The purple circle is a vital part of Snapchat’s color-coded messaging system that shows unviewed stories within 24 hours.
This visual indicator helps users track both public and private stories. The purple circles also appear around Bitmojis in Quick Add. Knowledge of these purple circles will improve your Snapchat experience significantly.
What Does the Purple Circle Mean on Snapchat Stories?
You’ve probably seen those colorful circles around profile pictures and stories while using Snapchat. Let’s break down what these purple circles mean and how they work in the app.
What Does the Purple Circle Mean on Snapchat Stories?
Those purple circles you see while scrolling through Snapchat aren’t just for looks – they actually help you use the app better.
The simple meaning behind the purple indicator
A purple circle around someone’s story shows they’ve posted something new that you haven’t seen yet. This visual hint lets you spot fresh content quickly in your feed. The circle turns gray after you watch their story, showing you’ve already seen it.
The purple circle is part of Snapchat’s smart notification system that helps boost user participation by highlighting new audio-visual content. This color coding makes the app easier to use and helps you spot which friends have shared updates you haven’t seen.
The purple circles show up in different places across the app, but they always mean the same thing – there’s something new to see.
How the purple circle is different from other colored indicators
Snapchat uses a complete color-coded system to show different types of content and interactions. The purple indicator is just one part of this visual system:
- Purple circles/icons: Show unviewed stories or snaps with audio[72]
- Red indicators: Show snaps without sound
- Blue indicators: Show chat messages[64]
- Green indicators: Show snaps sent with the ‘Cash’ feature where available
- Gray circles: Show stories you’ve already seen
Each color works as a quick visual guide that lets you understand your social interactions without extra taps. This color system works the same way on both Android and iOS.
When the purple circle appears and disappears
The purple circle shows up whenever someone posts a new story you haven’t watched. These unviewed stories stay at the top of your feed so you can find them easily.
The purple circle changes to gray right after you view the story[72]. Your friend’s next story will bring back the purple circle to signal new content.
Private Stories have a purple circle with a lock symbol that turns gray after viewing. The creator shares these Private Stories with selected users only.
The Quick Add or Add Friends sections also use purple circles around Bitmojis to show that person has posted a story you haven’t seen yet. This helps you find active users who might be interesting to connect with.
Purple Circle Around Snapchat Bitmoji Explained
Snapchat goes beyond regular profile pictures by using Bitmojis – personalized cartoon avatars that show up throughout the app. These fun virtual versions of users often come with purple circles that mean different things depending on where you see them.
Purple circles in the Stories tab
The Stories tab uses purple circles as visual alerts to catch your eye when there’s new content. Your friend’s Bitmoji gets a purple ring whenever they post a story you haven’t seen yet. This color-coded system helps you spot which friends have shared moments in the last 24 hours.
The purple circle turns gray after you watch their story. This simple change lets you know you’re up to date with their latest update. The system makes browsing easier since you can quickly spot new content from friends.
Purple circles in the Quick Add section
Purple circles work differently in the Quick Add section. Snapchat shows a row of suggested friends at the top of the Stories page. Each suggestion includes their Bitmoji, a purple circle, and a purple “Add Friend” button. The purple circle here is just part of the design.
The Add Friends section is different – only some Quick Add suggestions have purple circles around their Bitmojis. These circles tell you they’ve posted a story you haven’t seen. This feature helps you find active users who might share interesting content.
How to interact with purple-circled Bitmojis
You can interact with purple-circled Bitmojis in a few simple ways:
- Tap the purple-circled Bitmoji to see their story (if it’s public)
- You’ll see their profile page if the story isn’t public
- You can add them as a friend from there
The purple circle changes to gray once you’ve seen their story. It turns purple again when they post something new, letting you know fresh content is ready to view.
This color system makes it easy to grow your network and stay updated on potential new friends’ content.
Understanding the Purple Ring with a Lock Symbol
A purple ring with a tiny lock symbol might catch your eye on Snapchat. This unique indicator shows a special type of content sharing that puts privacy and audience control first.
Private Stories vs. Public Stories
The purple ring with a lock symbol shows an unviewed Private Story that turns gray after you watch it. Private Stories let you share with a chosen audience, unlike regular My Stories that all your friends can see.
