Social Media Instagram 43 43 people found this article helpful How to Use Instagram's Close Friends Feature Some things are better shared with just a few friends by Elise Moreau Freelance Contributor 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. our editorial process Facebook Twitter Elise Moreau Updated on January 11, 2021 reviewed by Lisa Mildon Lifewire Tech Review Board Member & Writer Lisa Mildon is a Lifewire writer and an IT professional with 30 years of experience. Her writing has appeared in Geekisphere and other publications. our review board Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Article reviewed on Oct 16, 2020 Lisa Mildon Tweet Share Email The Ultimate Guide to Instagram The Ultimate Guide to Instagram Introduction Instagram Basics How to Use Instagram Instagram Tips for Beginners Check Messages on Instagram Add or Change an Instagram Background Search Instagram for Tags and Users Add Music to Instagram Video Use Instagram Video Chat Try Instagram Shopping Get Verified on Instagram Clear Search History on Instagram Posting on Instagram The Best Time to Post Save a Draft of a Post Repost an Instagram Story See Previously Liked Posts Post a GIF to Instagram Add Multiple Photos to Stories Save Instagram Videos How to Quickly Repost Photos Saving Photos Deleting Photos and Videos View Saved Posts With Instagram Collections Working With Followers Mute Someone on Instagram See Who Unfollowed You on Instagram Block Someone On Instagram Unblock Someone on Instagram See Who Viewed You Great Tools to Track Comments Remove Followers on Instagram Tips to Get a Shoutout on Instagram Attract More Instagram Followers Delete 'Suggestions for You' IG Tips & Tricks Instagram Tips and Tricks to Try Add Highlights on Instagram Learn About Instagram Direct Use Instagram's Close Friends Feature How to Delete or Deactivate Your Account Reactivate Your Account Reset Your Password Get Started With Location Tagging How to Repost Shoot Videos with Instagram Video Understanding IG Privacy & Security Hide Your Story on Instagram Does IG Send Screenshot Notifications? 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View Instagram on the Web Online Connect Instagram to Facebook Tools for Posting From the Desktop Stories are a popular feature on Instagram for sharing content on a more casual basis than regular posts, but you don't always want to share them with all of your followers. In this case, Instagram's Close Friends feature is a good solution. Here's how to use it. Instagram's Close Friends feature is only available on the official mobile app for iOS or Android. You can't use it in a web browser. What Is Instagram's Close Friends Feature? 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. How to Use Close Friends on Instagram 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 Email Address Sign up There was an error. Please try again. You're in! Thanks for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. Thank you for signing up. Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit