Unlocking the Mystery of Snapchat's Snap Score: How is Snap Score Calculated and What Does it Mean?

Ivana Kotorchevikj

Written by Ivana Kotorchevikj Social Media / Snapchat

Linkedin Published 2 years ago / updated 1 year ago - 5 min read

Statistics for 2020 show that people spent on average 145 minutes, or 2 hours and 24 minutes per day on social media worldwide.

As one of the most popular social media, 49.5 minutes of the total time spent on social media was reserved for Snapchat. A total of 178 million daily users visit the social media platform and create 3 billion snaps.

These are all impressive numbers. Snapchat knows how to reward its users' time and activity on its platform to make them keep on coming back.

If you are using Snapchat, you know that every user has a Snap Score - a number that tracks how active you are in the app. You know where to find your Snap Score, but you may not be sure how it’s calculated and how it works.

If you are puzzled as to how Snapchat calculates the Snap Score, stick around to find out the workings behind the feature that the app uses to retain and grow its users.

What is a Snap Score?

If you look in Snapchat’s FAQ, they describe the Snap Score as a “super secret special equation,” hinting that it involves the number of snaps that you’ve sent and received.

However, they also state that it involves “a couple of other factors.” Of course, if you are active on the app, it will surely help you increase the score. But what are these factors exactly?

In short, the Snap Score takes into account everything from using the app more to coming back on Snapchat after a break.

Some tech blogs and sources have tried to clear the air as to what elements exactly affect the Snap Score. However, we have to mention that as they are based on Snapchat’s algorithms, they are only close guesses and not a bulletproof recipe. Snapchat has confirmed some of them, but not all.

How does Snapchat calculate the Snap Score?

Your Snap Score is calculated based on these factors:

1. How many Snaps you've sent and received - This number of snaps you send and receive is directly proportional to your Snap Score. We can be sure that this factor plays a role in your Snap Score because Snapchat has confirmed it. This factor not only counts the number of snaps sent, but the frequency with which the number increases.
2. How many stories you’ve posted and viewed - Even if you are not so keen on sending snaps you can increase your Snapchat Score by focusing on your and your friends’ stories. Posting snaps on your story will certainly influence your snap score. But even if you are only viewing stories, it can also improve your Snap Score.
3. How many Discover videos in the ‘Discover’ section you’ve watched - The number of videos you discover and watch on Snapchat will also increase your Snap Score. Snapchat rewards you for this because even if you are not sending and receiving snaps, you are still interacting with the ‘Discover’ feature.
4. How many friends you have - Snapchat keeps track of the users added to your friend list. So if you want to have a good Snap Score, you need to add as many friends as you can.
5. The number and length of your Snapstreaks - Snapstreaks refers to snapping sessions (not chatting) you have with your friends within 24 hours for more than 3 consecutive days. Snapstreaks are presented with the fire emoji next to the users’ name, and the number next to the fire icon shows how many days you’ve been on a Snapstreak for. So the higher the number of your streaks, the higher your Snap Score will be because Snapstreaks is the most engaging interaction you can have with your friends. You also get points for sending snaps to multiple people at once.
6. Bonus points for coming back - Some people use the app more frequently and some use it rarely. But regardless of how often you log into the app, Snapchat will reward you with bonus points each time you come back. It almost feels like a welcoming gift so you are encouraged to keep coming back.

How to find your Snap Score?

To find your Snap Score:

1. Open the Snapchat app and tap your profile icon in the top-left corner.

1. You’ll see a number under your username and avatar - this is your Snap Score.

If you click on your Snap Score, a pop-up box will appear displaying two numbers: the number of Snaps you have sent and the other is the number of snaps you have received.

Note: Your Snap Score is not the sum of the snaps you’ve sent and the snaps you’ve received. As we’ve seen above, it’s a more complex result taking into account several factors.

Learn what the 'Pending' message means on Snapchat.

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