How to turn off active status on Instagram for Android

Did you log in to Instagram and immediately get swarmed by messages from your friends? Well, it is probably because of Instagram’s Activity Status feature. The active status on Instagram automatically shows when you are online and goes even a step further to show when you were last active on the platform. 

 Since Facebook, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram are owned by the same parent company, Meta, they are all now coming to a crossover point in terms of features. Similar to how you used to see friends online on Messenger, Instagram’s way of telling your friends and followers when you are online is through active status.

Activity status on Instagram: What it is

Activity status, or active status, is a new default feature on Instagram that shows your current as well as last active status on the photo-sharing platform. When you are online on Instagram, the app shows you as visible with a green dot on your profile picture. However, when you are not active on the platform, Instagram also shows the last time you were online. 

 This could lead to an awkward situation wherein you receive a message from a friend but don’t want to respond immediately and also can’t avoid making them feel ignored. Luckily, Instagram offers the option to turn off your active status. 

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Not everyone wants to be seen or shown as visible on Instagram. There are users who probably only want to use Instagram to see the latest images from their favourite photographers and not get caught up in the Meta-owned application’s messaging bubble. 

A feature like Activity Status can seem like an attempt to disregard user privacy and by making most features as opt-out instead of opt-in, privacy has become an afterthought on these platforms. However, you can take back control of your privacy by keeping your active status information to yourself. 

All you need is access to your Instagram account and patience to jump through a few account settings and you can turn off activity status. Once you disable activity status, Instagram will no longer be able to show your current status or last active status to other users. Read on to find out how to turn off your active status on Instagram.

How to turn off active status on Instagram on your smartphone

Instagram has designed its mobile application in such a way that there is not much difference between its Android and iOS counterparts. This synergy in design means the steps you follow on Android also apply to iOS and vice versa. If you have an Android smartphone then you can turn off the activity status on the Instagram app with the following steps: 

Step 1: Open the Instagram mobile app on your phone. 

Step 2: Navigate to your profile, which is usually the last option at the bottom navigation bar. 

Step 3: Now click on the three horizontal lines at the top right-hand corner. 

Step 4: Scroll down to the “How others can interact with you” section. 

Step 5: Click on Messages and story replies. 

Step 6: You should see a sub-section called “Who can see you’re online.” 

Step 7: Click on Show activity status. 

Step 8: Tap on the toggle next to “Show Activity Status” until it turns grey. 

 By following the above steps, you have successfully turned off activity status on Instagram for Android. However, if you are using an older version of Instagram on your Android smartphone then the steps are a little different. 

As you must have figured out by now, the activity status page serves as a hub for you to manage your visibility on Instagram. If you want to be shown as active on the application, all you need to do is toggle the “Show Activity Status” slider until it turns green. However, if you don’t want to be shown as visible on the platform or limit your active status then you can toggle the slider until it turns grey. 

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Once you’ve turned off your active status on Instagram, the platform will not show the active status of your friends similar to the last seen feature on WhatsApp. Like with any social media application designed by Meta, it is always a small setting that you need to enable or disable to regain control of your privacy.