Instagram users tend to have a love-hate relationship with read receipts. They can be useful when you’re trying to ensure someone saw your message, but are also considered an invasion of privacy. Not to mention it can be frustrating when someone sees your message and doesn’t respond, which is commonly referred to as being “left on read.”
In January of 2024, Instagram launched the option to turn off read receipts. So, if you’re interested in turning them off, you’ve come to the right place. We’re going to go over what read receipts are and how to turn them off on Instagram.
What are Read Receipts on Instagram?
Simply put, read receipts are a notification that lets the sender know you’ve opened their direct message, or DM on Instagram. When you send a message, there will be nothing underneath it until it’s been opened. Once the message has been opened, you’ll see the word “seen” in gray appear. There will even be a timestamp in your message inbox telling you how long ago they saw the message.
This feature can come in handy when you want to make sure someone reads your message. The problem is that more often than not, it causes issues. For example, if you get a lot of messages on Instagram and don’t have time to respond, senders can get annoyed that you’ve opened their message but didn’t send one back. It can be a privacy concern and make users feel pressured to respond ASAP.
Why Should I Turn Off Read Receipts on Instagram?
Many users have accepted read receipts as a part of Instagram, but there are several reasons you may want to turn them off.
- Privacy: Turning off read receipts gives you more privacy since senders won’t be able to see that you have opened their message.
- Reduces the Pressure: Knowing that someone saw you opened a message can make you feel pressure to respond right away. Turning off read receipts allows users to take their time responding to messages.
- Avoid Confusion and Misunderstanding: Sometimes, senders may take it personally if you don’t respond to their message after opening it. If you want to avoid this, turning off read receipts can help.
How to Turn Off Read Receipts on Instagram
If you’re ready to try out turning off read receipts on Instagram, follow these steps. You can always turn them back on if you change your mind.
- Open the Instagram App
- Head to your Profile Page
- Select the Three Dash Menu Button
- Click on Settings
- From the settings menu, select Privacy
- Scroll down to Messages
- In the Messages Menu, you’ll find the Read Receipts option
- Toggle the switch next to Read Receipts to OFF
- You’ll receive a prompt confirming that you want to turn off read receipts, select ‘confirm’
- You read receipts should be turned off
Once you’ve confirmed that you want to turn off read receipts, other users won’t be able to see when a message is opened. You can always go back into your settings to turn them back on.
Final Thoughts
For Instagram users who can’t stand read receipts, this was a very welcome update. The good news is that it’s easy to turn read receipts on and off whenever you’d like.
