Table of Contents
Do you want to know how to Hide Your Instagram Online Status? Instagram makes it easy for users to keep their followers from seeing what they are doing. In 2018, the company added a feature called “Activity Status,” which lets users see when the last time was that someone they follow was online. In a recent update, Instagram added a special section in the Direct Messages section to show who’s online.
Even though this feature might be helpful for some users, it could be annoying for others. Instagram wants its users to stay social and connected for as long as possible, which makes sense. Instagram has changed from a photo-sharing app to a full social network, so its owner, Meta, has added more ways to connect with other people. But some of these features, like Activity Status, might not be right for everyone.
Also, this option could hurt the user’s privacy by letting people who don’t want to know find out when the user is online. Luckily, it’s easy for any user to turn it off. If you follow someone on Instagram or have talked to them through the app, they can see when you are online by default. But sometimes you want a bit more privacy. how to Hide Your Instagram Online Status on your phone or PC, though the option is hidden in Settings and not as easy to find as it could be.
What is Instagram’s online status?
The online status feature on Instagram tells people when you were last on the app. It also shows if you are active, which means you are currently using the app. The Activity Status option on Instagram is turned on by default. This means that the user’s followers will know if the user is online or not. This is also true for the people on the messages list. After the user turns it off, their followers won’t be able to see if they are online anymore.
The “Now Active” feature will also be taken out of the DM section. Like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, if a user turns off this feature, they won’t be able to see when others were last seen or if they are online or offline. Your Instagram account has the activity status feature turned on by default. You can always turn this feature off if you want to browse freely and don’t want other people to know when you’re online. Let’s go over the steps to turn off Instagram’s “last seen” feature.
Why might you want to hide your online status on Instagram?
- Privacy and safety: If you hide your online status, you can keep some of your privacy and stop strangers or people you don’t want to follow from knowing when you are on the platform. This can help protect your online identity and make it less likely that you will be followed or harassed online.
- Avoid Unwanted Messages: If other users can see that you are online, they may send you direct messages or expect you to answer right away. By hiding your online status, you can avoid getting messages when you don’t want to talk to anyone or are busy doing something else.
- Reducing Pressure: Having your online status shown can sometimes put pressure on you to answer messages and notifications quickly. If you hide your status, you can browse and interact with content on your own time without feeling like you have to be constantly available.
- Maintaining an offline presence: If you want to use Instagram and interact with content without others knowing, you can hide your online status. This lets you keep an element of surprise or spontaneity when interacting with others on the platform.
How to Hide Your Instagram Online Status on Phone
- Open the Instagram app on your iPhone, iPad, or Android device.
- Tap the icon for your profile in the lower right corner.
- In the top right corner, choose the hamburger menu on an iPhone or the three dots on an Android.
- When the menu comes up, tap Settings.
- Choose Privacy from the next menu.
- Scroll down to the next menu and tap Activity Status.
- Now, tap the button next to Show Activity Status in the Activity Status section to turn it off.
- When you turn off the option to Show Activity Status, the option to Show When You’re Active Together will also be turned off.
How to Hide Your Instagram Online Status on Desktop
- Open your desktop’s default browser.
- Go to Instagram’s Official website.
- Sign in if you haven’t already.
- Click the “Profile” link on the left side of the screen.
- When the menu comes up, click on the Privacy and security option. To do this, click on the Settings (gear) button at the top.
- Uncheck the box next to Show Activity Status in the section called Activity Status.
- Your change will be saved right away, and you won’t have to click a button or read a message.
Why is it important to protect your privacy on social media?
- Protecting personal information: When people sign up for social media sites, they often have to give personal information. This information can include your name, where you live, how to reach you, and other things. By protecting your privacy, you can keep this sensitive information from getting into the wrong hands. This makes identity theft and other bad things less likely to happen.
- Identity Theft: The information you share on social media could be used by cybercriminals to pose as you or steal your identity. They can use this stolen identity to commit fraud, like getting into your bank accounts, trying to get loans or credit cards, and hurting your finances.
- Data Security: Social media sites collect a lot of information about their users, such as their posts, messages, and how they use the site. By protecting your privacy, you can make it less likely that your information will be used wrongly, sold to third parties, or used without your permission for targeted advertising.
- Safety: If you share too much personal information on social media, you could be at risk of physical harm. For example, if you tell people where you live or where you plan to go, they might follow you or try to break in.
- Cyberstalking and Harassment: Keeping your privacy settings up to date can make it less likely that you will be cyberstalked or harassed online. By limiting who can see your profile and posts, you can stop strangers from following you or trying to harm you.
Questions and Answers
Instagram users can hide their online status and the last time they were online so they don’t get unwanted messages or have their privacy invaded. Instagram makes it easy for users to hide their activity from their followers.
When you open a chat, you can also see what’s going on (for example, “In the chat” or “In the camera”). Remember that if your Activity Status is turned off, you won’t be able to see who is using Instagram.
If the person you are connected to left the app within the last 5 minutes, their activity status will say “Active now.” If the user you are sent to hasn’t been in the app for 10 minutes, his activity status will change from “Active Now” to “Active 10min ago.”
Someone can only see your status updates if: You have their phone number in the address book on your phone. They have your number in the address book on their phone. You can share your status updates with all of your contacts or just with some of them.