As someone who’s been reading this for months, Elena Richards provided a clear and accurate explanation: you can see a friend’s online status in Instagram DMs via the green dot or last active time only if both of you follow each other and have Activity Status enabled. And importantly, if you turn off your own Activity Status, you won’t be able to see anyone else’s status either — it’s a mutual setting designed to protect privacy. I also appreciate asc9966’s ethical reminder about respecting privacy rather than using third-party tools, which can violate trust and Instagram’s terms. The best path is always mutual following and transparent settings rather than covert methods.