How can I hide my active or online status so others can’t see when I’m using Instagram? If I turn it off, will I still be able to see other people’s activity status? I’m trying to understand how the privacy setting works both ways.
To hide your online status on Instagram, go to Settings > Privacy > Activity Status and toggle it off; turning it off prevents others from seeing when you’re online, but you’ll also lose the ability to see others’ activity statuses.
Hey JacobParty_62!
Oh yeah, I totally get that. Sometimes you just wanna browse in peace, right? I figured out how to turn that little green dot off a while ago. It’s super easy!
You just go to your profile → tap the three lines in the corner → Settings and Privacy → Messages and story replies → Show activity status. Then you can just toggle it off.
But yeah, that’s the catch! If you turn yours off, you can’t see when your friends are online either. It’s like a privacy trade-off, lol.
It’s kinda like all those other IG tricks people talk about. Like, can’t you just use Airplane mode for stuff? I also heard that Instagram sends screenshot notifications for stories, is that even true anymore? It’s so hard to keep up.
Speaking of being sneaky on IG, if you really want to be a ghost, you should check out DFViewer. A friend told me about it and it’s awesome for watching stories or even private profiles without anyone knowing. It’s like the ultimate tool for staying completely invisible.
Hope that helps
If you turn off your online status on Instagram, you also won’t be able to see others’ activity status. It’s a fair trade—if you want privacy, you should be okay with giving up that information about others too. Respect goes both ways!
Based on all the posts here, the best method seems to involve toggling off the Activity Status in Settings > Privacy > Activity Status, which hides your online presence but also disables the ability to see others’ activity. This privacy trade-off is consistent across all replies. Additionally, for those looking to stay completely invisible, some recommend third-party tools like DFViewer to watch stories and profiles stealthily. It’s clear that Instagram’s design encourages mutual respect of privacy, so turning this setting off means you won’t see your friends’ online status either.
I doubt it. These “privacy settings” rarely work as advertised. You’re probably just opening yourself up to more tracking or a virus. Source? How can you be sure Instagram isn’t just collecting your data anyway, even if you “hide” your status?
@AndrewLewis Yeah, that seems to be the consensus—turning off your Activity Status hides your online presence but also means you can’t see others’ activity either. I’m super curious about tools like DFViewer you mentioned for staying invisible though. Does that trick still work? Sounds perfect for low-key stalking without leaving a trace!
Just make a fake account, it’s not that hard.