Social media is a big part of everybody’s lives, which means that online privacy is a pretty important part of all of this. Instagram is especially problematic when it comes to privacy, and this usually involves direct messages.
A lot of the time, there are going to be instances where we want to be able to see somebody else’s message and keep it for a while without replying.
We don’t want them to know that we have read their message, but Instagram tells them that we have, and then it’s awkward.
If you don’t want somebody to know that you have read their message, so that you can take a bit of time to get back to them, then you are probably wondering how to turn off read receipts on Instagram.
Let’s get started!
Let’s take a relevant example of this. Imagine that you have received an Instagram message from your ex, or your crush.
Of course, you want to be able to wait a few hours before you see the message and reply to it.
However, Instagram is going to tell your ex or your crush straight away that you have read their message, and they are going to wonder why you haven’t replied. This means that Instagram doesn’t let you read messages without being seen.
The good news is that there are definitely ways to do so, and in the article below, we’re going to detail these ways, so that you can figure out different ways to turn off read receipts with your Instagram.
This way, you are going to be able to take your time when replying to somebody who you haven’t spoken to for a while, and not feel like they are sitting right by their phone, waiting for your response.
What Does an Instagram Read Receipt Mean?
If you are somebody who uses Instagram a lot to reach out to family and friends, then you are probably the kind of person that consistently checks your messages, to see if they have been delivered to the person you reached out to.
If this is the case, then you have probably seen the read receipt on Instagram, where it indicates whether the person you have sent the message to has seen the message or not.
A lot of the time, it can be really helpful to determine whether the person has seen the message or not, so that you can feel confident that your message has been delivered, and they are aware that you are trying to get in touch with them.
However, there are also plenty of times where you would rather not to be put on display like this, and you also would rather not see whether the person has read the message or not.
Some things are better left a mystery, and this part of Instagram is one of them.
Below, we’re going to walk you through turning off read receipts on Instagram, so that you can rest easy, knowing that you are going to be able to keep the mystery alive when messaging your crush or your ex.
How to Turn off Read Receipts on Instagram
It’s completely understandable that now that Instagram has permeated most aspects of our lives, you want to keep some of this private.
For example, you might want to be able to hide your likes on Instagram, so that you can avoid anxiety, or you might want to get rid of your following list, or even work out how to disable read receipts for Instagram.
The bad news is that when it comes to Instagram’s privacy policy, it doesn’t let its users turn off their Instagram read receipts.
This means that on the other side of your messages the person who is the recipient is always going to see that ‘seen’ sign, whenever they open a message from you.
However, if you really want to maintain a certain level of mystery when it comes to sending a message to somebody, it is possible, but you’ve got to get creative about it.
1. Restrict an Account
As we have discussed already, Instagram isn’t technically going to allow you to directly turn off your read receipts, but there are some alternatives that you can used in place of this.
It offers its users another feature, that is definitely going to come in handy.
You might have already realized this already, but when you restrict somebody’s profile on Instagram, they are going to need permission to send you direct messages. This way, you can easily read the message that they are trying to send through, before allowing it.
- Log into your Instagram profile.
- On the explorer page, look their username up in the search box.
- Now, you can visit their profile directly.
- At the top of your screen to the right, you will see three dots. Select these.
- From here, you can select the restrict option.
If you are accessing Instagram through your web browser, then you will need to confirm this restriction.
However, if you are on your phone, it’s going to be really easy to put the restriction in place. Whether you are on your web browser or your mobile, Instagram is going to offer you information when it comes to this action. You are going to be given a warning so that you confirm that you definitely want to restrict that profile.
Once you have restricted a profile, their direct messages are going to be moved into a requested section. This means that whenever they try to send you a direct message, you can see their message without them realizing before you allow them permission.
If you want to then respond to them, you can go to their Instagram profile, and unrestrict them. the great news is that if you are on mobile, you can unrestrict them directly from your Instagram inbox.
2. Go Offline
The first method that we have outlined in order to get rid of read receipts on Instagram is to restrict the profile of your crush, or your ex.
