The green name on Snapchat indicates that a person is one of your “Best Friends” on the app. Your Best Friends are the people you snap with the most or have the strongest snapstreaks with. Having a green name next to a friend’s username means that this person is someone you frequently interact with on Snapchat.
How Best Friends Work on Snapchat
Snapchat’s Best Friends feature shows you your closest friends on the app based on your snap messaging patterns. You can have up to 8 Best Friends at a time displayed in the Friends screen on your profile. These Best Friends have a green emoji next to their name.
Your top Best Friend (the person you interact with the most) will have a yellow heart emoji next to their name instead of the green emoji. This #1 Best Friend slot tends to rotate frequently as snap patterns change day to day.
The Best Friends algorithm calculates your interactions over the past 7 days to determine who your most frequent friends are. Sending chat messages and snaps to a friend, as well as maintaining streaks, boosts someone’s Best Friend status.
Why People Have Green Names on Snapchat
There are a few key reasons why someone might have a green name on Snapchat:
You Message Them Frequently
If you are snapping and chatting with a friend almost every day, they are highly likely to earn a green Best Friend emoji. Regular communication and responding to each other’s snaps keeps your interactions high and gets them on your Best Friends list.
You Have a Long Snapstreak
Snapstreaks also influence who becomes your Best Friends. A snapstreak occurs when you and a friend have snapped each other within 24 hours for three or more consecutive days. Longer snapstreaks signify consistent, ongoing communication, making that friend qualify for Best Friend status.
They React and Replay Your Snaps
Friends who regularly react to your snaps by sending a chat or clicking on that snap to replay it are more likely to get the Best Friend label. This activity tells Snapchat that they are actively engaging with your content.
You Are Each Other’s #1 Best Friend
In some cases, two people end up each other’s #1 Best Friend – indicated by the yellow heart emoji. This means they are each other’s most snapped contact and have the highest level of interaction on the app. It signifies a very close, reciprocal Snapchat friendship.
How to Become Someone’s Best Friend on Snapchat
If you want to become Best Friends with someone on Snapchat, there are some tips and tricks you can follow:
Snap Them Every Day
Start a habit of snapping your friend every day or almost every day. Consistent snapping is key to improving your interactions. Send them funny images, videos, selfies, stories or whatever you want – just keep the snaps coming regularly.
Chat with Them Often
Along with sharing snaps, chat with your friend through text messaging in Snapchat frequently too. Have engaging conversations and respond to their chat messages promptly when you see them.
Reply to Their Snaps
When your friend sends you a snap, always open it and send them a reply snap or chat. Reacting and responding keeps the communication two-way.
Maintain a Snapstreak
Work on building up and keeping a 7+ day snapstreak. Snapstreaks signal ongoing contact and will quickly get you into Best Friends territory.
Watch Their Stories
Make sure to consistently view your friend’s story whenever they post new snaps and videos. Watching their content helps boost your interactions.
Can You Control Your Best Friends List?
Snapchat’s algorithm detects your Best Friends based on how you use the app – you don’t actually choose who is on the list. However, there are a couple ways you can try to manipulate your Best Friends:
Temporarily Improve Your Snap Frequency
If you want someone to make your Best Friends list for an occasion (like a birthday), increase how often you snap them for several days beforehand. This amps up your recent interactions and might get them a green emoji for a short time.
Reduce Interactions with Other Friends
You can also try snapping and chatting with your other Best Friends less frequently. This may open up a slot on your list for your other friend to take. However, your Best Friends’ lists will also change, so it only works temporarily.
Overall though, you can’t permanently control or rearrange your Best Friends. It’s based on your actual usage behavior, so the list will evolve over time.
Can You Hide Your Best Friends?
Previously Snapchat didn’t allow you to hide your Best Friends list. But now there are a couple of ways to make it private:
Turn Off Friend Emojis
In your Snapchat settings, you can disable the ability for you and your friends to see Friendmojis (the emojis next to friend names). This will remove the green Best Friend indicator. However, it also takes away all emojis, not just for Best Friends.
Use Ghost Mode
The new Ghost Mode feature in Snapchat lets you privately map out specific friends you want to share your location with. It also hides your Best Friends list from being viewed by anyone else.
When Ghost Mode is enabled, only you can see your Best Friends. Your friends won’t be able to view it. This gives you more control over sharing your Best Friends.
Why Would You Want to Hide Your Best Friends List?
Here are some reasons why someone may want to hide their Snapchat Best Friends:
– Don’t want certain friends knowing you chat with some people more than them
– Avoid jealousy or drama over your #1 Best Friend
– Keep your dating/romantic relationships private from others
– Prevent accusations of favoritism if you snap some friends more
– Hide friendships from parents/family members
– Keep your interactions discreet from significant others
– Maintain separate friend groups that don’t know each other
– Feel like your usage is being monitored or ranked
– Don’t want some friendships public
– Have an anxiety over who can see your Best Friends
For privacy, discretion, mental health, or other personal reasons, the option to hide Best Friends gives you more control over your profile.
Conclusion
A green name next to a friend on Snapchat indicates that this person is one of your Best Friends. It means you snap with them frequently compared to your other friends. Best Friends are calculated automatically based on your snap messaging activity over 7 days. While you can’t permanently change your Best Friends list, you can use features like Ghost Mode to hide it and maintain more privacy over your closest Snapchat friends. At the end of the day, having someone as your Best Friend shows they are someone you communicate and connect with often on the app.