I'll be the first to admit I'm not the most adept Snapchatter in the world, so I sometimes assume that I'm the only one who has to Google random things — like, for example, What does the Snapchat hourglass emoji mean? I keep seeing it, but I haven't really been able to pinpoint the context. What do these digital sands of time signify? Am I late to something, you know, aside from the whole Snapchat game? Yes, I'm aware how tragically unhip that makes me sound. However, based on my research, it would seem I'm not the only person a bit clueless about this particular emoji.
By now, most of us at least have a basic working knowledge of Snapchat, right? (In my case, probably too basic.) An app that allows you to send photos and vids to your friends with fun effects and added captions, Snapchat is one of the most popular "newer" platforms of social media. You can watch celebs' Stories, create your own, have group Snap convos — the world is essentially your digital messaging oyster. What sets Snapchat apart from other social media, of course, is the fact that messages disappear after a designated amount of time, which is generally mere moments.
So, where does the Snapchat hourglass emoji fit in? Let's discuss. First, here's what it looks like:
And now, to business:
What Is The Snapchat Hourglass Emoji?
At the risk of sounding totally obvious, it is an emoji shaped like an hourglass. It was approved as part of Unicode 1.1 way back in 1993. Depending on what device and/or operating system you are using, the hourglass may be black and white or in color, as well as one- or two-dimensional.
When Do People Use The Snapchat Hourglass Emoji?
To save you a bunch of extraneous internet digging, here's the gist of it: The hourglass emoji is used on Snapchat to indicate that a Snapstreak is about to end. Now, if you are anything like me, you may now be asking, Wait, what the actual eff is a Snapstreak? Which leads us to the next and final leg of this emoji education.
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What Is A Snapstreak?
You've likely noticed that various emoji pop up alongside other Snapchatters' names on occasion (and possibly yours, depending on how healthy your Snapchat game is). If you see a little black flame, this "hot" emoji signifies the person whose name it is beside is on a Snapstreak. This happens when said person and a friend have Snapped each other (not chatted, but actually Snapped) each other within 24 hours for more than one day in a row. When you see a little number beside it — say, 6 — it means the Snapstreak has been going on for that many consecutive days.
What Does The Hourglass Have To Do With This?
This, my friends, is where the hourglass emoji comes into play. If your Snapstreak is about to end because you haven't yet Snapped your friend back, an hourglass will pop up beside your name and presumably your friend's, too. So if you want to fan the fire of that little digital "hot" flame, you're gonna want to Snap your friend back STAT.
Images: Giphy (4)
