If you pin someone as your #1 Best Friend on Snapchat+, that pin does not directly assign them a better Friend Solar System planet. Pinning and planet positions are separate features.
Snapchat officially says the #1 Best Friend feature lets Snapchat+ subscribers privately pin one person as their #1 Best Friend. Friend Solar System, meanwhile, represents positions in a Best Friends list based on the friends you Snap and Chat with most. Snapchat does not publish a formula saying that a pin itself moves someone closer to Mercury.
That distinction matters because a pinned friend can still appear at a different planet position. Here is what the two features actually do, what happens when you pin or unpin someone, and what Snapchat confirms about their relationship.
My Personal Experience with Pinning Ranks
Rather than relying on a personal experiment or an unverified test, it is better to separate documented Snapchat behavior from community theories. Snapchat gives the #1 Best Friend pin its own purpose: privately marking one person as your top Best Friend for easier access.
Friend Solar System has a different job. Snapchat says the Best Friends badge represents people among the eight friends you Snap and Chat with the most, while the planets represent different positions in that Best Friends list. The pin is not described as a planet-ranking control.
So if a pinned friend appears at Venus, Mars, or another planet, that does not mean the pin failed. The two features are simply showing different types of information: one is a private #1 pin, while the other visualizes a Best Friends position.
For another useful explanation of how the top eight positions work, see our Snapchat Top 8 Friends guide.
Does Pinning Help Planet Rank? The Hard Truth
No. Snapchat does not document the #1 Best Friend pin as a direct way to change a friend’s Friend Solar System planet.
There are two important reasons to keep these features separate:
- Pinning is a private #1 Best Friend feature: Snapchat+ lets you choose one person and privately pin them as your #1 Best Friend. Snapchat says only you can see who you pinned.
- Planets represent Best Friends positions: Friend Solar System shows a planet for a position in the Best Friends list. Snapchat says Best Friends are the people you Snap and Chat with the most, up to eight people.
A pin can still affect your own routine in a practical way because a pinned friend is easier to access. If that convenience leads you to communicate more, your Best Friends relationship may change naturally over time. That would be a result of your activity, not a special planet boost granted by the pin.
How the #1 BFF Pinning Actually Works
Snapchat+ includes the #1 Best Friend feature. Snapchat’s official instructions say to press and hold a friend from Chat or the Send To screen, then choose Pin as your #1 Best Friend.
There are a few important details to know:
- One person at a time: You can privately pin one friend as your #1 Best Friend.
- Private by default: Snapchat says only you can see who you pinned.
- Mutual pinning has an extra emoji: If your pinned #1 BFF also uses Snapchat+ and pins you as their #1 BFF, Snapchat says you both see a new Best Friend Emoji.
None of those functions is described by Snapchat as a planet-ranking multiplier. The pin is best understood as a private way to mark one person as your #1 Best Friend, while Friend Solar System remains a separate Snapchat+ feature.
Comparison: Pinning vs. Solar System Rank
The easiest way to understand the difference is to compare what each feature represents.
| Feature | #1 Best Friend Pin | Friend Solar System |
|---|---|---|
| Available with | Snapchat+ | Snapchat+ |
| Main purpose | Privately pin one person as your #1 Best Friend | Show your position in a friend’s Best Friends list |
| Number of people | One pinned #1 Best Friend | Up to eight Best Friends positions |
| Changes a planet directly? | Not documented by Snapchat | Displays the existing Best Friends position |
| Who can see the pin? | Only you | The relevant Friendship Profile can show the planet position |
Snapchat’s official Solar System documentation says each planet represents a different position in the Best Friends list. That is why a pin should not be treated as a separate ninth factor that pushes someone toward Mercury.
Does the Algorithm Favor “Pinned” Friends?
Snapchat does not publicly document a special planet-ranking weight for friends you pin as your #1 Best Friend. Claims about a hidden “pin bonus,” extra planet points, or a fixed multiplier should therefore be treated as speculation rather than an official Snapchat rule.
Snapchat does confirm that Best Friends are based on how you use Snapchat with your friends. Its support documentation describes Best Friends as people you Snap and Chat with the most, and says the list can change as your communication patterns change.
That means there is no reliable reason to assume that pinning alone will move a person from a lower planet to Mercury. If your Best Friends positions change, Snapchat has not published enough information to calculate an exact planet score or predict a specific change from a particular number of Snaps.
- Use the pin for convenience: It gives you a private #1 Best Friend marker.
- Do not treat the pin as a planet shortcut: Snapchat does not say it directly changes Solar System positions.
- Focus on the documented system: Best Friends reflect the people you Snap and Chat with most, while planets represent their positions.
FAQ: What the Community is Asking
1. Can my #1 pinned BFF see that I pinned them?
Normally, no. Snapchat says the #1 Best Friend pin is private and only you can see who you pinned. If both people are Snapchat+ subscribers and pin each other as #1, Snapchat says a new Best Friend Emoji appears on the Chat feed and Friendship Profiles.
2. Why is my pinned friend only a “Mars” planet?
Because the pin and Solar System position are separate. Mars represents the fourth position in the Friend Solar System order. Being your privately pinned #1 Best Friend does not mean Snapchat will display that person as Mercury in the Solar System.
3. Does pinning someone help me get the Gold Heart emoji faster?
No direct shortcut is documented. Snapchat says the yellow Besties heart appears when you are each other’s #1 Best Friend, meaning you send the most Snaps to each other. The pin itself is not described as a trigger for the emoji.
4. If I unpin someone, will their planet rank drop?
Snapchat does not state that unpinning directly changes a planet position. Unpinning removes the private #1 Best Friend pin. If a Best Friends position later changes, that should not automatically be attributed to the act of unpinning because Snapchat does not document it as a planet-ranking control.
Martin’s Final Tip
Use the #1 Best Friend pin for what Snapchat actually designed it to do: privately mark one person as your #1 and make it easier to stay connected. Do not use it as a supposed Mercury shortcut.
If you are trying to understand why a friend appears at Mercury, Venus, Earth, or another planet, start with the Best Friends system instead. Snapchat says the Solar System represents positions among the friends you Snap and Chat with the most, up to eight people.
For a deeper explanation of how Best Friends and planet positions relate, read our Snapchat Best Friends vs Planets guide. You can also review the Snapchat Plus FAQ for more information about Snapchat+ features.
