How Snapstreaks Work and How to Keep Them Alive
By the View Snapchat Stories team · · 2 min read
A Snapstreak (the 🔥 next to a friend’s name) counts how many days in a row you and that friend have both sent each other a Snap. The number goes up by one each day you both keep it going. Miss a day and it drops back to zero.
What counts and what doesn’t
| Action | Keeps the streak? |
|---|---|
| Photo or video Snap sent directly to the friend | Yes |
| The friend sends you a Snap back the same day | Yes (you both need to) |
| Text chat, voice notes, stickers | No |
| Posting to your Story | No |
| Snaps sent in a group chat | No |
| Snaps sent with Spectacles or from Memories | Generally no; send from the camera to be safe |
The ⌛ hourglass
The hourglass appears next to the fire when the streak is about to end and one of you hasn’t snapped yet. When you see it, send a Snap right away and ask your friend to send one back. It disappears once both of you have snapped.
Five habits that stop streaks breaking
- Snap at the same time every day. Morning is safest: you have the whole day for the reply.
- Send a real Snap, not a chat. A black photo with a caption counts; a typed message doesn’t.
- Check it actually sent. “Sending…” or a red “Failed” label means it didn’t count. Tap to resend.
- Travel and time zones: the 24-hour window doesn’t care about your local midnight. Snap earlier than usual when you travel.
- Phone off for a day? Ask the friend to snap first; you can reply as soon as you’re back, if it’s still inside the window.
If a streak breaks
Snapchat sometimes shows a Restore option on a recently lost streak. Depending on your account and region it can be free, cost a small payment, or be included with Snapchat+. If there’s no Restore option, Snapchat Support can sometimes restore it when the loss was caused by an app problem: report it from Settings → I Need Help as soon as possible.
Video by Tech Life Unity. It plays from YouTube (privacy-enhanced mode) when you press play.
Do streaks matter?
Streaks don’t affect who sees your public content and they don’t change your Snap Score much on their own. They’re a running count between two friends, nothing more. If keeping them feels like a chore, it’s fine to let them go.
