How to Turn Off Active Status on Instagram? Best Hack [2024]

How to Turn Off Active Status on Instagram

If you’re looking to stay off the grid and not let others know when you’re active on Instagram, you might want to learn how to turn off active status on Instagram. 

Privacy is one of the most important factors in social activities on Instagram. And if you want to maintain your privacy and reduce distractions, turning off your Instagram activity status is an excellent option.

You can hide your activity status, especially if you intend to send Instagram DMs and don’t want to answer potential replies from your followers. Then you have time to choose between DMs and respond to any of them.

If you want to know how to hide your online status on Instagram, there are basically two primary methods: the official approach provided by Instagram app and the Instagram web.

Want to know more? Let’s dive in.

How to Turn Off Active Status on Instagram on iPhone & Android?

Here in this section, I am going to explain step by step how you can turn your Instagram activity status off and hide it from other users. You can do this within the Instagram app or your browser.

However, this method has one drawback. If you turn off your Activity Status on Instagram, you won’t be able to see other people’s activities as well.

1- How To Turn Off Active Status On Instagram Within The Instagram App

Do you want to know how to hide your online status on Instagram from the app? As instagram updates the app frequently, the menu and the name of options to go to the ‘show activity status’ change. Here is the most recent method for turning your activity status on or off.

So, to turn off the active status on Instagram using the official app, please take the following steps.

  • Log in to your Instagram Application on your phone.
  • Go to your profile.
  • Tap on the menu icon (The Hamburger menu icon).
How to hide last seen on Instagram - step 1
how to turn off active status on Instagram

  • Then, scroll down and go to the ‘Messages and story replies.’
How to change activity status on Instagram - Step 2
  • After that, tap on ‘Show Activity Status.’
How to disable activity status on Instagram - Step 3

Then you’ll be taken to a new page with two options. To show your activity status to your followers or someone you message, toggle it to blue. Toggle your activity status to off if you wish to disable it.

Turn off your active status from your settings
Turn off your active status from your settings

The second option will let you and anyone who messages you know your status when you’re both active in the same conversation. It is a two-sided feature, and you can see their status as well.

This explains how to hide active status on Instagram within the app. However, there is a somewhat different procedure if you wish to hide your online status within your browser.

2- How To Turn Off Active Status On Instagram On Your Desktop

Additionally, you can disable your activity on Instagram’s website version. However, remember that your Activity status can be activated whenever you like.

To turn off your online activity status on Instagram, take the following steps.

  • To begin, access instagram.com on your computer and sign in to your account.
  • Navigate to the bottom left corner and click on the ‘More’ icon, then select ‘Settings.’
  • Within the Settings menu, locate ‘Messages and story replies’ under ‘How others can interact with you.’
  • Next, select ‘Show activity status’ found under ‘Who can see you’re online.’
  • Lastly, deactivate the toggle switch for ‘Show Activity Status’ to appear offline on Instagram.
How to turn off activity status on Instagram  web

This is how to turn off the active status on Instagram within the browser of your desktop. Using these methods, you disable showing your activity for everyone. If you want to turn off active status on Instagram for specific people, read the next section.

How To Turn Off Active Status On Instagram For Specific People

If you don’t want to turn off your active status for everyone but only for specific people, you can restrict the user by going to their profile and choosing the ‘restrict’ option. This way, they won’t know if you are online on Instagram.

If you want to restrict someone on Instagram, here are the steps to follow:

  • Open the Instagram app on your phone and navigate to the profile of the person you want to restrict.
  • Tap the three dots in the top right corner of their profile.
  • From the menu that appears, select ‘Restrict’.
  • Instagram will ask you to confirm whether you want to restrict that person. Tap ‘Restrict’ to confirm.

Once you’ve restricted someone on Instagram, they won’t be able to see when you’re active on the app.

What does restricting someone on Instagram do? Simply their messages will go to your message requests folder and their comments on your posts will be hidden from everyone but them.

Additionally, the person you’ve restricted won’t be notified that you’ve restricted them, but they may notice that they can no longer see your activity. You can always undo the restriction by going to the person’s profile, tapping the three dots, and selecting ‘Unrestrict.’

You May Also Like to Read: “We Restrict Certain Activity on Instagram”: 10 Best Strategies to Fix Instagram Restrictions”

How to See Who’s Active on Instagram

You can see when an account you follow and someone you contact were last active or is now active on Instagram if you and the person you visit their profile both have Activity Status set on.

