Short answer
Twitter Circle was a feature that let you share posts with a private list of up to 150 people; launched in 2022, it ended on October 31, 2023, and the closest options now are protected accounts, Lists and group chats.
Key takeaways
- Circle posts showed a green badge and could only be seen by people you added.
- A 2023 bug briefly exposed some Circle posts to people outside the Circle.
- Alternatives: a protected second account, close-friends group chats.
Twitter Circle was the platform's version of Instagram's Close Friends. It lasted about a year and a half.
How did Circle work?
You picked up to 150 people; when composing a post you could choose "Twitter Circle" instead of "Everyone".
Circle posts carried a green badge. Only Circle members could see, reply to or like them, and they couldn't be reposted. Members weren't told they'd been added, and you could remove people quietly.
When did it launch and end?
It launched widely in August 2022 and was shut down on October 31, 2023.
In April 2023 a bug caused some Circle posts to appear in For You timelines of people outside the Circle, a serious problem for a privacy feature. X fixed it, but announced in September 2023 that Circle would end.
What can I use instead?
A protected account, a group chat or Lists for reading.
| Need | Alternative |
|---|---|
| Post privately to friends | A second, protected account with only friends approved |
| Small private discussions | A group chat in XChat |
| Read a small group's posts | A private List |
See locked vs protected accounts and group chats.
Why didn't Circle last?
A small-audience feature sat awkwardly on a platform built around public reach, and its privacy promise was dented by a bug.
Circle was popular with some users for personal updates, but most activity on X is public by design. After the April 2023 incident, where Circle posts briefly reached people outside the Circle, trust in the feature dropped. X decided to put its effort into other features and announced the shutdown in September 2023.
What should I do with old Circle posts?
Review and delete anything you wouldn't want seen more widely.
X said Circle posts would remain visible only to the people in your Circle when it ended. If you shared sensitive personal details, deleting those posts is the safest option. Search your own posts by date to find them, or check your data archive, which lists everything you posted. See deleting old posts.
Questions people ask
What happened to my Circle posts?
When Circle ended, X said Circle posts would stay visible only to the people who were in your Circle at the time. You can delete them like any post.
Is there a close friends feature on X now?
Not a direct replacement. A protected account with only close friends as followers, or a group chat, does the same job.
Who could see Circle posts?
Only people you added to your Circle, up to 150. They weren't notified when added, and couldn't repost Circle posts.