If you’ve opened a friend’s profile on Snapchat and seen a miniature solar system floating next to their name, you’ve encountered Snapchat Planets. This Snapchat+ feature turns your eight closest friends into planets, with each one representing how often you interact with that person. Your number one best friend becomes Mercury (closest to the sun), your second best friend becomes Venus, and so on through Neptune.
The system automatically ranks your friends based on messaging frequency, story views, and general engagement. You can’t manually assign planets—the algorithm handles everything behind the scenes.
Snapchat Planets is a paid feature for Snapchat+ subscribers that replaces the basic friend emoji system with a visual planetary hierarchy. Your best friends appear as planets orbiting a central sun on their profile.
The logic is straightforward: your closest friend is Mercury (first position), followed by Venus (second), Earth (third), Mars (fourth), Jupiter (fifth), Saturn (sixth), Uranus (seventh), and Neptune (eighth).
Snapchat launched this as part of their push to make the friendship experience feel more personalized. Younger users especially seem to enjoy the sci-fi aesthetic and the clear ranking it provides. Essentially, Snapchat gamified the “best friends” concept by turning it into something that looks like an actual solar system.
“Snapchat Planets took hidden engagement metrics and made them visually appealing—almost prestigious.” — Maria Chen, social media analyst at TechCrunch
What makes this feature work psychologically is how it makes abstract relationship data feel concrete. Instead of abstract stars or zodiac signs, you get planets that feel tangible and meaningful.
The planetary system isn’t just decoration. It directly reflects your communication patterns with each friend. Every snap you send, message you send, or story you view contributes to your friendship score behind the scenes.
With an active Snapchat+ subscription, navigate to any friend’s profile and you’ll see a small solar system icon next to their name. Tap it to reveal the full planetary view showing where that friend sits in your personal system. When friends view your profile, they’ll see which planet represents you in their hierarchy.
The feature builds on Snapchat’s existing BFF algorithm but adds a more visually striking layer. Previously, users only saw limited friend emojis. Now, the visualization extends to eight different friends, creating a complete hierarchy from Mercury through Neptune.
Each planet has distinct visual characteristics that match astronomical accuracy and the older friend emoji system. Mercury shows reddish-orange, Venus appears in pink tones, Earth displays blue-green, and outer planets follow similar color patterns.
The planets also animate when you view them—they rotate and orbit slowly, giving the system a dynamic feel that static images can’t match.
Make sure you have an active Snapchat+ subscription. The feature won’t appear for free users.
You’ll see their assigned planet with a small indicator showing their position (1st through 8th). Tap the planet icon to see the full solar system view with all your friends’ planets highlighted.
The process works identically on Android—Snapchat has kept feature parity between iOS and Android for this feature.
The hierarchy follows a clear progression from innermost to outermost planet:
The colors help with quick identification. Mercury shows warm reddish-orange, Venus appears in pink and cream, Earth displays blue and green, Mars takes on reddish-brown, Jupiter shows tan and brown bands, Saturn has its distinctive ring, Uranus appears pale blue-green, and Neptune shows deep blue.
These colors align with both astronomical accuracy and the older friend emojis that Snapchat previously used.
Not subscribed to Snapchat+? This is the most common reason. The feature is exclusive to paid subscribers with no free alternative. Check Settings > Snapchat+ to verify your subscription status.
Friend isn’t in your top eight? The planetary system only displays for friends within your top eight by engagement. If someone ranks ninth or lower, they won’t have a planetary designation.
Glitches or loading issues? Try closing and reopening the app completely. Make sure you’re running the latest version of Snapchat—older versions may not support the feature properly.
Planets disappeared? This usually happens when your interaction patterns change. If you stop messaging someone as frequently, they may drop down in your hierarchy or disappear entirely. The system updates in real-time based on recent activity.
Blank spaces or failed rendering? Check that your app has necessary permissions (storage and network) in your device settings.
Snapchat+ includes other features beyond the planets:
Custom chat themes let subscribers change conversation backgrounds with gradient colors or animated themes inspired by movies and shows.
Anonymous story viewing allows you to watch stories without appearing in the viewer’s list—a useful feature for quiet browsing.
Priority story replies give subscribers more visibility when responding to friends’ stories.
Early access to new features means subscribers often get beta access before general release.
The planetary metaphor works because it taps into several psychological principles.
First, it makes abstract metrics concrete. Friendship strength was previously shown through disconnected symbols. Planets feel more tangible and meaningful.
The solar system metaphor also implies a natural hierarchy without explicitly calling someone your “number one best friend”—which can feel awkward in conversation.
The feature has created new social dynamics. Some users screenshot their hierarchy to share with friends, sparking conversations about rankings. Others treat their Mercury status as a badge of close friendship.
It also encourages more frequent engagement. Knowing your position depends on interaction frequency creates subtle motivation to stay in contact.
What are Snapchat Planets?
A Snapchat+ premium feature that visualizes your top eight friends as planets in a solar system, with Mercury representing your #1 best friend.
How do I see my Snapchat Planets?
Subscribe to Snapchat+, go to your profile, tap “My Friends,” select a friend, and look for the planetary visualization on their profile page.
What does each planet mean?
Mercury is #1, Venus is #2, Earth is #3, Mars is #4, Jupiter is #5, Saturn is #6, Uranus is #7, Neptune is #8. The position is determined by interaction frequency.
Why can’t I see Snapchat Planets?
You likely don’t have an active Snapchat+ subscription, or the friend isn’t in your top eight. You may also be using an outdated app version.
Do Snapchat Planets update automatically?
Yes. They update based on recent interaction patterns. Message someone more often and they move closer to the sun.
Can I customize my Snapchat Planets?
No. The system automatically determines positions based on your messaging, story viewing, and engagement activity.
Snapchat Planets is one of Snapchat’s more creative approaches to visualizing social connections. By turning abstract friendship metrics into a tangible solar system, the feature makes “best friends” more visually appealing and emotionally engaging.
For Snapchat+ subscribers, it adds personality and fun to the friendship experience while subtly encouraging more frequent engagement. The rankings aren’t just cosmetic—they reflect genuine interaction patterns and provide insight into your social dynamics on the platform.
As with any social feature, remember that rankings are fluid and change based on your activity. Today’s Mercury could become tomorrow’s Neptune if your communication patterns shift. The feature reflects your current relationship dynamics, nothing more.
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