Snapchat’s Friend Solar System is a unique, gamified feature that ranks your closest friends as planets based on how often you interact with them. In 2025, if you’re ranked as Earth in someone’s Snapchat universe, you’re their third-closest friend. According to Snapchat’s official support, the Solar System visualizes your position on a friend’s Best Friends list, with Earth indicating regular but not top-tier communication.
This dynamic feature, exclusive to Snapchat Plus (SC+) subscribers, uses a planetary metaphor to make social connections engaging and visually intuitive. Earth’s position reflects a steady, reliable friendship with consistent snaps and chats, but it’s not as intense as the bonds represented by Mercury or Venus.
How Is Earth Chosen as Your #3 Friend?
Snapchat’s algorithm determines your Earth ranking based on interaction frequency, including snaps sent, chats exchanged, and story engagement. A 2025 Snapchat update confirms that interaction scores—a combination of snap volume, chat length, and streak consistency—dictate your position.
To be Earth, you exchange snaps and messages regularly but less frequently than with the friend’s Mercury (first) or Venus (second) friends. For example, you might snap this friend several times a week and maintain a streak, but your interaction isn’t as constant as with their top two. Consistent engagement, such as replying to stories or sending video snaps, helps secure and maintain your Earth status. If you want to climb to Venus or Mercury, increasing your snap and chat frequency is key.
Why Earth for Snapchat’s Third Friend?
Snapchat chose Earth for the third friend to mirror the real solar system’s structure, where Earth is the third planet from the Sun. This design, rooted in Snapchat’s innovative approach to social dynamics (as noted in a 2024 Stanford study on gamified apps), creates a visual hierarchy of friendships.
Earth symbolizes a balanced, mid-tier connection—not as intimate as Mercury or Venus but more significant than Mars or beyond. It reflects reliable but less frequent contact, such as weekly snaps or occasional long chats. The Earth planet’s design, complete with green continents, blue oceans, and a moon, emphasizes stability and familiarity, making it a fitting metaphor for a dependable friendship that’s still a step below your closest bonds.
What Do Earth’s Red Hearts Represent?
The red hearts orbiting the Earth planet are a hallmark of Snapchat’s Solar System, representing snap streaks and emotional connection. According to Snapchat’s support page, each heart signifies a consecutive day you and your friend have exchanged snaps, forming a streak. The more hearts (typically four to five for Earth), the longer your streak, indicating a meaningful bond.
For instance, four hearts might mean a 4-day streak, while five could signal a week or more of daily snaps. These hearts also highlight a deeper emotional tie, as noted in a 2025 UX report, showing that you and your Earth friend share a consistent, engaging relationship. Missing a day can break the streak, causing a heart to disappear, which may weaken your Earth ranking.
How to Identify Your Earth Friend?
Identifying your Earth friend is straightforward for Snapchat Plus users. Follow these steps:
The Earth planet’s distinct design, including its moon and four to five red hearts, makes it easy to spot. Ensure the Solar System feature is toggled on in your Snapchat Plus settings, as it’s disabled by default for new subscribers.
- Open Snapchat and navigate to your friend’s profile.
- Look for a Best Friends or Friends badge with a gold ring, as outlined in Snapchat’s 2025 guide.
- Tap the badge to reveal their Solar System ranking. If you see the Earth planet—with green continents, blue oceans, a moon, and red hearts—you’re their third-closest friend.
- The Best Friends badge means you’re both in each other’s top eight, while the Friends badge indicates you’re in their top eight, but they’re not in yours.
The Earth planet’s distinct design, including its moon and four to five red hearts, makes it easy to spot. Ensure the Solar System feature is toggled on in your Snapchat Plus settings, as it’s disabled by default for new subscribers.
Does Earth Change with Interaction?
Yes, your Earth ranking is dynamic and shifts based on interaction changes. Snapchat’s algorithm, detailed in a 2024 UX study, recalculates rankings using recent snap and chat activity. If you increase your engagement—such as sending daily video snaps, maintaining longer streaks, or replying to stories—you could move up to Venus or even Mercury. Conversely, reduced interaction, like missing streak snaps or infrequent chats, may drop you to Mars (fourth) or lower. For example, if another friend starts snapping your Earth friend more often, they could overtake your position. To stay Earth or climb higher, prioritize consistent, meaningful interactions like personalized snaps or quick responses.
