What does the shades emoji mean on Snapchat

Emojis are everywhere letting people express emotions in their text-based online chats. However Snapchat has found a unique and fun way to put them to work! That’s why many people like you are wondering: What does the shades emoji mean on Snapchat? 😎 emoji is one of the friendship emojis used to show how you interact with your friends on the app.

If you want to learn more about this emoji usage on Snapchat keep reading this blog. Here we’ll discuss in detail its core meanings and also how people use it in different situations. We’ll also compare it with other friendship emojis for better understanding.

What does the shades emoji mean on Snapchat?

“The appearance of the shade 😎 emoji on Snapchat is a visual way to show that you & one of your contacts send snaps more oftenly to the same person.”

Snapchat usually has a list of friends emoji to highlight your most active connections. One of the emojis included in Snapchat’s Friend Emoji list is the emoji of a smiley face wearing a pair of sunglasses 😎. If you ever see this unique character 😎 next to your contact’s username it means you share ‘Mutual BFs’ with that user on the app.

It’s Snapchat’s way of telling you that both of you interact a lot with the same person, even if you don’t chat much with each other. Best Friend (BFs) is someone you frequently send snaps to but isn’t your #1 Best Friend as Snapchat calls it.

For instance, while chatting with that person you can say like this 😎 icon popped up because we both have Allen as our top friend.”

Simply you can say that 😎 signifies a friend of a friend on Snapchat. Thereby lets you see how your social circles are interconnected and could encourage you to snap this person more.

When does the shades emoji appear?

Hopefully now you are fully aware that the shade emoji on Snapchat usually points out the shared connections. For deep understanding let’s discuss in detail the situations in which this shade emoji 😎 usually appears and how Snapchat determines.

Situations where it shows up

• You and your friend both snap with the same person a lot.
• The friend you have in common is very active with both of you.
• You frequently view or send snaps to mutual contacts creating overlapping interactions.

How Snapchat determines it

Mentioned earlier that Snapchat has a list of friends emojis. So, basically it’s your snapping habits and friend interactions that help Snapchat to decide which emojis appear next to names. Here is how it makes a decision about the shade emoji!

Tracking Snap activity

Snapchat monitors how often you send and receive snaps from each friend. This way to those you interact with frequently are usually ranked higher on your Best Friends list.

Comparing interaction patterns

Next, the app notices the overlap in friend activity. Suppose you and one of your snapchatter both send a lot of snaps to the same person. At this point, Snapchat flags this as a shared top connection.

Assigning the Emoji

Once Snapchat detects a mutual top friend based on your activity, it would automatically places the 😎 sunglasses emoji next to names. This simply indicates you and that person are part of the same active friendship circle, even if you don’t snap each other directly.

The appearance of this emoji isn’t about when you snap, but how often you interact with the same friend. Consistent activity over days or weeks increases the chance of the 😎 emoji appearing.

Shades emoji vs. Other Snapchat friend emojis

Snapchat’s friend emoji list is vast, each pointing out a different type of connection based on your snapping activity. Let’s compare the shade emoji with other friends emoji, you may develop better understanding

😊 Smiling Face (Best friend)

If the smiling face emoji 😊 appears before the username, it means this person is someone you send a lot of snaps to! However, they’re not quite your #1 Best Friend. It usually indicates a high-frequency connection because you interact with that person on a regular basis.

• Example: “The 😊 emoji is next to Sarahs name because I snap her almost every day.”

💛 Yellow Heart

On the other hand, this yellow heart emoji before the username means you and that person are each other’s #1 Best Friend. This is because both of you send the most snaps to each other, showing your closest mutual friendship.

• Example: You might say like “I saw the 💛 emoji next to her name because we are each other’s #1 Best Friend.”

❤️ Red Heart

Similarly, the appearance of the read heart emoji ❤️ is usually one step above the yellow heart. It indicates that you and your friend have been Besties for 2 weeks in a row. It praises you for what a consistent top friendship over time both of you have!

• Example: “I noticed the ❤️ emoji beside his name — it means our #1 friendship has lasted two weeks.”

🔥 Snapstreak

on Snapchat a streak usually happens when you and your friend send snaps to each other every day consecutively. Therefore, if this happens, this fire emoji pops up and stays there as an encouraging reminder to keep up the streak.

