How to See if Someone is Active on Instagram?

Although Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp have had this feature for a while, Instagram users are also curious if someone is active on Instagram.

Connecting with friends over the content you love is more enjoyable when you know they’re there to see it. Using this update, you can engage in more real-time conversations while also having the option to hide your status completely.

Instagram, like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, is one of the key projects of Meta. Instagram activity status shows (which was introduced in July 2018) whether a user is online or not, but many people disable it for privacy reasons.

Nevertheless, there are ways to find out when they were last active, and whether or not they saw your message.

Why Can’t I See When Someone is Active on Instagram?

• These users have disabled it from their accounts.
• Maybe they didn’t follow you back on Instagram.
• If you have not already created a DM thread with that user.
• See if you can’t see someone’s activity status for a long period, too. If so, they’ve blocked you.
• Probably that Instagram account is private.

3 Ways to See if Someone is Active on Instagram

• Green Dot in Chat

Using Direct Message, you can create a message thread and send it to your friend. The person who delivered the message will appear at the top of the list of chats in your Direct Message.

A green dot will appear in two places:

• Next to their username
• At the photo inside the DM

Green dots indicate that they are online right now.

• Last Seen Below Thread Message

If there is no green dot showing up! The second way to find out if someone is active on Instagram is to look for their last seen.

• Go to the DM thread between yourself and your friend to view their activity.
• The notification “Seen” will appear under the message (if the recipient is online and has opened it).
• Similarly, if the user starts typing back to reply, you will see “Typing…”

NOTE: What If you sent them a message, but they didn’t open it yet? The message “Active an hour ago” will appear under their name.

• Green Gear To Their Post

In the absence of any thread between you and another person, this method is simply WOW.

Their online status can be seen next to their username and photo. At that moment, Instagram only lets you check someone’s online status using these methods.

If you still cannot see another’s activity after trying all these ways, it means they have turned it off and you can also do it by following these steps.

How to Hide Your Instagram Activity or Online Status

Say you are very concerned about your privacy on Instagram or don’t want to reply to unnecessary messages. Fortunately, your activity status on Instagram can be turned off.

Caution: You won’t be able to see other people’s activity after applying it.

Follow the steps:

• Open Instagram
• Tap on the ‘Profile icon’ in the bottom right corner.
• Tap the three lines in the top right.
• Tap on ‘Settings’.
• Click on ‘Privacy’.
• Tap ‘Activity Status’.
• Turn off Activity Status by tapping the toggle next to it.

Users primarily interested in business chats or professionals can use this feature to see if they are online and how quickly they respond.

FAQs

How to see if someone is online on Instagram without following them?

You can only see the status of people following you back. Alternatively, you can use certain apps as a hack.

How can you tell if someone is active on Instagram without a DM?

DM is the only way to check if someone is online. A green dot shows up when you have a conversational thread with them.

Is Instagram activity status accurate?

Not quite accurate. Instagram shows you online after a delay of a few minutes to ten minutes. There is a possibility that you may be online while your computer is offline due to bugs or glitches. Once you log off, it is no longer accurate.

How long does Instagram say you’re active?

Instagram’s “Active now” status lasts for five minutes. The status of “Active now” is changed to “Active (x)minutes ago.” after 5 minutes.

Conclusion

You can let people know when you were last spotted on Instagram, one of the rare social networks that do so. Additionally, it shows when you’re online, when you’re typing, and so on. You can see when your friends last used Instagram, and they can see when you last used it. Instagram may be a blessing or a curse depending on your security preferences.