What Does the Purple Circle Mean on Snapchat? [2025 Guide]
Snapchat uses a purple circle that shows users which stories they haven’t watched yet. These stories remain accessible to more people for 24 hours.
This purple circle is part of Snapchat’s simple color-coding system. Users can see red squares for silent Snaps and purple squares for audio Snaps, while blue squares represent chat messages.
What the Purple Circle on Snapchat Really Means
Snapchat stands out from other social media apps with its color-coded system that makes features easy to find. The purple circle works as a notification indicator to show you new content that’s waiting to be seen.
Unviewed stories from friends or public profiles
A purple circle appears around stories or Bitmojis to show fresh content that needs your attention. You’ll see this circle next to any story posted in the last 24 hours that you haven’t watched yet.
The purple circle turns gray after you watch the story. This simple color change lets you track what you’ve seen. Some purple circles come with a lock icon, which means you’re part of someone’s Private Story – content shared with a select group of viewers.
The purple circle works the same way in the Quick Add and Add Friends sections. If you see it around someone’s Bitmoji there, they’ve posted a story you haven’t watched yet. This design choice keeps the app’s look consistent.
Difference between purple circle and other colors
Snapchat uses different colors to help you identify various types of content:
- Purple circle: Unviewed stories on the Stories page
- Blue circle: Unviewed stories from the Chat page
- Red squares: Unopened snaps without sound
- Purple squares: Unopened snaps with audio
- Blue squares: Unread chat messages
These colorful indicators turn gray after you view the content, creating a visual history of what you’ve seen.
The Stories page uses purple as its main theme, which explains why you see purple rings around new stories there. The same stories show up with blue rings on the Chat page instead.
These visual hints make the app easier to use. The purple circle’s job is simple – it shows you what’s new in your friends’ stories and the public profiles you follow within Snapchat’s 24-hour window.
Where You’ll See the Purple Circle on Snapchat
Snapchat shows purple circles in key spots throughout the app. These visual hints help you spot new content quickly as you use different parts of the app.
Stories tab and its purple theme
The Stories tab is where you’ll see most purple circles. This part of Snapchat uses a purple design theme, which explains the purple rings around unviewed stories.
You’ll see purple circles around your friends’ profile pictures when they post stories you haven’t watched yet. The purple circle changes to gray after you view these stories, showing you’ve seen the content.
The Stories page has different categories:
- Friends’ stories (displayed at the top)
- Subscriptions (content from creators you follow)
- Discover (featured content and publishers)
Each category uses the same purple circle to mark unwatched content. This creates an easy-to-follow pattern throughout the app.
Quick Add section and Bitmoji highlights
The purple circle appears in the Quick Add section too. A purple ring around someone’s Bitmoji means they have a story ready to watch.
This feature helps you track what content you’ve seen. It also makes it easier to find active users when looking for new friends on the platform.
The purple circle around Bitmojis acts as a gentle nudge to check out someone’s content before adding them as a friend. This visual hint helps you find users who regularly post on the platform.
Added Me screen and new friend indicators
The Added Me screen uses the same purple circle system. When someone adds you and has an active story, you’ll see their profile with a purple circle.
This indicator works the same way in every part of the app. It always means there’s unwatched story content available for the next 24 hours after posting.
As you move between Chat, Stories, or Discover sections, you’ll notice these purple circles everywhere. The app keeps this visual system consistent to help you find new content easily, no matter which section you’re in.
The purple circle works as a reliable guide throughout Snapchat. It points you to fresh content and helps you remember what you’ve already seen.
Private vs Public Stories: Understanding the Lock Icon
Snapchat’s privacy features go beyond regular social media sharing options. The purple circle with lock icon stands out as one of the most unique visual elements in the app’s interface.
What the purple circle with a lock means
A purple circle with a lock icon shows up when someone adds you to their Private Story. This means you’re part of a select group the creator picked to see this specific content.
Private Stories let users share moments with just a few friends instead of their entire friend list. The lock symbol tells you right away that this content isn’t visible to everyone.
The lock’s color also tells you something important about your viewing status:
- A purple lock shows there’s new Private Story content you haven’t watched yet
- A gray lock appears once you’ve seen the Private Story
This color change works just like regular stories – purple means new content and gray means you’ve already viewed it.
How to know if you’re part of a Private Story
Getting added to someone’s Private Story usually means you’re closer friends. Here’s how you can tell if you have access to someone’s Private Story:
- You’ll spot a lock icon next to their name or username
- The story icon shows up in purple rather than the standard pink and purple pattern
- You can see content that’s not on the public feed
The circular padlock icon in violet tells you that you’re among the chosen few who can view their private content.
Friends left out of a Private Story won’t even know it exists since they don’t get any notifications about it. This creates an exclusive experience just for people the creator wants to share with.
One last thing – you can’t share Private Stories with others or post to someone else’s Private Story. You also can’t check or change who else can see it. People often share more personal moments in Private Stories, but note that viewers can still take screenshots or record the screen.
What Happens After You View the Story
The app shows visual feedback and several options to manage viewed content after you watch a story on Snapchat. The app’s color-coding system stays active even after you catch up with your friends’ latest updates.
Circle turns gray after viewing
The purple circle changes to gray once you’ve seen someone’s story. This visual indicator works across all story types – regular stories, private stories with locks, and group stories.
Private stories show both the ring and lock icon in gray after you view them. This matches the visual style used throughout the app. Such consistent design makes it easy to spot content you’ve already seen as you move through different parts of Snapchat.
Stories stay available for 24 hours from posting time, whatever your viewing status. This time limit reflects Snapchat’s core philosophy of temporary content.
How to revisit or manage viewed stories
Snapchat focuses on disappearing content, but you can still revisit and manage stories you’ve seen:
- Check story viewers: A simple swipe up from the bottom of the screen shows who watched your story. Snapchat lists up to 200 viewers. The app shows just a number instead of names after hitting this limit.
- Access from your profile: Your Profile screen serves as a hub to revisit current stories. Just tap your Profile icon to:
- See your story viewers
- Delete specific snaps
- Handle all active stories in one place
- Review past content: Stories saved automatically or manually live in Memories. You can look back at this content even after the 24-hour window closes.
We used Snapchat’s screenshot detection to keep you informed. A camera icon appears next to names in your viewer list when someone takes a screenshot. This way, you know when others save your content beyond its normal lifespan.
Flashback Memories appear as Featured Stories if you’ve saved snaps from previous years. These collections help you relive past moments, though they don’t stay forever.
Conclusion
The purple circle on Snapchat makes the app easier to use. This simple visual cue helps you manage your social connections better. You’ll spot new content from friends quickly when you understand what this purple circle means.
FAQs
Q1. What does the purple circle indicate on Snapchat? The purple circle on Snapchat indicates that there are unviewed stories from friends or public profiles available for viewing within the last 24 hours.
Q2. How does the purple circle differ from other colored indicators on Snapchat? While the purple circle represents unviewed stories, other colors like red squares indicate silent Snaps, purple squares show audio Snaps, and blue squares represent unread chat messages.
Q3. Where can I see the purple circle on Snapchat? You can see the purple circle in various places, including the Stories tab, Quick Add section, and the Added Me screen. It appears around profile pictures or Bitmojis to indicate fresh content.
Q4. What does a purple circle with a lock icon mean? A purple circle with a lock icon means you’ve been added to someone’s Private Story, which is exclusive content shared with a select group of people chosen by the creator.
Q5. What happens to the purple circle after I view a story? After viewing a story, the purple circle turns gray, indicating that you’ve already seen the content. This helps you keep track of which stories you’ve watched and which ones are still new.