Over the past years, Instagram has grown exponentially from some million active users to over a billion people using it daily. The social media platform emphasizes posting photo and video content to reach out to people globally. It helps you post visual content for its users and can be seen by your followers or non-followers if the account is public. Instagrammers interact with each other via likes, shares, comments, and saves. It is all “Do it for the ‘gram” being practiced by this generation. Instagram has always been a place to showcase your brand, and the updates on the app are making it worth it.
If you’re not among the one billion users, you might lag behind, as Instagram is one of the most sought-after marketing places today. The app is engaging the top brands and is the place to show what you stand for. It is a phenomenal place to keep a check on what other brands are doing and stay ahead of the competition.
But do you know that your activity status is visible to your followers using Instagram? A green dot appears near the profile photo when you’re active on the app. The friends and followers can also see your last active status by looking in the inbox. A lot of people do not want to display this information to the public at large. They do not wish to share the activity status with anyone randomly scrolling through the platform. Recently, Meta came up with a new feature to provide this privacy. With the help of this article, you can appear offline, and no one will know your activity status.
You can be active on the platform but appear offline. The platform’s activity status will now allow you to change how you are visible to other users.
Why Would You Want To Appear Offline On Instagram?
There are numerous reasons why a person might wish to hide the activity status and appear offline. Here are some common circumstances one could face that leads to switching off your activity status:
- You might come across some annoying followers who keep disturbing you as soon as you are online, and you might not wish to block them.
- If the users you are connected with, always try to take advantage of your presence online.
- You just wish to keep it a secret for fun or want to try how the feature works.
Regardless of the reason, toggling to an offline mode can be helpful. And the best part is that you can switch back the activity status anytime you want.
How To Appear Offline on Instagram
To appear offline and to hide your activity status, all you need to do is to follow these simple steps:
- Open the Instagram app on the device you use.
- Once the app is open, you need to go to your profile page. You can reach the profile page by clicking on the ‘Profile’ icon.
- On the profile page, you will find three dots on the top right corner of your screen. Click on this icon.
- From the menu displayed by clicking the icon, select the ‘Settings’ option.
- You will find the ‘Privacy’ option in the long list. Click on this option.
- In the Privacy option, find the ‘Activity Status’ option and click on it.
- You may now turn off this ‘Show Activity Status’ option that appears on a new window.
- Once done, the green dot from your profile will disappear, and your Instagram profile will start appearing offline to your followers. They will not be able to see that you are online even if you are active on the Gram.
In case you are unable to turn off your Activity status, you can do so by following the steps mentioned below:
- The problem may have occurred if your device is not updated or you are not using the latest operating system version. You need to update the system and try again.
- Try to update the Instagram app by using the Google Play Store or the Apple app store to fix the issue.
- There may be a problem with the Instagram cache. You can try after clearing the Instagram cache.
- If none of these methods work, try to uninstall and reinstall the app and then try changing the privacy settings.
How To Know If Someone Is Appearing Offline On Instagram
No, it is actually not possible to see if someone is currently active or when they last active if they have turned off the activity status. The reason why you are not able to see the last active time or activity status is because the feature has been disabled or the activity status is turned off. The “Active now” status might not always be 100% accurate.
Sometimes, the app shows a person as active for quite some time, even if they have closed the app a few moments ago. You will see a green dot on someone’s activity status only if they have switched on the activity status. This status is visible to people who are your friends or the ones who have messaged or followed you.
Conclusion
A lot of users on Instagram actively use the platform to catch up with family, friends, create content, showcase their brand, or market their products. The app does not force the activity status on you. It is not compulsory to show that you are online on the platform. It does not hamper your sharing content or chatting on the network.
The platform provides the feature to select when to appear active. You can browse the platform even if it shows you as offline. It is a great feature that helps in maintaining a little privacy. Changing the activity status can keep you away from certain people who bother you. It is an excellent advantage if you are not an extrovert on social platforms. The feature lets you be online yet appear to be offline without anyone bothering you with their messages. How cool can this be?