Are you wondering why some Instagram profiles are circled in color while others aren’t?
Instagram introduced stories back in 2016 which is similar to Snapchat stories.
Users can post 15-second long stories, which will be displayed on their profile picture.
When you follow someone on Instagram, you will be able to view their stories on the top of your feed.
At times, Instagram stories can be circled in different colors and not only one.
But why are some stories circled in a different color while others are not?
In this article, you’ll learn why are some Instagram profiles circled in color, how to get different colored circles, and more.
Table of Contents
- Why Are Some Instagram Profiles Circled in Color?
- How do you get a colored circle on Instagram?
- How do you change the circle color on Instagram stories?
- Why is someone faded on Instagram stories?
- What does the double circle mean on Instagram?
- How do I put a border on my Instagram profile picture?
- Conclusion
Why Are Some Instagram Profiles Circled in Color?
Some Instagram profiles are circled in color because they’ve recently posted a story.
When an Instagram profile is circled in color, it means that they’ve recently posted a story.
On the other hand, if a profile is not circled in color, it means that the person didn’t post a story.
When a profile is circled in color, it means that the person has recently posted a story that you haven’t watched yet.
On the other hand, if a profile is not circled in color, it means that the person didn’t post a story recently.
Instagram stories are similar to Snapchat stories where you can post a photo or a video and edit them with texts, stickers, and more.
If you tap on their profile while it’s circled in color, you can view the story that they’ve posted.
Tapping right on their story will go to the next story, and tapping right will go to the previous story.
You can also swipe right on someone’s story to skip it to watch the next person’s story.
Instagram stories last for 24 hours, which means that any story that someone posted will disappear after 24 hours.
If they posted another story, their Instagram profile will be circled in color again.
When you finished watching all of someone’s stories, the circle on their profile will fade and turn gray in color.
However, you still can re-watch their stories by tapping on their profile again.
How do you get a colored circle on Instagram?
To get a colored circle on Instagram, simply share a photo or a video to your story.
When you post a story on Instagram, your profile will be circled in color.
If you want to get a colored circle on Instagram, simply post a photo or video to your story.
When you share a photo or a video to your story, your profile will be circled in color.
Your followers will be able to see your story at the top of their feed.
To post something to your story, tap on the camera icon, take a photo, or a video, then tap on “Your story”.
Alternatively, you can post an existing photo or video from your gallery to your story.
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how you can post a story on Instagram:
- Open Instagram and go to your feed.
- Tap on the camera icon at the top-left of your screen.
- Take a photo or a video.
- Tap on “Your story” to add the post to your story.
If you want to post an existing photo or video, tap on the image at the bottom-left while you’re at the camera screen.
From there, you can access your gallery to add an existing photo or video to your story.
How do you change the circle color on Instagram stories?
To change the circle color on Instagram stories, you need to add event stickers to your story.
To change the circle color on Instagram stories, you need to add a Pride Month/National Hispanic Heritage Month sticker to your story.
Instagram has introduced stickers and other features to celebrate events such as Pride Month and National Hispanic Heritage Month.
You can add these stickers to your story to change the circle color on your profile.
Here’s how you can add these stickers to your Instagram story:
- Open Instagram and go to your feed.
- Tap on the camera icon at the top-left of your screen.
- Take a photo or a video.
- Tap on the folded paper with a smiley face to access the sticker library.
- Scroll down, tap on a Pride Month or National Hispanic Heritage sticker, and add it to your story.
- Tap on “Your story” to add the post to your story.
If you add a Pride sticker on your story, your profile will have a rainbow circle.
On the other hand, adding a National Hispanic Heritage sticker to your story will circle your profile in an orange and green gradient.
These stickers are available for a limited time only.
This means that they will be no longer accessible in the sticker library when Pride Month or the National Hispanic Heritage Month is over.
Why is someone faded on Instagram stories?
If a profile is faded on Instagram stories, it means that you’ve watched all of the person’s stories.
A faded profile means that you’ve watched all of the person’s stories on Instagram.
When someone posts a story on Instagram, their profile will be circled in color.
After you watched all of their stories, the color of the circle will turn gray.
A faded profile is an indicator that you’ve watched all of the person’s stories, so you don’t have to watch them again.
However, if you didn’t watch all of someone’s stories, their profile will still be circled in color.
In order for someone’s profile to be faded, you need to watch all of their stories and not just a few.
If a faded profile has color again, it means that the person has posted a new story.
What does the double circle mean on Instagram?
The double circle on an Instagram profile means that the person has edited/added a border to their profile picture.
If you see a double circle on someone’s profile picture, they have added a border to it.
Some people edit their profile picture on Instagram such that it has a colored border around it.
This is a trick used by some Instagram users to make you think that they’ve posted a story, but they haven’t.
When they post a story, their Instagram profile picture will have three circles around it.
Two of which are the existing borders on their profile picture and the other is the story circle.
There are online tools you can use to add a colored border to your Instagram picture.
So, people who have a double circle around their profile picture have most likely added a border to it using an online tool.
How do I put a border on my Instagram profile picture?
To put a border on your Instagram profile picture, you can use an online tool like Unilink.
You can use an online tool to put a border on your Instagram profile picture.
Here’s how you can use Unilink to add a border to your Instagram profile picture:
- Go to Unilink.us/border.
- Choose a border.
- Upload your profile picture.
- Tap “Download” to download the picture.
After you downloaded the picture, you can change your profile picture via Instagram web.
Alternatively, you can transfer the picture to your phone via email and change your profile picture from the Instagram app.
Conclusion
In this article, you’ve learned why are some Instagram profiles circled in color, while others aren’t.
Here are some of the key takeaways:
- Instagram profiles that are circled in color means that the person has posted a story.
- You can get the colored circle on your profile by posting a photo or video to your story.
- Add event stickers to your story to change the color of its border.
- When someone’s profile is gray/faded, it means that you’ve watched all of their stories.
- A double circle means that the person has added a border to their profile picture.
Do keep these points in mind the next time you’re posting or viewing stories on Instagram.
Further Reading
> How to Change Your Instagram App Icon (New Guide)
> Why Am I Getting no Likes From Hashtags on Instagram?
> Can You Tell If Someone Screenshots Your Instagram DM?
Author: Lim How Wei is the founder of Followchain. Feel free to follow him on Instagram.
