Snapchat uses colors and symbols throughout the app to convey quick information to users while they browse the app, and the purple lock is no exception to this rule. So many new features have been added to Snapchat over the years to provide a better user experience, and lock symbols will add to that list of helpful yet subtle aspects of the app.
Snapchat’s various colors and symbols, such as arrows, circles and other shapes, let users know what is going on without explicitly telling them. This pertains to private messages as well as stories. For example, some symbols, such as a blue-filled arrow, indicate that a message has been sent but is not read yet, while a blue-bordered arrow indicates that it has been sent and read.
The purple lock around a story on Snapchat means the story is private and has not been viewed yet, and the lock will be gray if the story has been seen. A private Snapchat story is simply a story that unapproved friends cannot see, and the lock indicates that the story was sent to specifically selected friends rather than all friends. The purple lock will be seen by the friends the story was intended for.
More Colors On Snapchat
These colors and symbols are also essential for stories on Snapchat since stories are one of the main aspects of Snapchat. Knowing if a story is viewed, available, or other important information is vital to allowing Snapchat users to quickly parse through what they want to spend their time on. For example, a purple circle around a Snapchat story indicates that the story has not been viewed yet by the user in the story section of the app. This is similar to the blue circle around a friend’s emoji in the messaging area of the app, which indicates the same thing as the purple circle.
With all the colors, shapes, and symbols in Snapchat, a new user could feel a bit overwhelmed, but indicators such as these are extremely useful in app design. It allows apps to feel less cluttered and out of the way for users rather than showing a user a message or sending a popup notification for everything. Although coming to a new app with different colors and shapes means different things from another app, these things are picked up fairly quickly if they are designed well and will be extremely useful in the long run.
Source: Snapchat