Alex Ruben
How To Disable Read Receipts on Instagram: The Complete Guide
In today’s crazy social media world, privacy is kind of a big deal. One feature that trips people up is the read receipts — you know, those little “seen” tags that tell others you’ve read their message. Not everyone wants their activity broadcasted all the time. Luckily, Instagram gives an option to disable those read receipts, so you can keep your messaging a bit more private. If you’ve been annoyed that everyone knows when you’ve read their message or just want a break from constant online status updates, this guide will walk through how to turn off read receipts step-by-step, for both iPhone and Android. Spoiler: it’s not super obvious, and sometimes the settings hide where you don’t expect them to be, so here’s what works in practice.
How to Fix Instagram Read Receipts in Android & iOS
Accessing Instagram Privacy Settings
This is the core step — because honestly, Instagram kind of hides some of these options. On iOS or Android, open the Instagram app. Make sure you’re logged in because fussing around on the login screen won’t help. It’s easy to forget if you’re toggling a new device, but those settings are tied to your account, not the device itself.
Once inside, head over to your profile (bottom right corner). Tap on the profile icon, then tap the three horizontal lines (menu icon) at the top right. From the dropdown menu, look for Settings — usually, that’s near the bottom. Sometimes, you may have to scroll a bit or look for a gear icon depending on updates, but it’s there. Once in Settings, tap on Privacy. Yep, Instagram separates privacy stuff from general settings now.
Turning off Read Receipts
This is where most folks get stuck — because it’s tucked away in the messages settings, not directly obvious. Inside Privacy, scroll down to find Messages. The key toggle you’re after is called Read receipts. Turn this off. On some setups, this option isn’t immediately obvious, or it might be grayed out if you’re on the web version, so make sure you’re doing this on the mobile app.
Disabling read receipts means that your friends won’t see the little “seen” badge after you read their messages. But here’s the thing — you also won’t be able to see when others have read your messages. It’s a trade-off, but honestly, it’s worth it if privacy matters. On some devices, this toggle might take a couple of seconds to stick — a reboot of the app or phone might be needed if it acts funny.
Optional: Stop Showing Your Active Status
If you want to take privacy a step further, you can disable your active status, which shows when you’re online or recently active. While in Privacy, find Activity Status and toggle it off. This is separate from read receipts, but it helps keep you off the radar when you’re chilling on Instagram.
This one’s especially nice if you don’t want friends to know when you’re just casually scrolling around—and on some days, just turning off activity status makes you feel a lot more in control.
Extra Tips & Common User Mishaps
Heads up — turning off read receipts might seem straightforward, but because Instagram keeps changing things, it’s not always in the same spot after app updates. Also, note that if you disable read receipts, it’s a one-size-fits-all situation: no selective hiding. It applies to everyone, and you won’t get notifications either.
Another thing — make sure your app is updated to the latest version. Outdated versions sometimes don’t show these options or behave weird. Reboot the app or even the phone if settings seem to not save properly. Hardware or app glitches can cause this stuff to act up, and sometimes just a quick restart does the trick.
And for those who are curious, there’s no way to hide read receipts from specific people without turning it off for everyone. Instagram doesn’t support custom privacy options for individual users yet. Sorry to burst that bubble.
Wrap-up
So, basically, to keep your message reads private, head into Settings > Privacy > Messages and toggle off Read receipts. Then, if needed, disable Activity Status for extra peace of mind. It’s not perfect—sometimes it takes a few tries or app restarts—but it’s the best way to keep your reads under wraps without too much hassle.
Summary
- Open Instagram, go to your profile, then menu, then Settings.
- Tap on Privacy, then Messages.
- Disable the Read receipts toggle.
- Consider turning off Activity Status if you want full stealth mode.
- Update the app if options aren’t showing or if stuff acts funny.
Fingers crossed this helps
Managing privacy on Instagram can be a little confusing, but sticking to this should help keep your message reads more private. Not sure why it’s not easy to find these options? Because of course, Instagram has to make privacy settings kind of tricky sometimes. Anyway, give it a shot and see if it sticks. Hopefully, this shaves off a few hours of frustration for someone. Good luck!