Snapchat’s Private Stories give you exact control over your viewers. Public Stories reach everyone in your network. The app lets you pick from several story types: My Story-Friends reaches all friends, My Story-Public shows up for anyone, Private Story goes to select friends, and BFF Story stays between best friends.
These stories vanish after 24 hours unless you adjust settings or save them.
Who can see your Private Stories
Your Private Stories appear only to friends you pick. You retain control of the viewer list as the creator. Each Private Story holds up to 1,000 snaps before older content gets replaced.
Note that viewers can still screenshot or record your content even though it’s “private.” Be careful with sensitive material you share.
Your Private Story content mixes with regular stories in your viewers’ feeds. The creator keeps the viewer list private – other viewers can’t see who else has access.
How to create and manage Private Stories
You can set up a Private Story in a few steps:
- Tap your profile icon in the top left corner
- Select “+ New Story” or “New Private Story”
- Choose specific friends who can view your story
- Name your story (to find it easily) and tap “Create Story”
The app lets you run 20 Private Stories at once for different friend groups. Managing them is simple – tap your profile, select the story, and use the three dots menu to rename, adjust settings, add or remove friends, or delete it.
Private Stories strike the right balance between sharing moments and keeping control of your privacy on Snapchat. They give you the power to choose exactly who sees your content.
Common Issues with Purple Circle Indicators
Have you seen a purple circle that just won’t disappear? Snapchat’s easy-to-use design works well most of the time, but users sometimes face annoying issues with these colorful indicators. Let’s fix common problems that can mess up your snapping experience.
Why some purple circles don’t disappear after viewing
Purple circles sometimes stay visible even after you’ve watched stories, which can be confusing. This usually happens because of Snapchat’s caching mechanism rather than an actual unviewed story. The app fails to register watched content, especially when you have poor internet connection.
Users often wonder if purple circles show stories no one has seen or just content they haven’t viewed yet. The color-coding system can be unclear for people who don’t use Snapchat often and might misread these visual signs.
You might need to restart the app or clear its cache to fix this display issue. A second viewing of the story can force the app to register your interaction properly.
Troubleshooting visibility problems
Purple circles usually have visibility problems because of:
- Delayed updates: The app might not refresh right after you view content
- Network connectivity: Bad internet connections stop proper syncing
- App glitches: Temporary bugs affect the visual indicators
- Server-side issues: Problems with Snapchat’s servers show incorrect status displays
Make sure your internet connection works well first. Then close and reopen the app completely. Logging out and back in helps if the problem continues. Clearing the app cache through device settings usually fixes display problems that keep coming back.
App updates and changes to the purple circle feature
Snapchat updates its interface and features often, which can change how purple circles work. New versions make the color-coding system better and easier to understand.
The app changes its visual indicators based on what users say. The meaning of a purple circle today might be different in future versions, and it could show more types of content beyond stories.
The latest app version will give you all the bug fixes for these visual indicators. You’ll also see the newest version of Snapchat’s changing design style.
Conclusion
Purple circles on Snapchat help users use content better. These visual indicators serve a crucial role in the app’s messaging system. Knowledge about managing Private Stories and fixing display problems will boost your daily Snapchat experience. Note that your app should stay updated to work best.
FAQs
Q1. What does the purple circle indicate on Snapchat?
The purple circle on Snapchat typically indicates unviewed content. It appears around a friend’s story or Bitmoji to show that they have posted new content within the last 24 hours that you haven’t seen yet.
Q2. How does the purple circle differ from other colored indicators on Snapchat?
Snapchat uses a color-coded system for different types of content. While purple circles indicate unviewed stories, red indicators represent snaps without sound, blue indicators signal chat messages, and gray circles show stories you’ve already viewed.
Q3. What does a purple circle with a lock symbol mean?
A purple circle with a lock symbol indicates a Private Story that hasn’t been viewed yet. Private Stories allow users to share content with a select group of friends, offering more control over who can see their posts.
Q4. Why doesn’t the purple circle disappear after viewing a story sometimes?
Occasionally, purple circles may persist due to app caching issues or poor internet connectivity. Restarting the app, clearing its cache, or logging out and back in can often resolve this problem.
Q5. How can I create and manage Private Stories on Snapchat?
To create a Private Story, tap your profile icon, select “New Private Story,” choose specific friends who can view it, and name your story. You can manage existing Private Stories by tapping your profile, selecting the story, and using the settings menu to rename, change settings, or add/remove friends.
