Have you noticed the Hourglass emoji on Snapchat and wondered what it signifies? It’s one of the various emojis on Snapchat, and it indicates that time is running out. When this emoji appears, it signals that a Snapstreak is in jeopardy.
Each social media platform offers its own unique features, and Snapchat stands out with its distinct tools and functionalities. Known for its snap-streaks, auto-deleting messages, emojis, bitmojis, and more, Snapchat’s user experience is unmatched.
One of Snapchat’s special features is the appearance of emojis next to friends’ names, representing the status of your interactions. Among these, the Hourglass emoji plays a key role. This article will explore the meaning of the Hourglass emoji in detail. So, grab your phone, open Snapchat, and let’s dive in.
First and foremost, it’s important to understand that these emojis are automatically assigned based on your interactions and snap history with friends. You don’t have direct control over them. Emojis like the Hourglass are essentially trophies, awarded for completing certain actions.
What does the Hourglass emoji ⌛️ mean on Snapchat?
The Hourglass emoji appears next to a username after you’ve performed specific actions with that person on Snapchat. Most often, it appears alongside a fire emoji. Together, these symbols indicate the status of your Snapstreak with that person.
The fire emoji suggests that a Snapstreak is ongoing, while the Hourglass emoji serves as a reminder that the streak is about to end. It’s essentially a prompt to send a snap and save your streak before it’s too late.
If you’re unfamiliar with these terms, don’t worry—everything is explained in detail below. We’ll start by discussing Snapstreaks and gradually work our way to understanding the Hourglass emoji.
What is Snapstreak?
To grasp the significance of the Hourglass emoji, you first need to understand Snapstreaks. A Snapstreak begins when you and a friend exchange snaps consistently for three consecutive days. Once a Snapstreak is established, a fire emoji appears next to that person’s username.
To maintain a Snapstreak, you must exchange snaps at least once every 24 hours. Both parties need to send and receive snaps; it’s a two-way interaction, after all.
If you successfully maintain a Snapstreak for several days, a number will appear next to the fire emoji, representing the number of days the streak has been active. However, if you fail to exchange snaps within the 24-hour window, the streak ends, and the counter resets to zero.
Snapchat helps you avoid losing your streak by displaying the Hourglass emoji as a warning. When your 24-hour window is about to expire, and no snaps have been exchanged, the Hourglass emoji appears next to the fire emoji.
At what point does the Hourglass Emoji ⏳ appear?
If you’re engaged in a Snapstreak but haven’t exchanged snaps for 20 hours, the Hourglass emoji will appear alongside the fire emoji. This serves as a warning, reminding you that only 4 hours remain to save your Snapstreak.
If you exchange snaps within this 4-hour window, the Hourglass emoji disappears, and your Snapstreak continues.
Maintaining a Snapstreak
If you think that any form of interaction will suffice to maintain a Snapstreak, think again! Only snaps—photos or videos taken with Snapchat’s camera—count towards a Snapstreak. Text messages, saved images, or videos do not contribute to maintaining a streak.
Here are a few Snapchat features that don’t count as snaps:
- Snapchat stories: Stories are visible to all users and don’t count as interactions between specific users.
- Spectacles: Images or videos captured with Spectacles won’t count towards your streak.
- Memories: Even if the images in Memories were taken with the Snapchat camera, they don’t count as snaps for maintaining a streak.
- Group Chats: Snaps shared in group chats don’t count towards a Snapstreak, as streaks only track exchanges between two users.
Snapstreak Rewarding Milestones
When you reach certain milestones in maintaining a Snapstreak, Snapchat rewards you with stickers and emoji trophies. For instance, if you maintain a Snapstreak for 100 days, a “100” emoji will appear next to that friend’s username.
However, this emoji isn’t permanent—it disappears the next day, even if your streak continues. The “100” emoji is solely a celebration of your hundred-day milestone.
Disappeared Snapstreak?
Some users have reported their Snapstreaks disappearing despite having exchanged snaps. If this happens to you, don’t worry—it’s likely a glitch in the Snapchat app. You can contact Snapchat support to resolve the issue. Here’s how:
- Visit the “Snapchat Support Page”.
- Select the “My Snapstreaks have disappeared” option.
- Fill out the necessary details and submit your query.
Wait for the support team to respond. Once they confirm that you meet all the criteria for a Snapstreak, you can request them to recover your streak.
Now that you’re familiar with the Hourglass emoji, you can take steps to save your Snapstreaks before time runs out. However, remember that the Hourglass may not always appear exactly at the 20th hour due to potential network issues—so it’s best to stay vigilant!
It’s important to note that maintaining long Snapstreaks doesn’t necessarily reflect the quality of your relationship with someone. Snapstreaks are primarily a measure of engagement on Snapchat.
For those who are dedicated to keeping their streaks and maintaining their Snapchat status, the Hourglass emoji is a helpful tool to safeguard your streaks.