What Do Icons, Symbols, Emojis Mean on Snapchat - Complete Guide - TechWiser (2023)

Wondering what happens when you click on that Snapchap icon? Not sure what that symbol means or does on Snapchat? There are plenty who find it difficult to navigate and understand Snapchat’s UI and what all the icons and symbols mean on Snapchat mobile apps. Here is a list of all icons and symbols on Snapchat and what they mean and do for you. The app is divided into 5 tabs so that’s where we will begin and then dig deeper into different screens to explain what icons and symbols mean on Snapchat and what happens when you tap on them.

Snapchat Profile Icons

You may see some icons next to the profile name of certain Snapchat users. Know what they mean.

Black Star With Yellow Background

Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook display a blue checkmark if the account is verified. Snapchat used to display an emoji. Verified account users could choose their own emojis which made the entire process fun. For example, Arnold had a bicep emoji. However, now all verified Snapchat accounts have a black star with yellow background to denote that the account is verified.

White Star With Black Background

✪ – This icon means that the user is a Snapchat+ subscriber. The Snapchat badge is off by default but can be enabled from settings if needed if you want to show off.

Note: Snapchat+ subscribers can choose what emoji will be displayed when someone opens their snap. I see a lot of redditors getting confused by this because emoji is different for every user.

Map Tab

This is the first tab at the bottom of the Snapchat app. Here, you will find your current location’s heatmap with some options to navigate and communicate with friends.

Menubar at Top-Right Corner

Let’s take them one at a time.

• Cog Icon – the first one at the top is the universal Settings icon.
• Yellow background with two cards – that will open Memories at the bottom of the screen where you will find favorite/saved snaps
• T in small caps – Ticketmaster integration that will display all the live events like sports, music, etc. that you can attend.
• Blue globe icon – opens the map in larger view so you can explore not just your area but the entire city or state.
• Blowhorn – Infatuation integration which works the same as Ticketmaster but for restaurants, hotels, and eateries.

Arrow Above Places Icon

You can zoom in and out on the map and also pane around the globe in the Maps section. Tapping on the navigation arrow icon will take you back to your present location on the map. So you don’t have to find where you were and zoom in/out all over again. It is visible only when you leave your current location.

My Bitmoji Icon

You will see this in the lower left corner of the screen. It has your Bitmoji face/head as the icon. Inside, you can change and customize your outfit, clear ghost trail (no one can track you on map), and select a different bitmoji from the available options.

Clock With Dots in Circle

The small clock icon you see at the upper-right corner of screen is for Snapchat+ users. They can track your friends on a map for the last 24 hours. So you know where they have been but only when they have shared location with you. You also get some additional features with Snapchat+.

Places (Buiding Icon)

That’s where you will find all the cool places to hang out and explore in your present area or location.

Heart Icon

Tapping on the little heart icon next to any place will save it to your My Favorites list so you can rediscover saved locations later.

Blue Arrow Pointing Right

When you tap to open a place that you like from the above screen, you will see blue arrow pointing towards the right at the bottom left corner. Tap on that to share the selected place with other Snapchat users or even with via 3rd-party apps like WhatsApp.

Pro Tip: What Do Various Icons and Symbols Mean on WhatsApp

Profile Pic With Blue Circle

In the above screenshot, a blue circle around the profile pic means there’s an unread or unseen Snap. Tap to open and view the snap.

Profile Pic With Lock Icon

If you see a profile pic with circle and lock icon, it means there is a new story but it is a private story.

Profile Pic With People Icon

If there is a profile pic with a circle and people icon (three heads and bodies), it means there is a new story but it is a custom story.

Group of People With + Icon

On the same screen where you can share a selected place with other friends, you can create a group of selected friends to plan an activity. Simply select friends on the next screen.

Graph With Bars Symbol

It represents how busy it is or footfall in the chosen place or location. The longer the bar, the higher the number of people visiting the place on that date and during that time of the day. So plan accordingly.

Friends

Tap on this icon in Snapchat once to view where all your friends are on a map, but only if they are sharing their live location with you.

Magnifying Glass Icon

Tap on it to search for your friends if you have too many to view their current location on the map above.

Chat Tab

This is where you can chat with your friends and this is also where most users get confused. Because Snapchat uses a variety of icons in different colors to denote the kind of snap that you have sent or received.

