Snapchat is a pretty popular app, especially for those who love sharing pictures and videos with friends. But if you’re a regular user, you might have noticed a little hourglass emoji next to some of your friends’ names. It’s not just any emoji – it actually means something important. Wondering what it is? Keep reading! In this article, we’re going to talk about what the hourglass emoji means on Snapchat.
What Does an Hourglass Emoji on Snapchat Mean
The hourglass emoji (emoji that looks like this ⌛) on Snapchat serves as a reminder that your streak with a particular friend is about to end soon. A streak is a feature that keeps track of the consecutive days you and your friend have exchanged snaps (pictures or videos) with each other. It is represented by a number and a fire emoji next to your friend’s name, indicating the number of days the streak has been active.
When the hourglass emoji appears next to your friend’s name, it means you only have a few hours left to send them a snap to maintain the streak. If you fail to exchange snaps within that limited time frame, your streak will ultimately end, and the count will reset to zero.
How Long Does the Hourglass Last On Snapchat?
The duration of the hourglass icon on Snapchat, which serves as a warning that your streak is about to end, can vary depending on the length of your existing streak. There’s no definitive timeframe, as Snapchat adjusts the window of opportunity based on how long you’ve maintained the streak.
Generally, if you have a relatively new streak that has lasted only a few days, the ⌛ hourglass may appear for a shorter period, typically around 2-3 hours. This gives you a limited window to exchange snaps with your friend and keep the streak alive.
However, if you’ve managed to maintain a streak for an extended period, such as a month or longer, Snapchat may provide a more generous timeframe, possibly ranging from 4-7 hours, before the streak is broken. The longer the streak, the more freedom Snapchat seems to offer through the hourglass icon.
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How to Remove the Snapchat Hourglass Emoji from a Chat
Create and Send a Snap
The most simple solution to get rid of the hourglass emoji on Snapchat is to send a snap to your friend promptly. If you have an ongoing streak with someone and don’t want it to end, you should take action as soon as you see the hourglass appear.
- Open the Snapchat app and locate your friend’s name in the chat tab. Tap on the camera icon next to their name.
- You’ll be taken to the camera view. From here, you can capture a photo by tapping the shutter button at the bottom of the screen. Alternatively, press and hold the shutter button to record a video.
- Once you’ve taken the snap, you can enhance it by adding filters, effects, or text if desired. Snapchat offers various creative tools to make your snaps more engaging.
- When you’re satisfied with your snap, tap the “Send” button located at the bottom-right corner of the screen.
Send Snaps to Multiple Friends
If you have multiple streaks about to expire and need to send the same snap to several friends quickly, Snapchat offers a convenient solution. Follow these steps to send a single snap to multiple recipients simultaneously:
- Open the Snapchat app and tap on the camera icon located at the bottom of the screen.
- Now, capture a photo or record a video by tapping or holding the shutter button at the bottom.
- Once you’ve taken the snap, tap on the “Send To” option, usually represented by an arrow icon.
- A list of your friends will appear. Identify the friends whose names are highlighted by the hourglass emoji, indicating that their streak is about to end.
- Select the names of these friends by tapping on them. You can choose multiple recipients.
- After selecting the desired recipients, tap on the blue “Send” button located at the bottom-right corner of the screen.
Turn on Snapstreak Reminders
For Snapchat+ users, the app offers a convenient feature called “Snapstreak Reminders” that can help you stay on top of your ongoing streaks. This feature sends you an alert one hour before a streak is about to expire, giving you ample time to take action and prevent it from ending. Here’s how you can enable Snapstreak Reminders:
- Open the Snapchat app and tap on your profile icon located in the top-left corner of the screen.
- From your profile page, locate and tap on the “Snapchat+” option, which will take you to the Snapchat+ settings.
- Scroll down until you find the “Snapstreak Reminders” section and tap on it.
- You’ll see a list of your friends with whom you have active streaks. Toggle the switch next to the names of the friends for whom you wish to receive reminders before their streaks expire.
- Once you’ve enabled Snapstreak Reminders for the desired friends, you’ll receive a notification one hour prior to the streak’s expiration.
This feature can be particularly useful for individuals who tend to forget about their streaks or have a busy schedule that makes it challenging to keep track of them.
Allow the Streak to Expire Automatically
If you’re not particularly interested in keeping a streak going with a specific friend, you can choose to take no action when the hourglass emoji appears.
By doing nothing and letting time pass, the hourglass icon will eventually disappear, indicating that your streak with that friend has ended.