What Does The Green Dot On Snapchat Mean? A Detailed Breakdown!

While Snapchat has introduced multiple features for keeping users engaged, there is one particular feature that has confused me for years. So, I’m talking about the feature with the green dot. 

Yes, what does the green dot on Snapchat mean? 

After fiddling around with Snapchat for months, I have made my peace with most of its features, including the green dot. And that is precisely why I’m here – to talk about this feature and help you out.

The green dot feature on the social media platform is a sort of activity indicator that allows users to find out when someone was active on the platform, as in to show their last active status.

But is it accurate? Or what does it exactly indicate? On that note, let’s look at this feature in detail – what does it mean, how can you interpret the feature, and all the different ways you can manage your privacy and account settings associated with this feature. 

Stay tuned!

What Does The Green Dot On Snapchat Mean?

So, what does the green dot on Snapchat mean?

You will be able to spot this green dot on the Bitmoji avatars of your friends or on their profile icons. This indicates that your friend was active recently on Snapchat. 

Having said that, it is vital to note:

1. You will be able to spot this green dot on someone’s avatar or profile icon if they have enabled their Activity Indicator on Snapchat. 

2. It necessarily does not mean that the person is actually online at that moment. 

3. The dot stays visible for a whole day after a person’s last activity on the platform, making the green dot an approximate activity indicator as compared to being a real-time thing. 

4. Also, if you can spot some sort of a timestamp beside the green dot – like 4 hours or 15 minutes ago – it basically indicates an estimate of when Snapchat was last accessed by the user. 

Does The Green Dot Feature Indicate Real-Time Online Status On Snapchat?

Not really. 

I’ve already mentioned how the green dot doesn’t indicate a person’s online status in real-time. Unlike social media platforms such as Instagram or WhatsApp, where such online indicators literally indicate whether a user is active or not at a specific time, the green dot feature on Snapchat signifies a user’s activity only within the last 24 hours. 

In addition, if anyone turns their Activity Indicator off, then you will not be able to see the green dot beside their profile. Also, this holds true for the person even if they were active all the time – you just wouldn’t know!

How To Know If Someone Is Online On Snapchat?

Since Snapchat’s green dot is not an exact online activity indicator, you can easily depend on other methods for determining if your friend is online on Snapchat. 

So, here are four other ways to find out if someone is active on Snapchat:

1. Snap Map:

Here’s how you can view the Snap Map: 

• At the bottom left corner of your screen, you will spot a map icon. Tap this icon. 
• Now, if your friend has enabled their Snap Map, then you will be able to see their activity status and location. 
• Moreover, if their Snap Map displays a ‘Just Now’ status, then it means they are online at the time. 
• However, if the same timestamp displays ‘3h ago,’ then that means your friend was last active three hours ago. 

2. Snap Score:

When a person sends or receives snaps, their Snap Score easily increases. So, if you are able to spot an increase in someone’s snap score, then it displays their recent activity. 

3. Story Updates And Snap Views:

When anyone posts something new on their Story, it is obviously a confirmation of their active status. Also, if your friend views your Story or Snaps, it is a confirmation of your active status. 

4. Chat Status:

If you send messages and spot the Bitmoji Avatar icon appear within the conversation window, it indicates that the receiver of your message is currently viewing your messages. 

How To Disable The Green Dot Feature On Snapchat?

So, if you want to keep the status of your activity private, then you can always consider turning off your Activity Indicator on Snapchat. Here’s how you can do so:

1. Open the Snapchat app on your device.
2. On the top left corner of your screen, you will see the profile icon – tap on this icon.
3. Then, on the right corner of your screen’s top, you will spot a gear icon – click on this option to access your Settings.
4. After this, scroll down to the Privacy Controls option and click on the Activity Indicator. 
5. Right beside the Activity Indicator option, you will see a switch – toggle this off. 
6. Once you have disabled this option, you will see that the green dot beside your avatar is not visible anymore. 

Yep! This means nobody on Snapchat will be able to view your latest activity on the platform.

The Green Dot Feature On Snapchat Is Not An Accurate Activity Indicator:

Snapchat’s green dot feature is very useful for anyone trying to obtain some idea about their friend’s user activity status. But don’t confuse this button with a correct online activity status indicator. 

So, if you have to find out whether anyone is using Snapchat actively, then checking their Snap Map, Snap Scores, and Story updates is a much more dependable method. 

Moreover, for anyone who values privacy, it is best to just disable their Activity Indicator. Plus, it is easy and quick to prevent anyone from checking their recent activities. So, by figuring out how these Snapchat features operate, you can easily make informed decisions about how to engage while taking care of your privacy and safety preferences.

Up Next…

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