Updated March 2026
Quick Answer:
Snapchat Planets are a visual display of your Best Friends list, they do not create a new system but show your existing best friends ranking as planets. Planets only appear for your top 8 most active friends and are only visible to Snapchat Plus subscribers. The Best Friends list is the engine and the planets are just how that engine looks.
Listen to this Article:
The Snapchat Best Friends list confused me the first time I noticed it had changed without warning. One day someone was at the top of my list, the next day they were gone and I had no idea why. After digging into how Snapchat actually calculates this list, I realised most people have completely the wrong idea about how it works. This guide explains the real algorithm behind your Best Friends list, who else can see it on your profile, and most importantly whether you can actually control who appears on it.
How Snapchat Planets Connect to the Best Friends List?
Snapchat has always had a Best Friends list that ranks who you interact with the most. This list exists whether you have Snapchat Plus or not. What Snapchat Plus adds is a visual way to see that list, using planets instead of names or numbers.
Think of it this way. The Best Friends list is the real system running in the background. Planets are just the display layer on top of it. If you removed the planets the Best Friends list would still exist and still rank your friends. Planets simply make that ranking visible and fun to look at.
This means your planet did not create your friendship ranking. Your friendship ranking already existed. The planet just shows you where you stand.
Important:
New to Snapchat Planets entirely? Read our complete Snapchat Planets overview guide to understand what the whole system is before reading this.
Why Planets Only Appear for Top 8 Best Friends?
Snapchat limits the planet system to your top 8 best friends only. If you interact with 50 people on Snapchat only the 8 you interact with most will ever have a planet. Everyone else simply does not qualify.
This limit exists because the planet system is designed to show your closest connections not every connection. Having a planet next to someone means you interact with them more than at least dozens of other people you snap.
The 8 positions map directly to the 8 planets in our solar system from Mercury to Neptune. Position 1 is Mercury and position 8 is Neptune. There is no 9th planet and no 9th best friend position in the planet system.
To understand exactly what each planet position number means, read our dedicated guide on Snapchat Planets order.
Why Planets Appear for Some Friends But Not Others?
This is the most common question people have after getting Snapchat Plus. You open one friend’s profile and see a planet. You open another and see nothing. Here is exactly why.
The friend does not have enough interaction with you. Planets only appear when a friend qualifies as one of your top 8. If you chat occasionally with someone but have 8 other friends you talk to far more often that person will never get a planet.
The interaction is too one-sided. Snapchat looks at how mutual the interaction is. If you send snaps constantly but the other person rarely replies the system reads this as a weak connection. Planets are more likely to appear when both people are actively engaging.
The friend does not have Snapchat Plus. This is a common misconception. Actually the friend does NOT need Snapchat Plus for a planet to appear on their profile when you view it. Only YOU need Snapchat Plus to see the planets. The friend’s subscription status does not affect whether planets show from your side.
The friend recently became less active. If someone used to be in your top 8 but stopped snapping as frequently they may have dropped out and lost their planet.
Mutual vs Non-Mutual Best Friends Explained:
When you open a friend’s profile you will notice one of two badges — a Best Friends badge or a Friends badge. This badge tells you something important about the nature of your connection.
Best Friends badge means the connection is mutual. You are in their top 8 AND they are in your top 8. Both of you interact with each other enough to qualify as best friends from both directions. This is the strongest type of connection the planet system can show.
Friends badge means the connection is one-directional. You are in their top 8 best friends but they are not necessarily in your top 8. You interact with them a lot but they have other people they talk to more than you.
A planet can appear with either badge. The badge tells you the type of connection. The planet inside the badge tells you your specific numbered rank within that connection.
What Happens When Someone Enters or Leaves Your Top 8?
Your top 8 is not permanent. It changes continuously as your interaction patterns shift. Here is what happens in each scenario.
When a new friend enters your top 8: A planet appears next to their name for the first time. This happens when your recent interaction with them has grown strong enough to push them into your top 8, displacing someone who was there before.
