Snapchat is already packed with little symbols that can be weirdly hard to decode. You have streaks, emojis, badges, scores, Best Friends, and if you use Snapchat Plus, a tiny solar system that shows where you sit in someone’s closest-friends list.
The feature is called Friend Solar System, though most people just call it Snapchat Planets. It takes your position in a friend’s Snapchat orbit and turns it into a planet. From Mercury to Neptune, these celestial bodies signify how close a person is to you.
The important thing to know is that Snapchat Planets is a Snapchat Plus feature, and it is now off by default for first-time subscribers. To use it, you’ll need to subscribe to Snapchat Plus and manually turn on Friend Solar System from the Snapchat Plus feature management page. Snapchat says the feature can be toggled on or off at any time.
What are Snapchat Planets?
Snapchat Planets are part of Snapchat’s Friend Solar System feature. When it’s enabled, Snapchat turns a friend’s Best Friends list into a solar system, with that friend as the sun and you as one of the planets around them.
In simple terms, the planet shows where you rank in that friend’s Best Friends list. If you appear as Mercury, you’re their closest Snapchat friend. If you appear as Venus, you’re second. If you appear as Earth, you’re third, and so on.
You can find this by opening someone’s Friendship Profile and tapping the Best Friends or Friends badge with a gold ring. Snapchat says tapping that badge shows which planet you are in their Solar System.
The planet you see is about your place in their solar system. It does not automatically mean they have the same position as yours.
Snapchat Planets order and meaning
The Snapchat Planets order follows the real solar system, minus Pluto. Mercury is the closest planet, while Neptune is the farthest.
As such, the planets of your friends in order from closest to furthest are as follows:
- Mercury
- Venus
- Earth
- Mars
- Jupiter
- Saturn
- Uranus
- Neptune
And yes, Pluto gets left out again.
So, if you tap a badge on someone’s profile and see Earth, that means you are third in their Snapchat Friend Solar System. If you see Neptune, you are still in their top eight, just farther out in the ranking.
Best Friends vs Friends: What’s the difference?
Snapchat Planets can appear through two badges: Best Friends and Friends. A Best Friends badge means both of you are in each other’s closest-friends circle. In other words, you are in their top group, and they are in yours too. Meanwhile, a friend’s badge means you are in their Friend Solar System, but the relationship may not be mutual in the same way. You might be one of their top friends, even if they do not appear in the same position on your side.
Either way, tapping the badge is what reveals your planet, provided you have Snapchat Plus and the feature is turned on.
How to see your Snapchat Planet
To check your Snapchat Planet, follow these steps:
- Step 1: Open Snapchat.
- Step 2: Go to a friend’s Friendship Profile.
- Step 3: Look for a Best Friends or Friends badge with a gold ring around it.
- Step 4: Tap the badge.
- Step 5: Snapchat will show which planet you are in that friend’s Solar System.
If you do not see a badge, it usually means you either do not have Snapchat Plus, Friend Solar System is not enabled, or you are not in that person’s visible friend ranking.
How to turn on Snapchat Planets
Before you can use Snapchat Planets, you need Snapchat Plus. Pricing can vary by region and plan, so the safest way to check the current cost is inside the Snapchat app or through Snapchat’s subscription page. Snapchat also offers multiple Plus-related plans in some regions, and availability can vary.
Once you have Snapchat Plus, you may still need to turn on Friend Solar System manually.
- Step 1: Open Snapchat and go to your profile.
- Step 2: Tap your Snapchat Plus membership card or banner.
- Step 3: Open the Snapchat Plus feature management page.
- Step 4: Find Solar System or Friend Solar System.
- Step 5: Toggle it on.
