What is the Green Dot on a Snapchat Profile?

Boasting a staggering 300 million base, Snapchat continues to be one of the OG social media apps. If you use Snapchat to send your pictures and messages to your friends (Snaps), you might have noticed that Snapchat profiles have a green dot on display.

This guide explains what the green dot on a Snapchat means. It is called an activity indicator. Most s automatically assume that the green dot on a Snapchat signifies the profile owner is currently online. Even I believed the same, unless I dwelt more, knowing what exactly the dot implies.

The green dot also remains visible on the s of s active 24 hours ago or most recently from the time you view their profile. So, this is what I found; You can read along and find more details.

Green Dot on Snapchat Explained

The primary use of Snapchat is to send messages, photos as snaps to your friends on the app. It gets easier to send snaps when you know which Snapchat friend is online or was recently active. The green activity indicator is enabled by default on all Snapchat profiles.

Just because the green activity indicator is visible doesn’t mean the Snapchat is online at the time you viewed their profile. Those s that were active on Snapchat less than 24 hours ago will also display the green dot activity indicator.

If you regularly use Snapchat and want to secure your access to the app, check out the steps to enable two-factor authentication on Snapchat.

How to Turn off the Snapchat Green Dot Activity Indicator?

Often, most Snapchat s may get overwhelmed with a constant surge of friend requests or unsolicited messages from strangers. This happens when the senders realize that the receiver is currently active on Snapchat.

If you prefer to keep your Snapchat access open only to your family and friends, and avoid getting friend requests or messages from strangers, it is better to turn off the green activity Indicator on Snapchat.

To disable the Snapchat activity indicator,

1. Launch Snapchat and tap the profile avatar in the upper left corner.
2. On your Snapchat profile, press the cogwheel icon to access the Snapchat settings.
   
3. Go to Activity Indicator within Settings and tap on it.
4. Press the toggle next to Activity Indicator and disable it.
   
5. Close Snapchat and relaunch.

Snapchat Ghost Mode vs Activity Indicator

Some new Snapchat s confuse the activity indicator with the Ghost mode feature on the app. When you turn on Ghost Mode on Snapchat, your location gets hidden from your Snapchat friends. Normally, through the Snap Map, your location could be visible and known to your Snapchat friends.

Turning off the activity indicator won’t hide your location from the Snap Map. It is a common misconception that disabling the activity indicator will also hide the location on Snap Map.

You can switch to Ghost Mode on your Snapchat using these steps to hide your location.

1. Open the Snapchat app on your phone.
2. Tap the location icon in the bottom left corner of the Snapchat camera interface, which is the Snap Map tab.
3. Tap the cogwheel icon on the Snap Map to access its settings.
4. Press the toggle next to Ghost mode and enable it.
   
5. Choose from the 3 options- keeping ghost mode enabled for 3 hours, 24 hours, or keep it enabled until you decide to turn it off.

Do you prefer using Snapchat Web instead of the mobile app, but the web interface is not working? Learn how to troubleshoot Snapchat Web on Safari.

Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs)

Does the Activity Indicator only Showcase for my Snapchat Friends?

NO. The activity indicator will be visible on any profile, irrespective of whether they are your friends on the app.

No profile in my Snapchat friend list is displaying the green dot. Why is that happening?

Either none of them were recently active on Snapchat, or, coincidentally, they may have turned off the activity indicator on their profiles. Also, it may be a temporary glitch on the app. Using the latest version of Snapchat is suggested.

If I disable the Snapchat green dot on my profile, can I still see the activity indicator of other s?

YES. You may turn off the Snapchat activity indicator on your profile, but the activity status of other s will still be visible to you unless they have turned it off as well.

Sending Snaps gets easier with the Activity Indicator

With the activity indicator, you can confirm the online status of your friends on Snapchat, allowing you to send them snaps to keep that snap streak on. Also, the green activity indicator enables sending a friend request to other active Snapchat s who are not your friends yet. If you are annoyed by random s sending you requests or messages on Snapchat, turn off the activity indicator.

Source: Snapchat

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