Are you also the one who is anxious about knowing, ‘How to turn off active status on Instagram?’  If so then you have come to the right place! We all have come across days when we just like to spend some leisure time from social interactions and scroll through our Instagram feeds without interruptions. However, it might be frustrating if someone tries to disrupt your scrolling time if they see your online activity status.

Whether for privacy concerns or wanting to watch Instagram reels guilt-free, learning how to deactivate your Instagram active status and hide your online presence is important. Walk through this to know how to disable your Instagram active status on your mobile app or web browser.

How to turn off activity status on Instagram

Instagram’s activity status is by default set on your IG account, highlighted by a small green dot allowing users to check when you were last active or online. Though it permits you to check others ‘online status’, it is also not suited for those who would like to opt for maintaining privacy on the platform. The active status on the platform can be impaired on the mobile app and the web browser.

Quick Note: Once you toggle off your activity status on Instagram, you won’t be able to check the other users’ online status. Everyone’s activity dots will then disappear from your feed. Thus, it would be a failure if you tried to check on others while keeping your whereabouts unknown.

Furthermore, not everyone on the followers’ list can access your last seen. This insight only applies to the users with whom you have interacted and who are in your Instagram DMs. Any random people opening your profile won’t be able to check your activity status.

What to do after turning off the Activity Status? 

Unchecking your Activity Status on the app doesn’t hinder you from checking your feed or scrolling through Reels. Concealing the activity status means anyone chatting with you won’t be able to find if you are currently active on Instagram. If you also switch off the choice to exhibit when someone is in the same chat as you, others won’t be able to find out when you are online, even if you are typing to them.

Upon toggling off your activity status, you won’t find some aspects of the other statuses’. You will also not be able to find out when people are online, which implies that you will neither see the profile status of your active friends at the top of your DM’s page nor the green dot and the words ‘Active now’ beside their names.

Furthermore, you will also not be able to check when they are online, that is you will also not be able to see the profile photos of your active friends at the top of your DM’s page or the green dot beside their names in your chats. You will also not be able to see the word ‘Active now’ beside their names.

However, the only feature that will be noticeable in your DM’s will be the last message you exchanged with a contact. Also, if you sent a message, you will notice when the recipient last viewed the message.

Read Also – How to Repost a Story on Instagram

How to turn on offline status on Instagram? 

Users might not be comfortable sharing their Instagram online or offline status with other users and that’s normal. Use the steps below to hide your Instagram active status, these include:

On your smartphone (iPhone or Android) 

To switch on the offline status on Instagram, follow the instructions below:

1. Launch the Instagram app for iOS or Android.
2. Choose your profile picture at the bottom right corner of the page.
3. Click on the three horizontal lines (the hamburger icon) in the top-right-hand corner of the page.
4. Tap ‘Settings’ from the pop-up menu.
5. Choose ‘Privacy’.
6. Select ‘Activity Status’. 
7. Switch the ‘Show Activity Status’ and/or ‘Show when you were active together’ sliders to the ‘off’ position.

On your Desktop 

Want to know, ‘how to turn off active status on Instagram on computer’. Use the steps below:

1. Open the Instagram web application.
2. Click on your profile icon.
3. Tap the ‘Settings’ gear icon.
4. Choose ‘Privacy and Security’ from the pop-up menu.
5. Search for the ‘Activity Status’ header.
6. Uncheck the ‘Show Activity Status’ or shift the toggle to the ‘off’ position. 

Substitutes for switching off your Activity status 

Now that you have learned ‘How to turn off active status on Instagram?’. Let’s proceed further to know what if you are not prepared to turn off the activity status but still don’t want anybody to see you online, you can use other alternatives to get rid of any disruptions:

• Adjust your IG notifications 

When pausing Instagram, switch off notifications about messages, likes, and other interactions so you are not lured to sign in again whenever you receive a notification.

• Mute user 

Muting a user implies ceasing interactions, including DM’s, and posts and stories in your feed. However, they can still view your content.

• Block a user

If you get unwanted or spam messages from a user, block them. Although Instagram won’t inform them, their likes and comments will vanish from your posts. Also, they won’t be able to find your content.

Who can notice when you are active on Instagram? 

By default, only the people you associate with can notice your online status, but you have the option to alter this.

If you are worried about others noticing your online status on Instagram but don’t want to turn it off, it must be noted that this facility isn’t available for everyone. Your activity status isn’t noticeable to many people on Instagram. Those merely navigating through your profile or coming across your name in a comment section won’t be able to indicate if you are online.

However, it is somewhat different for your followers. They also can’t notice when you were last online since they can’t access your activity status. However, they might notice a green dot highlighting your current online status, indicating that you are actively using the app.

Your active status on Instagram can only be viewed by the people you have conversations with- especially those whom you have sent direct messages to or obtained messages from. This implies someone must have directly interacted with you before the app indicates your active status, making this feature more thoughtful of your privacy.

Quick Note: By default, only those you have interacted with will notice your online status. You can, however, opt to make this information public. Undergo the steps above, only instead of switching the toggle off, leave it on and click the bubble underneath that indicates show your active status to public.

How to know when someone is online on Instagram? 

Instagram informs you about the online and activity status or when your friends are active in multiple ways. They are as follows:

1. Activity status: For further information, activity status reflects in your direct messages with someone, informing you their last move. It could be anything from ‘Active now’ showing they are online, “Active X time ago” indicating when they last signed in, to specifics like “Sent a post”, “Sent a message”, or whether they liked one of your messages.
2. Online status: A simple green dot on the lower right of someone’s profile picture indicates that they are active on Instagram. You will notice this in places like your direct inbox.

These signals are your go-to to comprehend if someone’s just hanging out on Instagram or has interacted with your content lately.

To find if someone is online, search out for: 

• Their recent activity status in your direct messages gives you an idea of their latest actions.
• A green dot beside their username and photo in your direct inbox or elsewhere on Instagram, indicates they are active.

Takeaway

‘How to turn off active status on Instagram’ is a common query by most Instagram users. Toggling off your activity status on Instagram is an excellent way to safeguard your privacy and navigate the platform without letting others know you are online. However, if you feel like you have missed out on something, you can use the turning-on features. All you have to do is just reverse the switch to the ‘On’ position or check the “Show activity status”.