Hey there! Grab a coffee and pull up a chair. I’m Martin, and if you’re like me, you probably spend a little too much time on Snapchat. It’s a great app, but man, some of these Snapchat Plus features can feel a bit… invasive?
Lately, I’ve had a lot of people ask me how to deal with the “Solar System” feature. You know the one—where if someone has Snapchat+, they can see exactly where you rank in their “universe” based on how much you talk. It’s a bit high-school, isn’t it? Sometimes you just want to fly under the radar without the drama of a full-on block.
If you’ve been searching for a way to remove yourself from friend solar system rankings, you’re in the right place. I’ve spent the last week tinkering with my own account to figure out the best ways to disappear from those rankings while keeping your friendships intact.
My Personal Experience with the Snapchat Solar System
A few months ago, I noticed something awkward. A casual acquaintance of mine—let’s call him Dave—had Snapchat+. One night, we were hanging out, and he showed me his “Solar System.” There I was, sitting pretty as Mercury (his #1 best friend).
The problem? I didn’t feel the same way! I was just replying to his snaps out of politeness. Seeing myself as his “Sun” made me feel a weird pressure to keep up the interaction level. I felt like I was being tracked in a way I hadn’t consented to. I didn’t want to block Dave—he’s a nice guy—but I desperately wanted to stop being a planet in his digital universe.
I started digging into the settings, thinking there’d be a simple “Opt-Out” button. Spoilers: there isn’t one. Snapchat makes it a bit tricky because they want to drive the value of their paid subscription. I had to get creative with how I managed my digital footprint to limit interactions without sending a “we aren’t friends anymore” signal.
Read More: What Does the Earth on Snapchat? (3rd Friend)
What Exactly is the Friend Solar System?
Before we dive into the “how-to,” let’s make sure we’re on the same page about what this feature actually does. If you have Snapchat+, you see a “Best Friends” or “Friends” badge on someone’s Friendship Profile.
If you tap that badge, you’ll see which planet you are in their Solar System. Each planet represents your rank in their most-snapped list:
- Mercury: 1st Closest Friend
- Venus: 2nd Closest Friend
- Earth: 3rd Closest Friend
- Mars: 4th Closest Friend
- Jupiter: 5th Closest Friend
- Saturn: 6th Closest Friend
- Uranus: 7th Closest Friend
- Neptune: 8th Closest Friend
It’s a fun ego boost for some, but for others, it feels like a privacy nightmare. Have you ever felt like someone was “ranking” your friendship? It can get weird fast.
How to Remove Yourself from Friend Solar System (The Subtle Way)
So, you want out. You’ve decided to stop being a planet, but you don’t want to go nuclear and hit the block button. Since Snapchat doesn’t give you a toggle to remove yourself from their list, we have to play by the algorithm’s rules.
1. The “Cold Turkey” Communication Strategy
The Solar System is based purely on communication frequency. To remove yourself from friend solar system rankings, you have to lower your “score” with that person relative to their other friends.
- Stop sending direct Snaps: This is the biggest weight in the algorithm.
- Don’t open their Snaps immediately: This might sound petty, but the algorithm tracks engagement speed.
- Stop Chatting: Text chats in the app also contribute to your “closeness” rank.
2. Muting Notifications (The “Out of Sight, Out of Mind” Trick)
Honestly, the hardest part of lowering your rank is the habit of replying. To help yourself, mute their stories and chats.
- Go to their profile.
- Tap the three dots (More).
- Select Chat Settings > Mute Chat.
- Select Story Settings > Mute Story.
This doesn’t remove you from the system immediately, but it helps you limit interactions naturally, which eventually drops your planetary status.
Understanding Snapchat Plus Privacy Settings
A common misconception is that if you buy Snapchat+, you can hide yourself from others. Unfortunately, Snapchat plus privacy features are mostly geared toward what you see, not what others see about you.
However, there is a silver lining. If you are the one with Snapchat+, you can actually turn off the Solar System feature for yourself so you don’t see others as planets. But that doesn’t stop them from seeing you. It’s a bit of a one-way street that I find pretty frustrating.
| Feature | Does it hide YOU from their Solar System? | Martin’s Take |
| Muting a Friend | No, but helps you interact less. | Best for long-term results. |
| Clearing Conversation | No, just cleans your inbox. | Totally useless for this. |
| Removing Friend | Yes, absolutely. | A bit harsh, but effective. |
| Ghost Mode | No, that’s just for Snap Map. | Common mistake! Don’t rely on this. |
| Blocking | Yes, but it’s the “Nuclear Option.” | Only use if they’re being creepy. |
The “Soft Reset” Method
If you’re looking for a faster way to remove yourself from friend solar system without a permanent block, try the “Soft Reset.”
- Unfriend them briefly: This clears the data points that the Solar System uses.
- Wait 24-48 hours: This ensures the cache on Snapchat’s servers updates.
- Add them back: You can blame it on a “glitch” if they ask. “Oh man, my Snapchat has been acting so weird lately, I think it deleted half my friends list!” (Classic Martin move, works every time).
By doing this, you’ve effectively wiped the “streak” and the “closeness” data that puts you on their planet map. You’ll start from scratch as a distant star rather than a core planet.
Why “Ghost Mode” Won’t Help You Here
I see this advice all over Reddit, and it drives me crazy! People think that turning on Ghost Mode in the Snap Map will stop being a planet in someone else’s list.
Let me be clear: Ghost Mode only hides your physical location on the map. It has absolutely zero impact on the Solar System feature. The Solar System is built on interaction, not location. Don’t waste your time hiding your location if your goal is to drop off their best friends list.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. Does clearing a conversation remove me from their Solar System?
Nope. Clearing a conversation only removes the chat from your view. The data of your interaction still exists on Snapchat’s servers and will still keep you in their Solar System.
2. If I leave a group chat with them, does it help?
Slightly. Group interactions count less than one-on-one Snaps. If most of your interaction was in a group, leaving will definitely speed up the process of you “drifting away” from their sun.
3. How long does it take to stop being a planet?
In my experience, if you stop all communication, it takes about 7 to 10 days for the algorithm to demote you. It depends on how much their other friends are snapping them. If they have a lot of active friends, you’ll drop off faster.
4. Can they see if I’ve “opted out” of their Solar System?
There is no official “opt-out” button. The only way they’ll know is if they notice you’ve moved from Mercury to Mars, or if you disappear from the list entirely because you’ve stopped snapping them.
5. Does blocking and immediately unblocking work?
It can, but it’s risky. It will clear your “Best Friend” status, but it also clears your streak and might notify them depending on their settings. I prefer the “unfriend and re-add” method if you’re going for a reset.
Martin’s Final Tip: The Art of the “Slow Fade”
Managing digital boundaries is tough. We live in an era where everyone expects 24/7 access to us, and features like the Snapchat Solar System only add to that pressure.
My final piece of advice? Don’t be afraid of the “Slow Fade.” You don’t owe anyone your “Mercury” status. If you want to remove yourself from friend solar system, the most “human” way to do it is to just be less available on the app. Move your important conversations to iMessage or WhatsApp where there are no “rankings” to worry about.
Honestly, once I dropped off Dave’s Solar System, our friendship actually got better. The “pressure” was gone, and we could just talk when we actually had something to say.
Would you like me to walk you through how to check your own Solar System rankings more accurately? Or maybe you’re curious about other Snapchat+ features? Let me know!
