Snapchat Green Dot Explained: What It Means and Why You Should Care!

The Snapchat Green Dot (also known as the Activity Indicator) shows a user’s activity over the last 24 hours. This dot only appears in the “Add Friends” section and does not necessarily mean that the user is currently online. If you don’t see this green dot on someone’s profile, it means that they either have it turned off in their privacy settings or they haven’t used Snapchat in the last 24 hours.

If you do not want other users to be able to see your activity, you can go to your account settings and turn off the Activity Indicator. Doing so will prevent the green dot from appearing on your profile, even if you use Snapchat daily. Remember, this dot only appears in the “Add Friends” section, and there is currently no way on Snapchat to see someone’s online status in chats.

What Does the Green Dot Mean?

It Shows Recent Activity (Not Live Status)

The Green Dot (officially called the Activity Indicator) appears next to a user’s name in the “Add Friends” section of Snapchat. It means one simple thing:

✅ That person has used Snapchat at least once in the last 24 hours.

What the Green Dot Does NOT Mean

A lot of people get confused and think:

• ❌ “They must be online right now!” → No.
• ❌ “They just opened the app 5 minutes ago!” → No.
• ❌ “They’re ignoring my snaps!” → Not necessarily.

The Green Dot only confirms they have been active sometime in the past day—it doesn’t tell you when or if they’re currently using the app.

Where you will see the Green Dot

• ✔ ️ Only in the “Add Friends” section (where you search for new friends).
• ❌ Not in chats (unlike Facebook’s green “online” dot).
• ❌ Not in Stories or other sections.

Why don’t I see the Green Dot on Some Friends?

If you check someone’s profile and do not see the Green Dot, there are two possible reasons:

Reason 1: They have not used Snapchat in 24+ Hours

• If someone has not opened the app in a full day, the dot disappears.
• No dot = No recent activity.

Reason 2: They Turned Off the Activity Indicator

Some people disable the Green Dot for privacy. If they have done this, you will not see it, even if they are active daily.

(Want to turn yours off? We will show you how next.)

How to Turn Off the Green Dot

Do not like the idea of people knowing when you are active? You can hide your Green Dot in a few taps:

Step-by-Step Guide:

1️⃣ . Open Snapchat and tap your Bitmoji/Profile icon (top-left).
2️⃣ Tap the Settings (⚙️) button (top-right).
3️⃣ Scroll down to “Privacy Controls” > “Activity Indicator”.
4️⃣ Toggle it OFF.

That’s it! Now, no one will see the Green Dot next to your name—even if you are using Snapchat daily.

(Note: Turning it off does not notify anyone. They just won’t see your activity status.)

FAQs About Snapchat Green Dot

Final Words

Snapchat Green Dot is a useful feature that gives you basic information about other users’ recent activity. However, it is important to remember that it does not show their current online status. If you are concerned about privacy, you can easily turn off your Activity Indicator.

Finally, this little Snapchat symbol is just a general indicator, not to take it too seriously to determine someone’s behavior or habits. A user might open Snapchat every day but be too busy responding to messages!