The rise of social media has seen Snapchat become very popular, a platform where people can send quick videos, pictures, and messages that will quickly disappear. It’s become trendy among Gen Z in particular, and Snapstreaks are an integral part of social media. But what exactly are Snapstreaks, and what happens if you lose them?
Snapstreaks are continuous days in which two people send Snaps to each other, pictures, or videos. The streak starts after three days and can continue for as long as two people keep it going. If there’s a day when someone doesn’t send a Snap to the other, they will lose the streak.
Do you want to learn more? If so, let’s take a closer look at Snapstreaks, as well as what you can do if you lose them and what you get for having one.
What is a Snapstreak?
A Snapstreak is three or more consecutive days in which two Snapchat accounts have sent pictures or videos back and forth to each other. Once you’ve been doing this for three or more consecutive days, you’ll see a fire emoji next to your friend’s name, signaling the beginning of a Snapstreak.
You’ll also see a bolded number beside the fire symbol to show how many days you’ve had a Snapstreak going. For example, when you hit one hundred days, you will see a red underlined 100 emoji instead.
There was a rumor that if you kept a Snapstreak going long enough, you would get a mountain emoji. However, this has been tentatively disproven. Some people have had Snapstreaks going for 2000 days and still do not have the mountain emoji, so it was either false or only there for a brief period.
Still, some people keep chasing it, hoping the number required to see it has just gotten very high.
Can I Change the Fire Emoji?
If you want to change the fire emoji to something else next to your Snapstreak number, you can. Follow these steps:
- Open Snapchat.
- Tap on your profile picture.
- Tap Settings.
- Tap Customize Emojis.
- Tap Snapstreak.
The fire emoji will be the first on the list, but you can then scroll through and choose whichever one you’d like. It won’t cover or change the Snapstreak number, so you can do this safely, knowing that the streak itself is safe.
This won’t change the emojis for the other person. They’ll still see the fire emoji. If you want them to match, they’ll also have to follow the same steps and change the emoji to the same one you do.
How Do You Keep Your Snapstreak Going?
You can keep your Snapstreak going by sending a Snap to the other person and having them send you one within a 24-hour window. It is as simple as that. If you remember to send a singular Snap, you will not lose your Snapstreak, and the number will keep rising daily.
What Doesn’t Count Towards a Snapstreak?
Even though they also disappear, text messages do not count towards your Snapstreak. So don’t make the mistake of sending a chat message and assuming that will keep the Snapstreak going.
If you don’t have anything to share that day except a message, it’s better to take a picture of anything random (or even cover the camera with your thumb and take a black picture) and then write on it the message that you want to send. That way, the message will count towards your Snapstreak.
Group messages also do not count towards Snapstreaks. So if you want to keep your Snapstreak going and you’re in a group with them, you’ll also have to take the time to send them an individual Snap every day.
You need to send an individual Snap and use the camera button. Filters and special effects won’t ruin your Snapstreak, so you can touch up the photo however you want!
How to Recover a Lost Snapstreak
If you lost your Snapstreak because of a glitch, internet issues, or any reason, there is a way to get it back. If you head to the app and choose Contact Us, there will be an option for getting help with your Snapstreak.
You’ll then have to fill out as much information as possible about the streak. For example, remember how many consecutive days it lasted, and you’ll need to know the person with whom the streak was. The message will then be sent to Snapchat support, who can choose whether or not to reinstate the streak.
Whether they will or not depends on a whole host of things. Snapchat is unlikely to reinstate multiple streaks, so don’t rely on this if you often forget to reply to people but want to keep your Snapstreaks going. However, they might do it for you for a one-off with a legitimate reason.
What Do You Get for Having a Snapstreak?
There’s no specific reward for having a Snapstreak. Instead, you get emojis next to your contact’s name and the gratification of seeing that number get higher and higher every day.
Many people even choose to compete with their friends and place bets on who can eventually get the highest streak.
And, of course, the people are chasing that ever-elusive mountain emoji; or just hoping that one day in the future, they’ll discover a new emoji that only people with impossibly high Snapstreak numbers can get. Otherwise, the main reward you get for having a Snapstreak is simply bragging rights.
Still, Snapstreaks are fun things to do, and only it takes a couple of seconds out of the day to keep up. Just remember to send a picture or video as a Snap and don’t send a text message, as this will not count, and you will lose the streak—with no guarantee that Snapchat themselves will reinstate it.