Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Mobile
  3. Guides

How to turn off Activity Status on Instagram

By

Instagram is a popular social networking site that allows users to communicate through text, photos, and videos. One of its features is the app's Activity Status, which lets users know when someone was last active on the app or if they are currently online.

Recommended Videos

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

5 minutes

What You Need

  • Instagram app on your mobile device

This way, you can see when someone was last using the app, giving you an idea of how active they are (or aren't) on Instagram. Here’s more about how Instagram's Activity Status works, and how to turn it off.

Instagram on an iPhone.
Bryan M. Wolfe / Digital Trends

What is Activity Status on Instagram?

When your Instagram Activity Status is enabled, your followers and chat contacts can see your online status and last active time. To check your own Activity Status settings, follow these instructions:

Step 1: Go to your Profile tab on Instagram, then select the More button at the top right.

Step 2: Scroll down to the section How others can interact with you. Next, select Messages and story replies.

A screenshot showing how to go into the settings in Instagram.
Bryan M. Wolfe / Digital Trends

Step 3: Select Show Activity Status. On the next page, you'll see whether the Instagram activity status is turned on for your account.

Screenshots showing whether the Instagram activity status is turned on.
Bryan M. Wolfe / Digital Trends

How to turn off Activity Status

You can turn the Instagram Activity Status off at any time by following a few steps.

Step 1: Go to your Profile tab on Instagram, then select the More button at the top right.

Step 2: Scroll down to the section,How others can interact with you. Next, select Messages and story replies.

Step 3: Select Show Activity Status. On the next page, you'll see whether the Instagram Activity Status is turned on for your account.

Step 4: If the toggle is in the On position, turn it off by tapping on it. Now, your Instagram Activity Status is turned off. You can continue to use Instagram services if Activity Status is off.

Screenshots showing the current Instagram activity status setting.
Bryan M. Wolfe / Digital Trends

And that's all there is to it! If you don't mind your friends/followers seeing when you last used the Instagram app, there's no harm in keeping Activity Status enabled. However, if you'd like more privacy regarding your Instagram use, turning it off might be the way to go.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Bryan M. Wolfe
Bryan M. Wolfe
Bryan M. Wolfe has over a decade of experience as a technology writer. He writes about mobile.
Here’s how iOS 18 could change the way you use your iPhone
The lock screen on the Apple iPhone 15 Plus.

It seems the long-overdue Siri overhaul will finally arrive at WWDC in just over a week from now, and the digital assistant will embrace AI trickery in all its forms. According to Bloomberg, Apple’s planned upgrades for Siri will deeply integrate with on-device functions at the OS level and with the installed apps, too.

“The new system will allow Siri to take command of all the features within apps for the first time,” the report says. The most notable capability is that Siri will only require voice prompts to interact with apps, thanks to a major change in the AI architecture powering it and putting large language models in command, just the way Gemini or ChatGPT draw their own skills from such models.

Read more
iOS 18 may give Siri the upgrade we’ve been waiting for
Hey Siri

Apple isn’t immune from the AI craze sweeping the rest of the industry. Following the likes of Google with Gemini Nano, Apple is set to roll out AI upgrades to the iPhone with iOS 18. Code-named “Project Graymatter,” the iOS 18 update will bring a variety of AI-powered enhancements to the iPhone and Siri in particular.

According to AppleInsider, the features are being tested in advance of Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), and one of the biggest is called “Graymatter Catch Up.” The feature is tied to Siri, Apple’s voice assistant, which will now allow users to request and receive an AI overview of the most recent notifications.

Read more
Perplexity, one of our favorite AI apps, just got a big update
Perplexity app shown on an iPhone.

If you've been looking for more than just traditional search engines, you may have turned to Perplexity. The app allows users to ask questions and receive quick, accurate answers from a carefully selected set of sources, all powered by ChatGPT. Now, a new software update is making Perplexity AI even better.

Perplexity Pages allows you to transform your research into visually engaging and comprehensive content. Whether you are creating detailed articles, reports, or informative guides, Perplexity Pages brings your ideas to life. This new tool simplifies organizing and sharing information, giving you more control. You also have the option to publish your work to Perplexity’s library of user-generated content, where you can showcase your expertise.

Read more