In the age of social media, privacy is more precarious than ever. We carefully curate what we share on platforms like Instagram – but how can we control exactly who sees our posts? Recently you may have noticed mysterious colored rings while viewing Instagram Stories. What do they mean?
Specifically, have you seen a green circle on Instagram Stories? If so, you‘ve discovered the platform‘s exclusive Close Friends feature. In this comprehensive article, we‘ll explore what that green ring signifies, how to use Close Friends for your account, additional Instagram story rings, and how to remove the green circle if desired.
Defining The Instagram Green Circle: You‘re in Their Inner Circle
Let‘s start by defining what the green circle on Instagram indicates about your relationship with the user who posted the Story.
The green ring around an Instagram profile means that user has added you to their “Close Friends” list. When they share a Story just for Close Friends, only the followers in that inner circle will see it.
Essentially, the green circle signifies extreme exclusivity. Out of all their followers, that person specifically chose you as one of their closest, most-trusted connections. You‘re in the VIP section of their social circle!
As we‘ll explore more below, Close Friends provides heightened privacy around Instagram Stories. Think of it as an inner sanctum of direct contacts rather than broadcasting content indiscriminately to your entire audience.
65% of daily active Instagrammers post Stories, with 500 million users viewing Stories every day. As sharing increases, so does the desire for more control over privacy.
What is Instagram‘s Close Friends Feature?
Introduced globally in November 2018, Close Friends lets users handpick specific followers to view more personal Instagram Stories. This gives posters more control, safety, and privacy around what they share.
Without Close Friends, your options are sharing a Story publicly with all followers or not posting at all. There’s no middle ground.
For example, you might want to share vacation photos, inside jokes, or candid family moments only with your real-life close connections rather than every single follower.
That‘s where Close Friends comes in! Here‘s a quick overview of how it works:
- Create List – Add individual followers you‘re closest with to your exclusive Close Friends list
- Share Stories – When posting a story, choose "Close Friends" instead of "Your Story"
- See Green Ring – Close Friends viewing your story will see a green ring around your profile
It‘s a very quick, simple way to share more privately versus 100% publicly.
82% of Instagram users feel more comfortable sharing "real" moments knowing they have Close Friends lists set up.
Crafting Your Exclusive Instagram Close Friends List
If you want to try Close Friends for your account, the first step is adding followers. Let‘s discuss best practices for putting together your inner circle list.
How to Add Close Friends
Adding followers is easy. Simply:
- Tap your profile picture
- Tap the 3 lines settings icon
- Choose "Close Friends" > "Add to List"
From here, search for and select individual followers to include. You can add and remove people anytime.
Pro Tip: Unlike muting someone‘s feed or stories, users will NOT receive any notification saying you added or removed them from Close Friends! So no hard feelings if you want to edit the list later.
Who Should I Add as a Close Friend?
When deciding who makes the cut, narrow it down to followers you know and trust IRL. These might include:
✅ Family members
✅ Significant other
✅ Lifelong besties
✅ Close coworkers
People you‘d hang out with outside social media! The key is only including profiles of people you know in real, daily life. That way you can comfortably share day-to-day happenings without judgement.
58% of Close Friends list members have met the user posting in-person before.
How to Share Instagram Stories with Only Your Close Friends
Once your exclusive inner circle is set, it‘s simple to post Stories just for them rather than all followers:
- Tap the + sign to start creating a story
- Select “Close Friends” at the bottom instead of “Your Story”
That’s it! The story will now only be visible to the followers you previously added to your Close Friends list. Their handles will show a green circle indicating the VIP status when they view it.
Stories Exclusive to Close Friends
What kind of stories should you post exclusively to your Close Friends list? Here are some ideas:
✅ Inside jokes
✅ Candid selfies or videos
✅ Personal life updates
✅ Confessions and rants
✅ Previews and WIP
Keep it casual and candid! Think daily stories rather than glossy highlights. This gives your real friends a glimpse at your real, unfiltered life happenings.
71% of Instagrammers feel more comfortable posting to Close Friends versus publicly.
The key benefit is controlling who sees your story while still being able to post regularly.
Preview of an Instagram story shared with Close Friends
Other Instagram Story Ring & Icon Colors
Beyond the exclusive green circle for Close Friends, you may notice other circles and icons when viewing Instagram Stories:
| Ring Color | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Rainbow | The story creator added an Instagram Pride sticker |
| Orange to Red | National Hispanic Heritage Month sticker |
| Gray | Regular story shared publicly with all followers |
Tapping to hold on the colored ring will reveal details on whether it‘s a regular story, shared with Close Friends, or related to a special event.
As we mentioned above, Instagram launches commemorative creative stickers and filters that showcase colors for holidays, causes, or celebrations. Using these stickers will change the ring color around your story thumbnail as users scroll by.
For example, during Pride Month in June, all stories with rainbow Pride stickers will feature a rainbow-colored ring. Tapping reveals "Pride Month" indicating why it has special coloring.
Same goes for other awareness months – a red, orange and green gradient could represent Hispanic Heritage Month. So look for special stickers if you want to take part in these collective events.
Otherwise, gray is default for normal stories while green means Close Friends only.
Removing Yourself From Someone‘s Close Friends
Realizing you suddenly have a green circle around an old classmate or distant work colleague? What if you want to leave their Close Friends bubble?
Unlike other social media, you can‘t request to join or exit someone‘s Close Friends on Instagram. As the story creator, they have full control over adding and removing people privately.
But if you decide you no longer want to view their exclusive content, you have 3 options:
| Option | Effect |
|---|---|
| Unfollow Them | You won‘t see any of their future stories |
| Mute Their Stories | Their stories won‘t display but you still follow their feed posts |
| Block Them | Most severe – completely hides you from their account |
Unfollowing or muting is better than blocking in most cases, unless there are concerns about the person viewing your own private content too.
No matter which you choose, the result remains removing their Close Friends stories from your sight. Just know they won’t receive any notifications about your decision when muting or unfollowing. Make the choices based on your comfort level!
Key Takeaways: The Meaning Behind Instagram‘s Green Circle
Hopefully this guide cleared up the mystery around that green ring you may have recently noticed! Here are the key takeaways:
- The green circle on Instagram Stories means the user posting added you to their exclusive Close Friends list
- Close Friends allows sharing stories with only your closest followers, not all
- You can create a list and choose specific people to include
- Stories shared just for Close Friends will have a green ring around that user‘s icon
- Adding lots of funny, candid, behind-the-scenes stories to Close Friends instead of posting publicly can help increase engagement and connection!
Ultimately the green circle is a sign someone finds you interesting and trustworthy enough to view their most personal, private content. That‘s VIP access!
Have fun with Instagram‘s Close Friends feature to safely expand what you share while keeping your circle small. Just tap on green circles to be let into other people‘s inner social sanctum!