Here is a complete list of Snapchat Chat Screen icons and what they mean:

	Red solid arrow – Snap without an audio was sent
	Purple solid arrow – Snap with audio was sent
	Blue solid arrow You sent a chat message
	Grey solid arrow – Your friend requested was not accepted (depends on privacy settings)
	Red empty arrow – Your friend opened snap message without audio
	Purple empty arrow – Your friend opened smap with audio
	Blue empty arrow – Your friend opened a chat message
	Red solid square – You have unseen snap without audio
	Purple solid square – You have unseen snap with audio
	Blue solid square – You have unread message
	Red empty square – Your snap without audio was seen
	Purple empty square – Your snap with audio was seen
	Empty blue square – Your chat message was viewed
	Empty grey square – Chat message is pending and might have expired
	Empty red double arrow – Screenshot of your snap without audio was taken
	Empty purple double arrow – Screenshot of your snap with audio was taken
	Empty blue double arrow – Screenshot of your chat message taken
	Red circular arrow – Your snap without audio was replayed
	Purple circular arrow – Your snap with audio was replayed

Yellow Dot Icon on Add People Icon

It means you have new friends suggestions. May also mean new friend requests.

Blue Dot Icon on Chat Tab

In the above screenshot, you will also see a blue dot icon at the bottom. That means you have an unread chat message or snap.

Camera Icon

Tapping on that next to the name of the profile will initiate a snap that will be sent to that person only.

X Icon Next to Name

If the profile is suspicious, you will see an x icon tapping on which will reveal a menu where you can report, block, or clear conversation with that person.

Chat Screen

When you tap on profile name or icon, you will enter the chat screen where you will find ways to communicate with the person, like in any other messaging app.

• Phone icon – make an audio call to the person
• Camera icon – make a video call to the person
• Camera icon – send a snap
• Microphone icon – record and send a voice or audio message
• Smiley – send emojis
• Two cards icon – view all photos sent or received in Snapchat Memories

Chat Emoji Icons

Snapchat displays these emojis next to the profile names and they tend to update from time to time. What do they mean?

Camera Tab

The Camera tab on Snapchat is where you will create snaps and send them to your friends or just post them to your profile.

• Person with plus icon – allows you to add a new friend.

• Two arrows forming rectangle – switch from back to front camera or vice versa

• Lightning with cross icon – enable and adjust on-screen flash with three colors and two shapes

• Handicam icon – video recording option (takes you to another screen with separate icons that we will explain below)

• Music icon – add music or sounds to your Snap

• Dual camera icon – create snap with both front and back camera at the same time

• Plus icon – More options like timer, focus mode, multi-snaps, tones, etc.

Here is a screenshot of the video camera screen. Snapchat displays what each icon means here but only for half a second. Then the icon’s names disappear. We took a screenshot so you will know what each icon means on video recording screen of Snapchat.

Stories Tab

This is where you will discover new stories and snaps. When you open a story, this is what you see.

There are only three icons here. Let’s quickly see what they mean on Snapchat world.

• camera icon – you can reply to this story with your own
• right grey arrow – you can forward this story to someone
• ribbon – you can bookmark this story

Spotlight Tab

Here is what you should see on the screen. Let’s go through them one at a time from the top.

• plus icon with ribbon – you will be subscribed to the account or channel that posted this story
• heart icon – you can bookmark or save this story for future reference
• quote icon – view replies and comments to this story
• solid right grey arrow – share this story with someone else
• three-dot icon – report, remix, share snap with someone

Snapchat Icons and Symbols

This is the most complete list of all icons and symbols on the Snapchat app that I could find. There is a lot to unpack here so take your time. By the way, did you found a song playing on Snapchat story? Learn how to identify that song playing using Shazam right inside Snapchat.

Gaurav Bidasaria

Gaurav is an editor here at TechWiser but also contributes as a writer. He has more than 10 years of experience as a writer and has written how-to guides, comparisons, listicles, and in-depth explainers on Windows, Android, web, and cloud apps, and the Apple ecosystem. He loves tinkering with new gadgets and learning about new happenings in the tech world. He has previously worked on Guiding Tech, Make Tech Easier, and other prominent tech blogs and has over 1000+ articles that have been read over 50 million times.