Snapchat used to have a "Best Friends" feature that allowed users to see who their friends snapped the most. That feature has since been removed, but Snapchat recently added a new similar feature, instead relying on emojis.
The new feature is far more private than the old "Best Friends" feature, and ideally will not induce as much stalking of users' friends as the old feature did.
The new feature was revealed through a blog post in Snapchat Discover, and it says that users will start to see emojis popping up on their friends lists on Monday. The user interface will essentially show users who they are best friends with and who is best friends with the user, without having to reveal the username of every user involved.
Different emoji will represent different things. For example, a gold heart next to the users name will signify that they are your #1 best friend, or the person that you snap the most and who snaps you the most. A grimace will signify that you share #1 best friends.
Next up is a smiley face, which says that this person is one of your best friends, or someone that you snap with very often. Sunglasses signifies that you share a mutual best friend with this person. A smirk says that you are the other user's best friend but they are not yours.
Last but not least, a fire emoji suggests that you and this person have been snapping nonstop for a few days and that you're on a snap streak.
Snapchat is also adding two more features that will begin to appear over the next few days. A new "moon" icon will let users turn on and off low-light mode for the camera. This should help users taking photos in low light, as Snapchat is known for being terrible at low light situations.
Snapchat also seems to want people to start sending pics to people that they haven't in a while. Under a users friends list, along with the "Recents" section, there will also be a "Needs Love" section, including people that a user used to snap with a lot but hasn't in a while.
Snapchat has been implementing a number of great new features over the past few months. The company has been trying especially to monetize its service, introducing the "Discover" feature, which essentially allows users to view content from media companies. This is a form of advertising, but it's a form of advertising that users opt into.
