How to hide your online status and activity on Instagram
What's the story
Instagram, the globally popular photo-sharing platform, lets users see each other's online status and last active time. The feature comes in handy for knowing how quickly someone would respond and starting impromptu conversations. However, if you like to browse more privately, the online indicator could be an unwanted revelation of your activity. Luckily, Instagram has an option to disable it and keep users private.
Step-by-step guide
Disabling online and last seen status
To disable your online and last seen status on Instagram, open the app. Tap on your Profile icon and click on the three lines in the top right corner. Under "Settings and activity," scroll down to find "Messages and story replies." Tap on "Show activity status" and toggle off the switch next to "Show Activity Status" to disable your activity status.
Reciprocal effect
Trade-off of disabling online status
It's worth mentioning that disabling your activity status on Instagram is reciprocal. Not only will other users lose the ability to see your status, but you also won't be able to see theirs. This makes for a fair and balanced approach to privacy settings on the platform, giving users the option to choose between transparency and discretion according to their personal preferences.