Decode the Thrill of Instagram Green Circle on Story (2024)

Being an avid Instagram user, you might have observed a green rim around the several times. Well, if you see the Instagram green circle around the user profile or their story, congratulations! You have been added to their close friends list. 

To gather more information, read on to explore the functionalities of the green Instagram story to get the most out of this inbuilt feature. 

What Does The Green Circle Mean on an Instagram Story? 

The green circle on Instagram means that the person has added your account to their close friend lists. This gives them the freedom to upload private moments that can only be viewed by the selected users from the followers. Instagram introduced the private story feature in 2018, representing it with a green circle around the story. 

If you want to share something and want it to be viewed by some selected friends rather than the whole IG followers list, you can create a close friend list and share your content. The story will reflect a green rim around your profile in the story section, making others recognize it as private. 

Moreover, the IG story viewer order works the same as it functions for the normal IG story. In contrast, if the same user sees the green IG story on their feed or profile, it means they have been added to a close friend list. 

This IG built-in feature is proven to be more helpful to the person who has a public account, with a high user base monitoring them 24×7.

How to Create and Post a Close Friends List Story on Instagram? 

Now that you have discovered that the green circle on Instagram indicates the close friend listed private story. To create one for yourself, check out the steps on how to create a close friend list and story on your Instagram account to share your private memories. 

Create a Close Friend Lists

Before sharing a private story, add your best friends first to your close friend list:

• Launch Instagram on your Android and iOS devices and log in to your account. 

• Tap on your profile icon, located at the right bottom.
  

  

• Next, hit the hamburger menu icon in the top right.
  

  

• From the drop-down menu, navigate to Close friends. 
  

  

• Scroll through the list of friends and check the circle for the users you want to add to your close friend list. 
  

  

• Check the list again and tap on Done. 
  

  

In addition, as mentioned above, you are liable to edit the friend list at times. So to make future edits, follow the same aforementioned steps check and uncheck the box to add or remove, respectively, and tap on done to apply changes. 

Add a Close Friend’s/Private Story

After creating a close friend, you are all set to add a private story. 

• Open Instagram and log in to your account. 

• Swipe right from the feed screen. 

• Make sure you have chosen the STORY from the 4 options. 
  

  

• Tap on the box-like icon at the left bottom to access the gallery. 
  

  

• Select the image/video.
  

  

• Edit if required using the built-in tools, like adding text, GIF, filter, or changing the background colour on the IG story. 
  

  

• Now, hit the Close Friends option, and you are done.
  

  

For better security, adhere to what you are posting, because the people who are viewing it can take a screenshot and Instagram does not yet have the feature to notify, like Snapchat. 

Does Instagram Notify When You Upload Close Friend Stories?

When you add selected users to set up a close friend list, they won’t be notified regarding this activity until you upload a private story. So you can conveniently add or remove anyone from the list at any time. In comparison, those not selected in the list will not receive any notification of its existence. 

One noteworthy thing is that none of the followers can send you a request in the DMs or anywhere else on the platform to add them to your private story list.

Instagram Close Friend Feature Uses: Disclose Fuzzy Moments

The reason behind creating a close friend story feature is to share content more privately by restricting unwanted and random followers from seeing it. So, by incorporating a private story, you can achieve numerous benefits. 

• More privacy and control over the app by limiting the user’s access to their special and private memories. 

• The people running a business account can conveniently add a glimpse of the real you to your close friends’ stories. 

• By adding your best buddies to the list, you can maintain your professional and personal lives seamlessly. 

• The features create a safe space to share your thoughts, ideas, and expressions without any fear of negative backlash. 

This feature works pretty straightforwardly, rather than sending the information separately to every individual.

Explore the Other Circles on Instagram Story

Being an avid user, you might have a question in your mind; What does the different color circle indicate in the story section? So, to end your curiosity, we have listed the popular colours on the IG story. 

Icon image	Colour	Meaning on the IG story
	A mix of pink, yellow, and orange	Normal story and one you haven’t watched yet.
	Green	The story is only for close friends.
	Gray	You have watched the story.
	Rainbow	The user is supporting the LGBTQ community; preferably, it appears in Pride Month, consisting of LGBTQ hashtags and stickers.
	Purple and pink with Live label	It indicates that the user is broadcasting a live from their profile.

These are the colors of the encircled story you come across regularly. However, after opening any type of story, if you face, the story is unavailable on Instagram, then consider it a technical glitch and try using troubleshooting solutions to fix it. 

Conclusion: Share your Exclusive Secrets

You feel more comfortable sharing your secret with people you connect with on a personal level. For that, IG’s close friend feature gives you flexibility and choice of personalization. 

From personal experience, I use this feature more frequently, as it gives me the freedom to show the real me in and out and share the BTS with my best pals without the fear of validation from social media.