Instagram Last Seen Feature Who’s Online and When

Introduced in 2019, Instagram’s “Last Seen” feature helps users see when someone they follow was last active in Direct Messages. For some, Instagram last seen feature is a helpful way to know when friends are around for a quick chat, but others feel it’s a bit too intrusive, especially if they prefer more privacy. 

If you’re not familiar with this feature, we’ll break down the benefits and drawbacks. It will help you decide if it’s something you’d like to use or prefer to turn off.  

What is Instagram’s “Last Seen” Feature? 

Ever wondered if your friends are online when you want to send a quick message? Instagram Last Seen feature makes it easy to check! With this feature, you can easily check if your friends are online and ready for chat. This feature has its pros and cons in terms of your virtual relationships. After you get this update, you should be very careful while sending DMs to your followers. Leaving messages on “seen” without a reply can sometimes come off as rude, especially if the person expects a quick response. 

Your activity status is visible to your followers if you don’t turn it off. Therefore, if you frequently ignore individuals and don’t answer back to them, this feature may make your life more difficult. In this situation, if you value your relationships, consider turning off this status feature. This way you can browse Instagram at your own pace without feeling pressured to respond. 

Learn How to See When Your Followers Are Available on Instagram 

It is quite easy to view when people are active with the Instagram Last Seen feature. First, you need to navigate to your DM box. Remember, you need to have already contacted users via direct message to see if they are active or not. If their activity status is on, you can see when they are available. In the opposite case, unfortunately, you cannot see their availability.  

The person you connected via DM has a green dot or timestamp next to her profile photo. You can see the recent activity status of that person in the direct message section, for example, Seen, Active 45 m. ago or yesterday. It is also possible to observe whether that person is in the chat or camera.  

Why Can’t I See Everyone’s Last Seen? 

Ever wondered why some friends show up as “Active now” while others don’t? Instagram’s last seen feature has a few quirks that might explain it.  

1. They disable this function since some users prefer not to broadcast their activity.  
2. The user may not follow you. If someone doesn’t follow you back, you won’t see their last available time. 
3. The person you want to see his/her status may block you. If a user has blocked your account, you cannot access their profile, including the availability indicator. 

To give an example, you cannot see my activity status because I disabled it. In my opinion, it is annoying. I mean people always monitor you and see when you are available on Instagram. Honestly, sometimes I forget to reply, or I give late responses. When my last seen was visible, it sometimes afflicted me and broke my pals’ hearts. As a result, I decided to turn availability feature for the sake of my relationships. 

Avoiding the “Seen” Pressure? Turn Off Your Instagram Last Seen  

This feature is only for iOS and Android mobile apps. When you update your application, the last seen feature automatically comes up. Not a fan of being “seen” all the time?  Here’s how to turn it off: 

1. Visit your Instagram profile on your mobile app. 
2. Spot the three lines and click it. 
3. Find the “How others can interact with you” section by scrolling the page. 
4. Click “Messages and story replies”. 
5. See “Show activity status” under the “Who can see you’re online” section. 
6. Tap the “Show Activity Status” toggle to turn it off. 

The last seen feature might be a lifesaver for planning, but it could also reveal those ghosting moments when you are just not in the mood to reply. No judgments here! 

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