Snapchat’s hourglass emoji appears next to a friend’s name on the app and indicates that your Snapstreak with them is about to end. Snapstreaks occur when you and a friend exchange snaps for consecutive days. The countdown begins after the 24-hour window since your last snap exchange is nearing closure, prompting you to send another snap to keep the streak alive.
Understanding the hourglass’s duration is crucial to maintaining your Snapstreaks. The hourglass lasts for approximately four hours, although Snapchat does not explicitly state the exact duration. This time frame serves as a reminder to engage with your friends and continue your streak before time runs out.
Understanding the Snapchat Hourglass
When using Snapchat, the hourglass emoji is a crucial timer indicating that your Snapstreak may soon end without action.
The Meaning of the Hourglass Emoji
The hourglass emoji on Snapchat signals that the Snapstreak you have with a friend is on the brink of expiring. This symbol serves as a reminder that you and your friend need to send a snap to each other within a 24-hour window to maintain the streak. The Snapchat hourglass does not specify the exact time remaining, but its appearance means the countdown is close to its deadline.
Timeline and Warning Period
Once the hourglass emoji appears, you’re typically within the final 4 hours of the allotted 24-hour period to maintain your Snapstreak. Snapchat sends warnings in the form of this emoji as a prompt for you to take action. To ensure the timer doesn’t run out, pay attention to the following indications:
- When seeing the hourglass, you should send a snap within 4 hours.
- The emoji will disappear once both parties have exchanged snaps.
- Not taking action will result in the loss of the Snapstreak after the countdown ends.
Awareness of the timeline and warnings the hourglass emoji presents ensures that you preserve your Snapstreaks effectively.
Maintaining and Reactivating Snapstreaks
A Snapstreak is represented by a fire emoji next to a friend’s name, showing that you and your friend have snapped each other back and forth within a 24-hour window for consecutive days. To keep this going, specific actions are required.
Steps to Preserve a Streak
To maintain your Snapstreak, follow these guidelines:
- Send a Snap daily: You must exchange at least one photo or video snap with your contact every 24 hours.
- Respond promptly: When you receive a snap from a friend, send one back to keep the streak alive.
- Keep track: Pay attention to the hourglass symbol 🔍, which appears next to the fire emoji when your streak is about to expire. Use this as a cue to send a snap quickly.
- Check your streak status: Regularly visit your friend’s profile to monitor the state of your Snapstreak.
Reviving a Broken Streak
In case a Snapstreak disappears, take the following steps to attempt reactivation:
- Contact Snapchat Support: Go to Snapchat Support through the app. Tap on “I Need Help,” then “Snapstreaks.”
- Fill out the form: Provide details about your streak including your username, email, mobile number, and a description of what happened. This helps Snapchat investigate the issue.
- Be thorough: In your description, mention how the streak was lost despite you taking all precautions to maintain it. Include relevant information such as remembering seeing the fire emoji and sending snaps back and forth before the streak disappeared.
- Wait for a response: Snapchat Support will review the case and determine if your streak can be revived. You’ll receive instructions via the contact information provided in your support request.
Remember, a streak can only be restored if it was lost due to a technical glitch. If you or your friend failed to send a snap in time, Snapchat will not be able to reinstate the streak.
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