How to Turn off Active Status on Instagram

The Instagram app has become one of the most popular social media apps, which has made the transfer of various information across the world possible.

Outline

Through the use of a green dot next to your profile in direct messages, Instagram’s active status feature allows your followers to see when you’re online or have recently been active. Although it can be useful to stay in touch, many users would rather have greater privacy when using the app. By making sure that no one knows when you’re online, you may enjoy Instagram without worrying about having to reply right away by turning off your active status.

Whether you use social media for professional purposes, as an influencer, or just for fun, controlling your visibility can improve your experience. We’ll lead you as we advance through the easy steps in this guide to utilizing an iPhone or Android device to disable your Instagram active status. We’ll also go over the reasons behind some users’ decision to turn off this feature and what you should know before deciding to make the change.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to turn off your active status on Instagram for a more private browsing experience.

The following instructions below apply to both android and iPhone users

Open the Instagram App: From your home screen, open the Instagram app.
Access Your Profile: To access your profile, tap the icon located in the lower-right corner.To access the Settings, click the three horizontal lines (menu icon) in the top-right corner of your profile, then choose Settings from the menu.
Privacy Settings: Select Privacy from the menu.
Activity Status: Scroll down to the Activity Status section and tap it.
Turn Off Show Activity Status: The “Show Activity Status” option will be visible to you. Just turn this off using a toggle. Once turned off, you won’t be able to view the active status of others, but your followers won’t be able to see when you were last active.

Reasons you might want to hide or turn off your active status

There are a variety of reasons one would want to turn off their active status on Instagram. They include:

Privacy Issues

Privacy is becoming a more pressing issue for many social media users in today’s digital environment. Instagram’s active status function by default lets users know whether you’re online or have recently been active. For those that like to remain somewhat anonymous when browsing, this may feel obtrusive. You may regulate when and how people can view your online activity by masking your active status. Additionally, it restricts the information that is accessible to third parties, protecting your privacy from snoopers or unsolicited contacts.

Lowering the Influence of Society

There may occasionally be an unwritten expectation of instant contact due to social media. Friends and followers may anticipate prompt replies to messages or comments when they notice you’re online. There may be pressure to participate as a result, even if you don’t feel like you have the time or energy to. This strain can be lessened by turning off your active status, which lets you enjoy Instagram on your terms without always having to reply right away.

Can you turn off active status for specific users on Instagram?

Sadly, the users of Instagram are unable to conceal their active status from particular people or groups at this time. Everyone is affected when you change your status from active to inactive, including your followers and direct message recipients. This implies that you are unable to restrict who has access to your active status. Since it’s an all-or-nothing option, hiding your status will have an impact on how visible it is to all users, including those you may want to keep seeing it.

Other ways to control your visibility on Instagram aside active status

It is seen that the major reason one turns off their active status is for privacy. Beyond Active Status, there are additional methods to manage your visibility on Instagram.

They include:

Managing Who Sees Your Stories: Instagram users can choose who can view their stories through a number of privacy settings. One such tool is the “Close Friends List” which lets you make a custom list of people who can see specific stories while keeping others off. Another helpful tool is the “Hiding Story Option,” which enables you to manually hide your story from specific followers without blocking them. This means that even if they follow you, they won’t be able to see your story.
The Blocking and Muting tool: Instagram allows you to restrict who can interact with your content by blocking or muting users; blocking prevents a user from seeing your profile, posts, stories, direct messages, or comments. It’s a useful tool for handling harassment or unwanted attention. Muting a user is a less drastic option if you don’t want to unfollow or block them directly, but it still limits their interaction with your content.

Conclusion

Turning off your active status on Instagram is an effective way to preserve privacy and lessen the pressure of constantly being online. Whether you want more privacy, less social pressure, or uninterrupted focus, following the steps to turn off your active status can help you enjoy the app with greater freedom and flexibility.