The blue dot that sometimes appears next to a person’s name on Facebook stories indicates that they are active on Facebook and have recently posted a story. If you see a blue dot next to someone’s name or profile picture, it means they have posted a story within the last 24 hours.
What is a Facebook story?
A Facebook story is a photo or video post that appears at the top of the Facebook news feed and remains visible for 24 hours. Stories allow Facebook users to share ephemeral moments and everyday updates with their friends and followers.
When you post a photo or video as a story, it will appear as a full screen circle at the top of the news feeds of your Facebook friends. They can tap on your story to view it and react to it with emojis or text comments. Your Facebook stories disappear after 24 hours, unless you add them to your story archive or highlight them on your profile.
How do you know if someone posted a story recently?
If someone you follow on Facebook has posted a story within the last 24 hours, you will see a colored ring or dot next to their name or profile picture:
- A purple ring means they have an active story currently posted.
- A blue dot indicates they posted a story within the last 24 hours, even if that story has now expired.
So the blue dot allows you to see who has recently shared stories, even if those stories are no longer available to view. It signifies that the person was active on Facebook within the past day.
Where does the blue dot appear?
You may see the blue dot indicator in a few places on Facebook:
- Next to a person’s name in your friends list or on their profile
- Beside their profile picture anywhere on Facebook
- Next to their name when they post a comment
- Next to their name in group conversations
So if you are wondering if a friend has posted a story recently, look for the blue dot next to their name or profile photo.
How long does the blue dot last?
The blue dot indicator will remain next to a person’s name for 24 hours from the time they last posted a story. After 24 hours, the blue dot disappears, even if they still have story posts active in their archive.
So if you see the blue dot today, that means the person has posted a story within the past 24 hours. If the blue dot is gone, their last story was more than 24 hours ago.
Who can see the blue dot indicator?
The ability to see the blue dot on Facebook depends on your privacy settings:
- You can only see the blue dot next to your Facebook friends – not for people who are not your friends.
- If someone has privacy settings enabled to limit their audience, only people they have shared stories with will see the blue dot indicator next to their name.
So the blue dot appears when Facebook friends have shared stories you have access to view based on their privacy settings.
Does a blue dot definitely mean they posted a story?
In most cases, the blue dot does indicate the person has actively posted a Facebook story within the last 24 hours that you would have been able to view.
However, there are a few rare exceptions where you may see a blue dot but they haven’t posted a viewable story:
- They posted a story only visible to a custom audience that doesn’t include you.
- They deleted the story they posted within the 24 hour period.
- It’s a glitch and the blue dot appeared incorrectly.
Unless it’s one of those unlikely situations, you can assume the blue dot means your friend has shared a story you can view within the past day.
Can you turn off the blue dot indicator?
There is no setting to disable the blue dot indicator. As long as you are posting stories, your Facebook friends will see the blue dot next to your name when you are actively sharing stories or for 24 hours after your last story.
The only way to prevent the blue dot from appearing is to stop posting stories temporarily or limit your audience for who can see your stories.
Conclusion
The blue dot next to someone’s name or profile picture on Facebook indicates they have posted a story within the past 24 hours. It allows you to see at a glance who has been actively using Facebook stories recently and may have new stories to view.
The blue dot appears next to your Facebook friends who have stories you can access based on their privacy settings. It remains visible for 24 hours from their last story post time. So if you see the blue dot next to a friend’s name, check their profile for new stories!
Here is a summary of what the blue dot on Facebook stories means:
| What | Details |
|---|---|
| Blue dot location | Next to a person’s name or profile picture |
| Length of time it lasts | 24 hours after they last posted a story |
| Who can see it | Your Facebook friends who have posted viewable stories |
| What it signifies | They shared a story within the past 24 hours |
So in summary, the blue dot allows you to quickly identify Facebook friends who have recently interacted using stories. Check for the dot to stay updated on the latest stories from your friends!
Here are some additional details on how Facebook stories and the blue dot indicator work:
Posting Your Own Stories
Posting stories on Facebook is easy from your mobile app. Just tap the + sign and select “Story” to access the story camera. Take or upload a photo or video, customize with effects like filters or stickers, and add your story! Use stories to give friends an immediate update or share everyday moments.
Viewing Stories
To view stories, go to the top of your news feed and tap on a friend’s profile picture ring. Their story will open in full screen – you can react, comment, and tap to advance. Stories disappear after 24 hours unless posted to highlights. Friends can see who has viewed their Facebook stories.
Controlling Your Audience
When posting a story, you can choose who can see it – friends, close friends, specific groups or lists, or only people you tag. Use the audience selector before sharing a story to control who it appears to. Customize for each story or set a default audience.
Story Notifications
To get notified when friends post stories, go to their profile and tap “Follow.” You’ll then get a notification when they share a new story. You can also turn on story notifications in Settings & Notifications.
Archiving Stories
To save an expired story, add it to your Story Archive while it’s still active. Or add it to a Highlight on your profile so it remains visible. Highlights are collections of stories that friends can view anytime.
We hope this guide answers what the blue Facebook story dot means and how to use stories! Let us know if you have any other questions.