What does the Snapchat hourglass emoji mean?

We all know the feeling. You open up Snapchat to see the fire emoji next to your best friend’s name, indicating that you’ve been snapping each other back and forth for days on end. It’s a sweet feeling, knowing that you’re keeping up the streak, or Snapstreak as it’s affectionately called. But then, suddenly, the fire emoji is gone, replaced by a cold, heartless blank space, and not the Taylor Swift kind. The only thing worse than seeing the fire emoji disappear is realizing that you and your bestie will have to start all over again to make the magic happen.

But don’t despair just yet! There’s still hope for those of us who can’t seem to keep our streaks alive. The hourglass emoji provides a much needed lifeline for those of us who need a little extra help.

Here’s what the hourglass emoji means and what to do when you see it

The hourglass emoji is essentially a countdown timer signaling you are in danger of losing your streak and the coveted fire emoji next to your friend’s name. When you see the hourglass emoji, it means you only have a limited amount of time to snap them back before the streak is officially over and you have to start all over again.

How long the hourglass lasts is a little less conclusive as Snapchat has not formally indicated how many hours it gives users to snap a friend before the streak is lost. Some users and online publications have guessed the window to be anywhere from two to three hours or even four to seven hours. As neither have been confirmed it’s best to keep snapping as soon as you see it.

Because Snapstreaks run on a 24-hour cycle, as long as you keep snapping (not chatting) in a 24 hour time frame then you won’t lose your streak. When it comes to Snapstreaks, it doesn’t matter what you snap, just as long as you snap something. Take a picture of a blank wall for goodness’ sake. Just get that snap out!