Back in the day, a simple “911” text to your friend would let her know you needed her, whether it was to get you out of a bad date or to call you and talk you down before you lost your sh*t over some minor inconvenience. It was simple yet effective, but it left a lot of room for interpretation. Add to that the fact that we’re often left on read when the people we text are too busy to respond right away, and there’s always a chance that your plea for help could go unnoticed. Thankfully, this new friend texting code should get the immediate response you’re after.
TikToker Amber Henry recently went viral for explaining the new “911 system” she and her friends use to communicate. While a simple “911” might let them know they need to get in touch immediately, Amber and her pals were looking for something a little more nuanced. Their system includes a series of numbers that each mean something a little different.
This new friend texting code is pretty ingenious
@amberhenryy Send this to your best friend to save a life ❤️🩹 #bestfriends #girlfriends #friendshipgoals #bff #bestfriendcheck
917 is the first number, and that’s a signal that Amber or her friends need something but that it’s NBD. It’s not urgent or serious, they just want a bit of feedback. This includes stuff like an opinion on a pair of shoes they’re thinking of buying or maybe what to order at a restaurant the friend has been to but Amber hasn’t (or vice versa).
Next is 915, which is somewhat more important. Amber uses this when something pressing happens but it’s not code red. Say your boyfriend texts you with “we need to talk” or your boss sets a meeting for the following day at work but won’t tell you what about. You’re slightly freaking out, but you could handle this solo if needed.
Then we move on to 913, and we know sh*t is getting real. This is used when you actually have bad news, like your boyfriend broke up with you or you got fired from your job. These are very serious things and you need your friends ASAP, but it’s not the end of the world if they take a few minutes to get back to you.
Of course, Amber still uses 911 as part of her friend texting code, and that IS the real deal. When she sends or receives this message, she knows it’s time to drop everything she’s doing and jump into action. And she expects the same from her crew.
“I don’t care where you are or what you’re doing, you call me back right now. Matter of fact, you show up to my house,” she says.
You can make up your own shorthand with your friends
If Amber’s approach works for you, it’s cool if you want to try it with your own friends. However, you can also use it as the basis for developing your own private system with your closest crew members. Maybe you want to use the same numbers but have them mean something different. Or, maybe you don’t want to use numbers at all but instead code words. This way, no one can ever figure out what you’re talking about – only you and your ride-or-die people will know.
Of course, you might even have something like this already in place. Friend texting codes have been around since before cell phones were big. Hello, remember pagers in the ’90s? That’s how the whole “911” message originated! So, if you already have a secret shorthand developed, keep on trucking with that. As long as you know what they’re saying and vice versa, you’re good.
