What Does the Green Circle Instagram Mean?
Have you ever logged into your Instagram account and seen green circle or ring on a person’s stories?
That green badge certainly looks interesting. But, what does that green circle mean?
Is that a new feature of the app, or does it have something to do with the content of the Instagram story?
If you are wondering what the purpose of that green circle around the Instagram story is, I’ve got you covered.
Keep on reading this blog post so you get valuable information about:
- What does the green circle Instagram mean?;
- How to get and delete the green circle on Instagram stories;
- The real meaning of the green icon for users when they post a new story.
What Are Instagram Stories?
If you use social media platforms on a daily basis, then you know that users love posting public and private stories once in a while.
Instagram Stories are nothing more than a feature that allows a person to share content, videos, a new photo and basically whatever they want with other users.
Unlike Instagram’s main feed, all stories are temporary, which means they will automatically get deleted from someone’s profile after a certain period of time.
It is not a secret for anyone that Instagram took the Stories Section idea from rival Snapchat back in 2016, so most of us are familiar with it.
What Does The Green Circle On Instagram Story Mean?
So, what does the green circle mean on Instagram? You have probably noticed a pattern here - you can only see a new story with a green ring from a close friend, right?
The green circle means you are on a person’s Close Friends list.
In other words, only you and a selected group of people can watch the private story posted by the person.
The Close Friends List feature has become one of the most important on the platform since it allows a person to share a photo or a story only with the account they choose.
What Does “Close Friends” Mean?
Imagine you have a personal life goal achievement to share with your close friends.
You could just text each user’s profile and tell them about it, or you could directly post it in your story for your followers to see it.
In that case, there’s the chance that someone who isn’t your close friend watches the story, which is probably something you don’t want.
On the other hand, Instagram allows you to select people and create a user’s close friends list so not all your followers can watch your stories, but only the people on your close friend list.
This feature will show as a green circle icon on your close friends’ Instagram account - hence, the meaning of the green circle.
The Meaning of Different Colors On an Instagram Story
You now know that the green circle icon on Instagram means that you were added to someone’s profile close friends list.
Nonetheless, there are other little circles colors that you must get to know, so you don’t get confused.
Classic Red Story Color
The red circle is more like a “magenta” color. This circle just means that you are watching a classic Instagram Story, so nothing special here.
Rainbow Circle On Instagram
There are rainbow stickers to celebrate Pride Month on Instagram.
If a person celebrates pride month and taps this sticker, then the story will have a “rainbow” color.
Orange and Green Ring
Don’t get confused with the Close Friends list - this orange, green and blue circle represents National Hispanic Heritage Month.
Hence, your friends used a sticker or a tag to celebrate this month in their stories.
Gray Instagram Stories
Gray stories just mean that you’ve already watched all the stories of a friend. If they create a new story, then the circle won’t be gray anymore until you tap and see it.
How to Get a Green Circle On Instagram Story
The only way to get a green circle around your friends’ stories is by getting them to add you to their close friends’ list.
As you might guess, this feature won’t appear on all the profiles you follow. If your friends just don’t want to add you to their close friends’ list, there’s nothing you can do.
However, you can add people to your close friends’ list and let them know that you feel comfortable sharing personal stuff with them. To do this, just follow these quick steps:
- Go to your Instagram profile and tap on your profile picture;
- There, look for the hamburger icon and find the “Close Friends List” feature;
- Now, you can add close friends to the list, so they get the green circle if you decide to share a story with them.
Can You Get Rid of the Green Circle on Instagram Story?
Being in someone’s Close Friends list means more than a green circle.
It means that someone trusts you or likes you enough to share their private Instagram moments with you.
Either way, if you want to get rid of this circle, there are three ways in which you can achieve this:
- Mute the person’s stories;
- Block them from your Instagram;
- Unfollow them on Instagram.
That way, you won’t be on their Close Friends list anymore. Problem solved!
I hope you liked this article! For more information about Instagram and other social platforms, check the content we have for you on GrowFollowing.
Instagram Green Ring FAQ
What Does the Green Circle Mean on Instagram?
It means that you are on someone’s Close Friends list. So, all the stories posted by them are limited to a selected audience chosen by your friend.
Can You Remove People from Your Close Friends List?
Yes, you can. Just look for the option on the Instagram settings and manage your friends’’ list there - as simple as it gets!
Karen is a senior technical writer and copywriter here at GrowFollowing. Her area of expertize are social media apps and new media.