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How to Use Instagram's Close Friends Feature

Some things are better shared with just a few friends

By Elise Moreau Elise Moreau Freelance Contributor University of Ontario George Brown College Elise Moreau is a writer that has covered social media, texting, messaging, and streaming for Lifewire. Her work has appeared on Techvibes, SlashGear, Lifehack and others. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on November 22, 2021 Reviewed by Lisa Mildon Reviewed by Lisa Mildon Southern New Hampshire University Lisa Mildon is a Lifewire writer and an IT professional with 30 years of experience. Her writing has appeared in Geekisphere and other publications. lifewire's editorial guidelines Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Instagram The Ultimate Guide to Instagram

What to Know

For first-time users, tap your profile picture, select Menu > Close Friends, and select Create List.To add friends, tap your profile picture and then select Menu > Close Friends > Add. To remove friends, tap your profile picture, select Menu > Close Friends, and choose Remove next to the person to delete from the list. This article explains how to use Instagram’s Close Friends feature. Instructions apply to the mobile version of Instagram on iOS or Android.

How to Use Close Friends on Instagram

Instagram's Close Friends feature is a customizable list of people you like sharing your stories with the most. It helps you instantly share those more intimate stories with just the users you consider closest to you (whether you follow them or not). At this time, you can only use Close Friends with stories and not with other Instagram sharing features like posts or direct messages. Follow these steps to create a Close Friends list and add people to it. Tap your profile picture in the bottom-right of the screen. Select the menu button in the top-right corner. Select Close Friends from the vertical menu. You should see a list of suggested users to add to your Close Friends list. Tap Add to include someone in that list, or use the Search field at the top to quickly locate and add a specific person. Users don't know when you add them to your Close Friends list. You can tap Your List at the top to see everyone on it. Instagram has no known limit to how many users you can add to your Close Friends list. If this is your first time creating a Close Friends list, tap Create List. If you already have a Close Friends list, skip this step. Once you create a Close Friends list, you can easily share stories with them. Take a photo or record a video, then tap the Close Friends button at the bottom of the screen to instantly share it. To remove someone from your Close Friends list, navigate to Your Profile > Menu > Close Friends > Your List and tap Remove beside the person's username. Users are not notified when you do this.

How Users Know They' re One of Your Close Friends

Although Instagram doesn't notify users when you add or remove them from your Close Friends list, they can tell which stories you shared with Close Friends from the stories you share with everyone by looking at the color of the ring around your profile picture in the stories feed whenever you post a new one. Close friends see a green ring instead of a pink ring. The green ring is the only way a user can tell they're a Close Friend. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Add Captions to Instagram Stories How to Unblock Someone on Instagram How to Add Friends on Animal Crossing How to Repost a Video on Instagram How to Use Instagram How to See Old Stories on Instagram How to Remove Multiple Friends on Snapchat How to Find Contacts on Instagram Does Instagram Notify When You Take Screenshots? How to Clean up Your Facebook Profile How to Post a Story on Instagram How to Add a Friend Code on Your Nintendo 3DS How to Repost an Instagram Story How to Set up Instagram Parental Controls How to Unblock Someone on Snapchat How to Hide Your Story on Instagram Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies