Socializing and sharing content has never been easier thanks to social media platforms like Instagram. People love seeing updates from friends and family, and just the same, they like having the option to share what has been happening in their lives lately.
If you only want to disclose a portion of your life, albeit temporarily, love using Stories. This is a great way to share some happenings while restricting its availability to only 24 hours. The fun part is that it is extremely customizable, so you can make the post look however you want it to look.
Whether you use the platform frequently or occasionally, you might have noticed that some Stories have red linings, while others have green. This distinction is pretty important or functional. Want to know what a green circle on Instagram means? Keep reading.
What Does the Green Circle Mean on Instagram
When you see the green circle lining new Stories, you might wonder what it indicates. So, what does a green circle mean on Instagram? To answer this question, it is important to understand the platform’s new features.
Back in 2018, Instagram introduced the “close friends” feature that lets you limit who can see your Stories. To create a “close friend’s list,” you just need to select a few accounts owned by people who matter to you and place them in the Close Friends category.
This way, whatever you post on Instagram will be available and viewable only by people added under the same list. This has proven to be useful for many individuals, especially as there are things that you want to share only with the people closest to you.
To post something for close friends, you just need to start a post as usual, but make sure to pick the close friends option before sharing. If you are reposting something, you can simply go the Send To route and choose Close Friends Only.
What does this have to do with the green circle on an Instagram story? You guessed it! The green linings indicate that the story has been shared with you as a member of the poster’s close friends list. Likewise, people who are added to your “close friends list” will be seeing the green circle around your story.
How to Use Green Circle Instagram
Now that you know what the green ring on Instagram means, you might be wondering how you can get your stories to show the same lining. The key is to post a story to your close friends. Here’s how.
- Tap on the Create a Post icon at the top right corner showing the plus sign.
- Start creating a Story.
- Before posting, make sure to choose Close Friends instead of Your Story. Your friends will be seeing a green circle around your icon.
How to Get Rid Of Green Instagram Story
If this distinction has been bugging you, you might be looking for ways to get rid of that lining colored green on an Instagram story. You can do this through the following options.
- Ask the user to remove you from their “friends list.”
- Mute the user’s stories by viewing their story, tapping on the three-dot menu, choosing Mute, and confirming your choice.
- Unfollow them by going to their profile, tapping on the icon that says Following, then picking Unfollow.
- Block the account by going to the profile, tapping on the three-dot menu, selecting Block, choosing your preferred option, then tapping the Block icon.
What Do Different Colors Mean on Instagram
- Green – Green circle on Instagram means that the story was posted only for the user’s Close Friends.
- Red – This means that the story was posted for the user’s general audience to see.
- Black – This means that you have seen this story.
FAQs
What is a Close Friends list on Instagram?
The close friends list is a feature on Instagram that lets you show your stories only to those added to the list.
How to make a Close Friends list?
Create a Close Friends list by opening the Instagram app. Tap on your profile, select the three lines menu and choose Close Friends. This will show you a list of your followers. Choose the accounts that you want to add to the list. Tap Done.
What will happen if I use the Close Friends feature on Instagram?
Friends that were added to this list will see every post and green IG story that is meant the close the friends list.
Conclusion
The Instagram green circle can be a useful feature that indicates that you have been added to someone’s close friends list. Now that you know what it means, how to use it, and how to get rid of it, you can use it to your advantage.