• Example: “I keep the 🔥 streak going with Mia by sending her snaps every day.”

😬 Grimacing Face

However, if talk about the grimacing face emoji, it usually indicates that your Bestie (or #1 Best Friend) is also this person’s Bestie. There is no ned for jealousy because there’s plenty of room for everyone to snap to their heart’s content!

• Example: “The 😬 emoji appeared next to Liam because we both have Sarah as our #1 Best Friend.”

Quick comparison table

Does the Shades emoji mean someone is your friend’s best friend?

The shades emoji doesn’t mean that someone is your friend’s #1 best friend. It simply indicates that you and that person share a mutual Best Friend, highlighting the overlapping connections. To help you avoid any misconception here we are sharing with you the difference between close friend or a best freind!

Close friend vs best friend

• A close friend on Snapchat is someone you interact with frequently. This doesnt mean that they are at the top of your friend list.
• However, your best friend is the one you snap the most. Do remember! You can have multiple Best Friends, but your #1 Best Friend (or Bestie) is the person you interact with the most on Snapchat.

Hopefully, now your confusion will clear that shade emoji is all about shared mutual friendships, not direct rankings of someone else’s Best Friend.

Why does the Shades emoji matter for teens and parents?

Nowadays, most of the teens make use of snapchat because of real-time interaction with their peers. According to a survey report by Pew Research Center, about 55% of U.S. teens (ages 13–17) reported using Snapchat. The shades emoji may seem to be a small icon but indeed, it reveals a lot of information about the social dynamics among teens.

For instance, teens would get to know who their friends are connected to and how often. This way they better understand social circles and navigate peer relationships more effectively.

If you are a parent, you should indeed show your interest in your kids digital interactions. Understanding of such friendship emojis give you a quick overview of your kids’ social circles. This way you can better guide them about healthy relationships.

Parental tips for safely using Snapchat

Encourage open communication: If you want your kids to remain safe online have a friendly bond with them. This way they may make you aware of their digital activities even their snap friends. To make this happen, change your own parental attitude. Give time to your kids and show interest in their digital world.

Educate about privacy settings: In addition, guide your kids to adjuts their Snapchat’s privacy settings. For instance tell them to control who can see or view their snaps/stories, helping them avoid strangers’ interactions.

Limit Screen Time: Teach your kids that use of Snapchat is just a part of their refreshment not a replacement for real-life social interactions. Excessive screen time not only affects their studies but also impacts their overall health. To limit this you can make use of the device’s built-in parental control features.

Use parental controls to enhance monitoring: The above-mentioned tips are just one thing that you can do for safe use of Snapchat. Do you want even more robust control over your kids’ digital activities? If yes, then FlashGet Kids parental control app must be your go to as it helps kids remain protected from potential digital dangers. For instance,

• Screen mirroring: Screen mirror kids’ devices and see live what your kids are doing on Snapchat.
• Notification alerts: Let you to sync the notifications from kids’ devices. This enables you to see every notification, like snaps, stories, or friend requests, on your own notice page.
• App usage monitoring: FlashGet Kids also allows you to check how much time your kids have spent on individual apps like Snapchat.
• Screen time: Besides all, it also enables you to set screen time on Snapchat for a particular time. Balance in everything is important to eliminate the chances of risks. Too much screen time itself can negatively impact kids’ mental and physical health.

Can you change or remove the Shades Emoji on Snapchat?

Although the friendship emojis appear automatically based on your activity Snapchat still allows you to customize the settings.

On iOS

Step 1. You’ll open Snapchat and tap the profile icon in the top left corner.

Step 2. Next go for the gear icon in the top right corner and scroll down to “Additional Services” > tap “Manage.”

Step 3) After this, just click on the “Friend Emojis” button and a list of friend emojis would appear on the screen. Tap the shades emoji to edit it. That’s all!

On Android

Step 1. After accessing the settings option under your profile scroll down and tap “Customize Emojis.”

Step 2. Next just choose the shade emoji to change it.

What can and cannot be changed

Snapstreak 🔥 or Special system emojis can’t be changed because they are functional indicators not for decoration. Something more important to know is that changing the emoji only affects your view of Snapchat. Your friends will still see the default emojis unless they also customize their settings.

FAQs