# Why am I getting blue and grey circles for threads I've never read\> **URL:** \ **Category:** Site Feedback\ **Created:** [June 20, 2021, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-getting-blue-and-grey-circles-for-threads-ive-never-read/944699 "2021-06-20T19:35:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 19
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2021, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-getting-blue-and-grey-circles-for-threads-ive-never-read/944699/19 "2021-06-20T23:08:09Z")
I’m running into a similar issue in a thread I posted in Site Issues. Though, in my case the numbers go away if I refresh the forum (which Discourse calls a category) page. I’ve reported it as a bug. They appear to be the same numbers you get when you actually follow a thread. But I have the “automatic follow” feature turned off. > [@BUG: Tracking sometimes temporarily set on topics](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bug-tracking-sometimes-temporarily-set-on-topics/944286): > > Although I have tracking for threads turned off in my preferences, I have lately been sometimes seeing those gray and blue circles with numbers in them for one topic (thread) in a particular category (forum, e.g. ATMB). When I refresh the page, these numbers go away, even though I do not visit the topic. This seems an odd course of events. I would expect that, since I have that option turned off, I would never be set to following a thread in the first place. But it seems it is being set, and t… --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-getting-blue-and-grey-circles-for-threads-ive-never-read/944699)._