Facebook is the second largest social platform.
It all began as a tool for connecting friends but has expanded to be so much more.
The app has a Messenger app separately to help people make excellent and profound interactions.
If you have Facebook Messenger on your phone, you might have noticed the different colored icons appearing when you chat with people.
Many ask, “What does the grey circle on Facebook Messenger mean?”
The grey circle on Facebook Messenger often appears beside texts in chats. An open circle with a grey outline signifies that your message is being processed to be sent. When it has a check mark, the message has been sent. A filled grey circle with a check mark means your message has been delivered but not read.
There are different versions of the grey circle. Knowing the meaning and purpose of these grey circles helps you understand how to chat effectively with your friends.
Learn all of these aspects in this guide as we give you a detailed answer on the purpose of the grey circle on Facebook Messenger and its effects on your chat.
The Meaning of the Grey Circle
Over a billion people use Facebook and Facebook Messenger. Unlike the Facebook site, Facebook Messenger lets you chat with other users in real time.
Whether you have been using Facebook for a long time or are a new user, you might have noticed a lot of colored chat icons when you send messages to your Facebook friends.
These chat icons aren’t there for aesthetics. They serve many purposes that some people don’t know. Many have asked for the meaning of the grey circle on Facebook Messenger.
To start with, the grey circle on Facebook Messenger appears next to texts in the chat box. Three grey circles represent your message status.
The three chat icons with grey are the empty circle with a grey outline, a checkmark in a circle with a grey outline, and a filled grey circle with a checkmark.
Facebook Messenger uses these icons to tell you when your messages have been sent, delivered, and read.
What Does the Empty Circle With Grey Outline Mean?
The empty circle with a grey outline is the first chat icon you will see when you hit the send button after composing your message on Facebook Messenger.
This open grey circle indicates that your message has been composed and is being sent. In that case, you must wait until the message has been sent.
The symbol will be automatically removed when your message reaches your Facebook friend. It can, however, remain so if you don’t have an internet connection, a reliable one, or you have issues with your Messenger app.
What Does the Empty Grey Outline Circle With Check Mark Mean?
Your message has been sent when you see a tick in the open circle within the grey outline. The check mark denotes your message has been sent from your side successfully, but the recipient is yet to see it.
Also, the mark indicates that there was certainly no issue from your side of the chat. You have done your part, and whatever issue may arise, it is from the side of your Facebook friend or the Messenger server.
In addition, this grey circle may indicate that the person you were chatting with is now offline. When a Facebook friend gets online, they will receive the message instantly.
Meanwhile, you may see this grey icon if you are intentionally ignored by the recipient or blocked.
What Does the Filled Grey Circle With Check Mark Mean?
The filled grey circle with a checkmark signifies that your message has been delivered to your recipient. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean your recipient has received the message.
Often, it may be that your recipient’s chat window is opened, and their network and phone have received the message. But they aren’t available at the moment. When they do, a notification will let them know about the message.
In essence, that’s pretty much the meaning of the grey circle on Facebook Messenger. Eventually, when your recipient receives the message and reads it, there is a chat icon, although it’s not grey-colored. What is this icon, then?
What Is the Meaning of the Round Profile Picture?
This round profile picture informs you that the recipient has read your message. Now, they may choose to reply to you or not.
All the previous grey icons will automatically turn to the round profile picture once your recipient reads the message.
If you are in a group chat on Facebook Messenger, the profile picture of everyone who has read your message will appear under the message.
In addition, there is a red triangle icon. You may have seen this icon in your chat box on Facebook Messenger at one point or another.
Once you see the red triangle, the message hasn’t been sent or delivered. This often happens when your internet connection is slow or isn’t stable.
Conclusion
Facebook Messenger allows you to connect with your friends better.
Many chat icons in the chat box let you know the status of your messages when you send them to your friends.
The open circle with a grey outline means the message is being sent.
The message is sent when this icon has a checkmark.
Finally, the grey-filled circle with a checkmark means the message has been delivered, but the receiver isn’t available to read or chooses to ignore it.
