How to Stay Active But Appear Offline on Instagram

Instagram is a great social media application to keep in touch with friends and family. Apart from showing people how you’re spending time, Instagram offers you a repository of excellent content from which you can derive lots of knowledge.

Yet, sometimes using Instagram can become too overwhelming. It can leave you feeling slightly exposed. Especially when you are snooping around or want to casually scroll without unwanted attention. 

With your active status being broadcast to everyone, ‘ghost scrolling’ can be hard. You may avoid talking to someone or just wish not to get a DM from anyone. 

Whatever your reason is, if you want to stay hidden while using Instagram, then this article is for you. 

Activity Status

The Activity Status feature on Instagram tracks if you are online. It also tells how long it has been since you were last online and shows it as your status to people you follow.  

How to Appear Offline on Instagram?

Well, it’s quite easy. You can do this just by changing your Activity Status. Employing this trick makes you appear ‘Insta offline’. You can go under the radar and successfully avoid interacting with people. 

Follow the steps below to change your Activity Status on iOS or Android app: 

1. Open the app and tap on your Profile Picture. 
      
2. Tap on the three lines in the top right, which will open a menu. Select Settings.
   
3. Choose Privacy in Settings or Messages and Story Replies. 
   
4. Here, choose the Activity Status option and tap on it.
   
5. Here you will find a toggle button with ‘Show Activity Status’. Toggle this off. 
   
6. After you turn the button off, you will start appearing offline on Instagram.   

Follow the steps below to change your Activity Status on Instagram for Desktop: 

1. Open the app and click on your Profile Picture in the top right corner.
2. Go to Settings from the dropdown menu. 
3. Select Privacy and Security from the options. 
4. Find Activity Status and turn off the ‘Show Activity Status’ box.
5. After this, you will start appearing offline on Instagram. 

By following these steps, you can post reels on Instagram without any distractions of people texting you or any other interruptions. PopularityBazaar offers to buy Instagram reels views at affordable rates. 

One thing to remember is that you will not be able to see other users’ Activity Status after you turn off yours. You can always turn it back on if you change your mind by following the same steps given above. 

What will Turning Off Activity Status do? 

If you turn off your Activity Status, you will no longer appear online to other users, even if you are. No one can tell when you are scrolling your feed or going online on the platform. 

It will also hide the tracker, which tells people how long it has been since you were last online.

Why Would you want to hide your Activity on Instagram? 

There could be several reasons to not allow people to know when you are online or when you were last online. It’s actually not uncommon, as many people have turned their Activity Status off. 

Don’t feel that you’re being shady, as we all have a right to privacy.  

Maybe there’s someone who you’re trying to avoid. 

• A nosy relative may start messaging you whenever you come online. 
• You may have a stalker or a hater on the loose. 

Although it’s a good idea to go ahead and restrict or block any annoying people in your followers’ list, appearing offline can be a more subtle yet useful tool without hurting anyone’s feelings. 

Ultimately, if you’re a creator or a small business owner, your motive is to create better content and increase engagement on your Instagram so that your followers become your paid customers. And all this is better if you’re not distracted or disturbed by others. You can use IG more freely without being judged or questioned for your active sessions.

So, check out PopularityBazaar to get more Facebook likes or likes on your Instagram content to gain more visibility. 

FAQs 

Can people still see the green dot after I turn off Activity Status?

No. The green dot next to your profile picture will disappear after you’ve turned the Activity Status off. No one can tell when you’re using Instagram. 

Can people see My Activity if I have turned off Activity Status?

No. Instagram used to have the feature of notifying your followers of your Activity. It was dropped with the new updates. 

Now, your followers can choose whether they’d like to get notified of your new posts, stories, going live, etc. 

So whether you’ve a business or personal account, no one would be able to see your Activity. It’s also not related to your Activity Status anymore.

How can I tell if someone is active but appearing offline on Instagram?

You can’t tell if someone is appearing offline but is actively using Instagram, the same way they can’t tell that about you. But to check, you can always send the person a DM to see if they reply late or your message becomes seen almost immediately.