When a friend leaves your top 8: Their planet disappears completely. This usually happens when your interaction with them drops significantly or when other friends become more active and push that person out of the top 8 positions.
When a friend moves up or down within your top 8: Their planet changes. Someone who was Venus (position 2) might become Earth (position 3) if another friend becomes more active between you. The planet changes but does not disappear because they are still in your top 8.
Planet changes happen quietly. Snapchat does not send you a notification when a position changes. You only notice if you check actively.
Snapchat Planets vs Best Friends Emojis — Key Differences
Many people confuse Snapchat Planets with the Best Friends emojis like the yellow heart, red hearts, or fire emoji. These are two completely different systems.
| Feature | Snapchat Planets | Best Friends Emojis |
|---|---|---|
| What they show | Your numbered rank in someone’s top 8 | Mutual friendship status milestones |
| Visible to | Only the Snapchat Plus subscriber | Both users can see them |
| Requires Snapchat Plus | Yes | No |
| Shows ranking detail | Yes, position 1 through 8 | No, just milestone status |
| Changes based on | Relative interaction ranking | Streak length and mutual status |
| Private | Completely private | Shared between both users |
The key difference is visibility. Emojis are shared, both people see them. Planets are private, only you see your planet rankings. Your friend has no idea what planet you see them as unless you tell them.
Privacy Rules in the Best Friends Planet System:
Snapchat built several privacy protections into the planet system that are worth understanding.
Only you can see your planets. When you view a friend’s profile and see their planet that information is completely private to you. Your friend cannot see what planet you assigned them. They have no notification, no alert, and no way to check unless they have their own Snapchat Plus and view from their side.
Each person sees their own version. What you see for a friend and what that friend sees for you are calculated independently. You might see them as Mercury while they see you as Saturn. Both are correct because each reflects that person’s own activity patterns.
Rankings are hidden deliberately. Snapchat uses planet names instead of numbers specifically to make rankings feel less competitive and more fun. You cannot see a numbered list of your friends ranked 1 through 8 — you can only see individual planets one profile at a time.
No third party can view your rankings. Strangers, followers, and even close friends cannot access your planet rankings. The system is visible only to the account holder with Snapchat Plus.
How to Check Your Planet in the Best Friends List?
Checking your planet position with any friend is simple but requires an active Snapchat Plus subscription.
Steps:
- Open Snapchat and make sure your Snapchat Plus subscription is active. Go to your profile and check settings if you are unsure.
- Open your chat list and tap on the friend whose planet you want to check. This opens their profile page.
- On their profile look below their name and Bitmoji for a small badge. It will say either Best Friends or Friends with a small icon.
- Tap that badge. Snapchat will show you a planet with a brief description of what that planet means for your connection with that person.
- The planet you see represents your position in their best friends ranking at this moment. It can change next time you check depending on recent activity.
What to Do If Planets Are Not Appearing?
If you open a friend’s profile and see no planet at all there are several things to check.
Check your Snapchat Plus subscription. Go to your Snapchat profile, tap the star icon, and verify your subscription is active and not expired. This is the most common reason planets disappear suddenly.
Check if the friend is actually in your top 8. If you have not interacted much recently the friend may have dropped out of your top 8. Increase your snapping and chatting and check again in 24 to 48 hours.
Make sure Friend Solar System is enabled. Go to Settings, tap Snapchat Plus, and check that the Friend Solar System feature is turned on. It can sometimes get disabled after an app update.
Update your Snapchat app. An outdated app version can cause display issues with planets. Update to the latest version through your app store.
Restart the app. Sometimes a simple close and reopen fixes temporary glitches with planet display.
Conclusion:
Snapchat Planets are not a separate feature, they are a visual layer on top of the Best Friends list that already exists on Snapchat. Planets only appear for your top 8 most active friends and the whole system is completely private to you as a Snapchat Plus subscriber. Understanding that planets reflect interaction patterns and not real friendship strength is the most important thing to take away from this.
If you want to understand exactly what each planet position number means and how Snapchat calculates your rank, read our complete guide on Snapchat Planets order.