However, this isn’t the most ideal option, because you might have to go beyond your Instagram daily limits, just to get rid of the seen receipt. At this point, you are probably wondering whether there’s another way that you can get rid of read receipts without having to restrict a profile. The good news is that there is.
For this example, you will need to turn off your Internet connection, while you read the message. The first thing you need to remember is not to open that notification to the message, otherwise the seen receipt is going to appear immediately.
Now, you will need to open your Instagram direct message inbox, by selecting the airplane icon, that you will see at the top of your page to right. When your inbox has refreshed, and your messages have loaded, you can turn off your Internet connection. Then, open up the conversation, and read the messages, and it won’t show a read receipt.
Another way to turn off read receipts without turning off your Internet connection is turning your phone onto airplane mode. This means that you’re going to prevent the other person from realizing that you have seen their messages, without having to reply to them.
Once you have turned on airplane mode on your phone, you’ll need to refresh the messages on Instagram, but don’t open the chat. Just keep in mind that as soon as you turn your Internet connection back on again, or turn airplane mode off, the read receipt is going to appear.
This is a good option if you don’t mind being offline for a few hours for a couple of messages, but if you can’t afford to stay offline for that long, we’ve got another solution for you.
3. Turn Off DM Notifications
If you want to be able to look at somebody’s Instagram messages without them realizing that you have seen them, then you might want to turn off direct message notifications.
This way, you can avoid making it look like you’ve seen their message and haven’t replied to it. If you want to be able to turn off direct message Instagram notifications, then go to your profile, and select the three lines at the top of your screen to the right.
When you have done this, select ‘settings’. Next, you’ll need to select ‘notifications’. Lastly, select ‘messages and calls.’ from here, you can turn off direct message notifications on Instagram.
FAQs
Can you adjust read receipts for Instagram?
As we talked about in this article today, you definitely can’t change read receipts on Instagram. However, you need to be aware that read receipts on Instagram gets updated, through Instagram for desktop.
If you see a message on Instagram through your desktop that you have already opened on the Instagram app, then the read receipt is going to change.
For example, imagine somebody has sent you a direct message, and you have seen it already through your Instagram app. Then, you open your Instagram account through desktop, and you open the chat again. When your friend opens the messages, they are going to think that you saw the messages later than you actually did.
How to turn off active status on Instagram?
Normally, your followers and friends are going to be able to see when you were last active on Instagram.
However, now that you know how to disable read receipts for Instagram it would be bad if your activity status betrayed you, and indicated to your friends that you have actually seen their messages.
So, you’re probably wondering how you can turn off your active status on Instagram, so that they don’t wonder whether you are avoiding their messages or not. The first thing that you need to do is log into your Instagram profile, and then select the three horizontal lines that you’ll see at the top of your screen to the right. From here, select ‘settings’.
Now, you’ll need to select ‘privacy and activity status’. From here, you’re going to be able to choose whether you would like someone to see your online status, or not. It’s that easy.
Can you disable read receipts off for Instagram if you unread a message?
The short answer to this is no. The seen receipt is going to stay there, even if you mark an Instagram message as unread.
How to disable read receipts for Facebook messenger?
As you probably already know, Instagram and Facebook are owned by the same company, so if you want to disable your read receipts on Instagram, then you probably want to do the same for Facebook.
If this is the case, then go to your settings on Facebook, and then select ‘messages’. From here, you will see an option that is called ‘send read receipts’. You can easily turn this off.
To conclude
Hope that has helped you learn how to turn off read receipts on Instagram.
As you can see from what we’ve talked about in this article, there’s more than one way for you to disable your read receipts on Instagram.
The thing about being able to disable your read receipts on Instagram is that Instagram doesn’t have a straightforward way to do so, so you’ve got to get creative, and use alternative ways, so that you can temporarily fool the people who are sending you messages and keep your activity hidden from them.
Useviral prides itself in helping users advance on social media and supporting the growth of their profiles, with this being said we take privacy extremely serious – You can view our suite of services we offer for Instagram
Being able to disable your read receipts on Instagram is a massive advantage, especially if your crush has messaged you, and you don’t want them to see that you have read their message. Good luck with your Instagram activity!