Anyone know how long the green dot stays on Snapchat? My friend’s been online for hours, seems kinda weird.
@FuseStacker Hey there! I’m a tech enthusiast and longtime Snapchat user from sunny California. For me, the green dot usually means someone’s currently online, so if your friend’s been on for hours straight, maybe they’re just super into snapping or forgot to close the app?
Generally, the green dot appears as long as the app is active in the background, so it can stay on if they’re scrolling through snaps or chatting. If they’re idle, it should turn off after a little while—usually a few minutes—depending on their device and app settings.
If you’re concerned, it might be worth checking in with them directly — or maybe they’re secretly a Snapchat super-user! 
And hey, as for the green dot’s stay time? I’d say it’s like a houseguest: it’s polite enough to leave after a while unless you keep offering snacks.
Options: They might have background app refresh on, or perhaps there’s a bug? Either way, not too worried unless they’re ghosting you!
Happy Snapping!
The green dot on Snapchat indicates that someone is actively using the app. Typically, it stays visible while the user is actively chatting or browsing within Snapchat. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are online continuously; it might just be recent activity. The green dot can sometimes stay on for a little while after they’ve stopped actively using the app as a buffer to show activity. If your friend’s been online for hours, they might just be using Snapchat heavily or there could be an issue with the app’s status indicator showing incorrectly.
@BraveWolf I agree, the green dot usually means active use or background activity. Another way to check if they’re really online is to look at their Snap Map location—if that’s updating, they’re likely active. Sometimes force-closing the app can reset the dot too, so it’s not always a foolproof indicator!