one-sided.
Best Friend Badge with Golden Ring
Note: Less than 0.25% of Snapchat users engage with this feature daily, so if you see a planet, you’re part of a lucky few!
Best Friend Badge without Golden Ring
Best Friend vs Friend Badge (Old Version)
Best Friend Badge: means that both of you are in each other’s solar system (top eight best friends).
Friend Badge: means they are in your friend’s solar system, but you are not in theirs.
Both previous badges were with a gold outline.
Tips to Move Up in the Snapchat Planets Ranking
The following are the tips to boost your ranking in your friend’s solar system and move closer to the sun.
Common Snapchat Planets Issues and Fixes
Some common problems a user can face are given below with solutions:
Snap planets are not showing up
You must have a subscription to Snapchat Plus to see this feature, and make sure to enable this from settings.
Still can’t see Planet Ranking after subscribing to Snapchat+
If you see the Best Friends badge but no planet, it likely means you’re in their friends list, but not in their Top 8 Best Friends. They may chat more with others, so you’re not ranked high enough to get a planet.
No quick update on Planet Order
Snapchat doesn’t update planet rankings instantly. If the Friend Solar System on Snapchat isn’t working, wait a little while, as updates depend on your activity and take some time to appear.
No gold ring around Best Friend Badge Snapchat
If you see the “Best Friends” badge without the gold ring on Snapchat, it could be due to imbalanced snapping levels, and not being each other’s #1 Best Friend.
Friend Solar System Privacy Policy
The Snapchat Friend Solar System is all about privacy. Only Snapchat Plus users can access it, and you’ll only see your own planet position when you visit a friend’s profile. No one else can see your planet’s position, not even your best friends, keeping the experience completely personal and secure.
Are Snapchat Planets gone?
No, Snapchat didn’t remove the Friend Solar System. Due to stress reported by users and media like WSJ in late 2023, Snapchat made it off by default in April 2024. New Snapchat+ users must enable it manually in settings. So, the Snapchat Planets still exist but now as an optional feature to support user well-being.
Snapchat Planets Myths vs Facts
Myths:
Facts:
Snapchat Extended vs. Planet Best Friends List: What’s Different?
| Features | Extended Best Friends List | Planet Best Friends List |
|---|---|---|
| Friend Range | Shows up to 16 friends | Limited to only top 8 friends |
| Appearance | Traditional ranked list format | Visual, space-themed planet system |
| Availability | For Snapchat Plus users | Available only in premium version |