Is Earth Exclusive to Snapchat+ in 2025?
The Earth ranking and the entire Friend Solar System are exclusive to Snapchat Plus in 2025. According to Snapchat’s official website, only SC+ subscribers (priced at $3.99/month in the US or ₹49/month in India) can access this feature. Free users cannot view planet rankings or badges. To enable the Solar System, SC+ users must:
- Go to their profile.
- Navigate to Snapchat+ settings.
- Toggle on the Solar System feature, which is off by default.
This exclusivity, as noted in a 2025 tech report, incentivizes subscriptions by offering premium insights into friendship dynamics, making SC+ appealing for users who value gamified social features.
How Often Does Earth Rank Update?
Snapchat’s Earth rank updates daily based on your interaction patterns. A 2025 tech report explains that the algorithm recalculates rankings using recent snap frequency, chat volume, and streak consistency. For instance, sending multiple snaps or engaging in long chats can boost your position overnight, potentially moving you from Earth to Venus. Conversely, a day of inactivity might lower your rank to Mars if another friend interacts more. This real-time system ensures rankings reflect current engagement, making it crucial to maintain streaks and regular communication to hold or improve your Earth status.
How Does Earth Differ from Other Planets?
Earth stands out as the third planet in Snapchat’s Solar System, balancing closeness and distance. Here’s how it compares to other planets, per Snapchat’s design and UX studies:
- Mercury: First, with five red hearts, representing your closest friend with near-daily snaps and chats.
- Venus: Second, with pink, yellow, and blue hearts, indicating a very close but slightly less frequent bond.
- Earth: Third, with a moon, four to five red hearts, and stars, symbolizing a stable, mid-tier friendship with regular but not constant contact.
- Mars: Fourth, with purple and blue hearts, reflecting less frequent interaction.
- Jupiter and beyond: Fifth to eighth, with fewer or no hearts, indicating occasional or minimal contact.
Earth’s moon and red hearts, as noted in a 2025 design analysis, emphasize reliability and emotional connection, distinguishing it from the more intense Mercury/Venus or the distant outer planets.
Can You Lose Earth Status?
Yes, you can lose Earth status if your interaction frequency drops. Snapchat’s support page confirms that rankings depend on snap and chat activity. If you stop sending snaps, miss streak days, or engage less often, another friend with higher interaction could take your Earth spot, pushing you to Mars or lower. For example, forgetting to snap for a day might break a streak, reducing your hearts and weakening your position. To maintain Earth status, focus on:
- Sending daily snaps to keep streaks alive.
- Responding promptly to messages.
- Engaging with your friend’s stories.
Consistent, authentic interaction is key to holding or regaining your Earth ranking.
Wrapping up Snapchat Planet Earth in 2025
In 2025, Earth in Snapchat’s Friend Solar System signifies your role as a third-closest friend, marked by steady, reliable interaction. The red hearts orbiting Earth highlight your snap streaks, typically four to five, reflecting a meaningful bond. Exclusive to Snapchat Plus ($3.99/month), this feature requires enabling the Solar System in settings. Rankings update daily, so increasing snaps and chats can elevate you to Venus or Mercury, while inactivity risks dropping you to Mars.
Earth’s design, with its moon and hearts, symbolizes a balanced, dependable friendship. Keep snapping consistently to maintain or improve your place in your friend’s universe, but remember: real-life connections matter most.
FAQs
What does Earth mean on Snapchat?
Earth is your third-best friend, based on snap and chat frequency, exclusive to SC+.
How do I become someone’s Earth?
Send regular snaps and chats to rank third in their Solar System.
Can Earth have more than five hearts?
Yes, longer streaks add hearts, but five is typical for Earth, per Snapchat.
Why did I lose my Earth rank?
Less interaction dropped your rank; maintain streaks to regain Earth status.