There are several methods for determining when someone is active on Instagram:

  • You’ll see their most recent Activity status in your direct inbox (example: Active 30m ago, Active yesterday, Typing, Seen …).
  • When you open a chat, you can also view activity (for example, in the chat or in the camera).
  • People you follow or have direct chats with will have a green timestamp next to their profile picture.

Remember that if you turn off your Activity Status, you won’t be able to see who is active on Instagram.

What Happens When Active Status Is Disabled?

Disabling active status on Instagram means that your followers won’t be able to see when you were last active on the app. It’s an excellent way to maintain your privacy and reduce distractions, as it prevents people from constantly messaging you when they see that you’re active.

When you disable active status, you won’t be able to see the active status of other users on Instagram either. This feature will be disabled for you, and you won’t be able to see if your followers are online or when they were last active on the app.

Disabling active status won’t affect your ability to send or receive direct messages. You can still communicate with your followers through direct messaging, even when your active status is turned off.

Sometimes, when you’re active on Instagram, you might receive a flood of messages from followers. By turning off your active status, you can avoid those messages until you’re ready to reply.

Overall, disabling active status on Instagram is a useful feature for those who want to take a break from constant notifications and maintain their privacy on the app.

Final Words on Turning off Instagram Activity Status

In consequence, there is more than one way on how to turn off active status on instagram while sending direct messages. Turning off your Instagram activity status is an excellent way to maintain your privacy and reduce distractions. 

By following the simple steps mentioned above, you can easily turn off your active status on Instagram, either for everyone or for specific people. Although your followers will be notified when you turn off your active status, you can still communicate with them through direct messaging.

FAQs

Now that you know how to turn off your Instagram activity status, it’s time for some frequently asked questions.

1. What Is Active Status on Instagram?

Active status is a feature on Instagram that displays when a user is currently online and active. This feature is denoted by a green dot next to the user’s profile picture, visible in the direct message section. It is also visible when you visit someone’s profile page, and they are active at the moment.

2. Can You Turn off Active Status on Instagram?

Yes, you can turn off your active status on Instagram. This will prevent people from seeing when you were last online or if you’re currently active on the app.

3. How to Turn on Active Status on Instagram?

To change your activity status setting:
Go to your profile by tapping your profile picture in the bottom right corner.
Tap the three-line menu icon in the top right corner.
Tap Messages and story replies under How others can interact with you.
Tap Show activity status.
Switch on Show Activity Status to appear online.

4. Can I Turn off My Active Status on Instagram for Specific People Only?

Yes, you can turn off your active status for specific people only by restricting them.

5. Will My Followers Be Notified If I Turn off My Active Status on Instagram?

No, your followers will not be notified if you turn off your active status on Instagram. This action is private and will not generate any notifications to your followers.

6. Can I Hide My Active Status on Instagram for a Specific Period?

No, you cannot hide your active status on Instagram for a specific time period. You can only choose to turn it on or completely off.

7. Can I Still Receive Direct Messages When My Active Status Is Turned off?

Yes, you can still send and receive direct messages when your active status is turned off.

8. Will I Still Be Able to See the Active Status of Other Users on Instagram When My Active Status Is Turned Off?

No, when you turn off your active status, you won’t be able to see the active status of other users on Instagram either.

9. How to Hide Active Status on Instagram PC?

If you want to turn your Instagram active status off, you can do that by following these steps:

Open instagram.com on your PC and log in to your account.
Click the ‘More’ icon in the bottom left corner and then click ‘Settings.’
In Settings, click ‘Messages and story replies’ below ‘How others can interact with you.’
Then, tap ‘Show activity status’ under ‘Who can see you’re online.’
Finally, turn off the toggle for Show Activity Status to appear offline on Instagram.

By doing this, you will hide your Instagram active status from your followers and anyone you message. However, you will also not be able to see the activity status of other users.

10. What Is Instagram Quiet Mode?

Instagram’s Quiet Mode is a feature designed to help users focus and set boundaries with their friends and followers. When Quiet Mode is enabled, it pauses all notifications, changes your profile’s activity status to “In Quiet Mode,” and sends an autoreply to direct messages (DMs) to let people know you’re taking a break. 

You can customize Quiet Mode to turn on automatically and stay on for up to 12 hours. Once turned off, Instagram provides a summary of the notifications you missed.

11. What Are the Alternatives to Turning off Activity Status?

Disabling your activity status on Instagram isn’t the only way to manage how you appear to others. Here are some alternative approaches:

Notification Management: You can silence all Instagram notifications for a while if you need a break.

Muting Specific Users:  If certain people are constantly pinging you, consider muting them. 

Turning off your activity status also prevents you from seeing when others are online. So, consider these alternatives if you still want to maintain some level of connection while managing your online presence.