Want to know how to hide last seen from one person on Instagram?

Instagram is always releasing similar features to other mainstream social media platforms. The reason, you ask? Well, every social media app owner wants their platform to have the most number of users. And it looks like Instagram is winning this competition.

With over a billion users, many are loyal and use it to not only scroll and explore but also communicate. In fact, a significant number of people consider it the primary application to send direct messages. 

To further make it familiar to Facebook Messenger and Whatsapp, one of the recent features enables you to share and view Activity Status. But the developers take it to the next level and allow you to hide last seen from one person on Instagram or disable the feature entirely.

Read on to find out how!

Who Can See When You’re Active on Instagram

Unlike Facebook, which displays your status to all friends, Instagram is a bit different in this regard. In order to let your Instagram friends know when you’re online, you’ll have to turn on your Activity Status. This will likewise show you their status as well. However, this does not mean that your last seen will be visible to everyone.

Instagram only allows the accounts you follow and people you’ve messaged to see when you’re currently active or last active on the app.

This excludes all your followers that you don’t follow back and people you follow but haven’t yet sent a direct message to.

Similarly, if your account is public, anyone who follows you will not be able to view your last seen unless you have followed them back or messaged them. So, if you disable this feature in the Instagram app, no one will be able to see your last seen, just as you will not be able to see theirs.

How to Hide Last Seen on Instagram

Although knowing when someone is online or was last active on the app can be beneficial at times, it also has its drawbacks. Nobody wants to be bothered when they’re busy working, and you certainly don’t want anyone viewing your Activity Status when you’re ignoring them. In such instances, hiding your last seen on Instagram is the best way to go. 

To do so, here’s what you need to do:

  1. Launch the Instagram app from the home screen of your device. 
  2. Next, head to your Profile by tapping on the Profile icon from the bar at the bottom. 
  3. Tap on the hamburger menu from the top-right corner. 
  4. Now, select Settings
  5. Finally, turn on the toggle next to Show activity status
How to Hide Last Seen From One Person on Instagram

Note that not everyone you follow or are followed by will be able to see your Activity status. This means that only the individuals you’ve messaged or followed will be able to view it.

Can I Hide Last Seen From One Person on Instagram

While Instagram doesn’t give users a direct option to hide their last seen from specific people, you can take an indirect approach to hide your Activity status. Once you do so, selected people on your Instagram will not be able to see when you’re active as well as your last seen.

How to Hide Last Seen From One Person on Instagram

If you’re wondering how to hide last seen from one person on Instagram, there are multiple ways to do it. This includes restricting their account, unfollowing, or blocking the user. By following any of these methods, you will easily be able to hide your Activity status from certain people on the Instagram app.

Now, let’s go over each method in detail:

1. Restrict the User.

The Instagram Restrict feature is a great way to take control of your account and avoid followers you have a problem with without blocking or unfollowing them. After you restrict an Instagram user, your stories, posts, reels, and lives will still be visible to them. However, there are a few things that will be different. 

These individuals will not be able to see your last seen along with whether you’ve read their DMs and a few other perks. This is one of the best ways to hide your last seen from selective users on Instagram. 

Here’s how to do it:

  1. Firstly, open the Instagram app from your phone. 
  2. Then, tap on the Search icon from the bottom bar and then tap on the search bar. 
  3. search tab on instagram
  4. Now, type in their username and click on their profile from the search results. 
  5. Once on their profile, tap on the three vertical dots present in the upper-right corner. 
  6. How to Hide Last Seen From One Person on Instagram
  7. Select Restrict
  8. restrict option on instagram
  9. Lastly, tap on Dismiss from the message that appears. 

Another plus point of restricting a user is that Instagram doesn’t notify users when you restrict their account. So, you can still view each other’s content without any issue.  

2. Unfollow the User.

Since Instagram allows people you follow to view your last seen, you can hide your Activity status from them by simply unfollowing their account. Keep in mind that the individual you unfollow will sooner or later find out that you’ve unfollowed them. 

Here’s what you need to do to unfollow a user on Instagram:

  1. Open the Instagram app and head to the Search tab by selecting the Search icon from the bottom.
  2. Now, search for the user’s handle and choose the same from the search results. Alternatively, you can search for their profile from your Direct Messages if you’ve messaged them in the past. 
  3. Tap on the Following button and then select Unfollow from the options that appear. 
instagram unfollow option

You may also unfollow users by following these steps below:

  1. From the Instagram app, head to your Profile tab. 
  2. Now, tap on Following
  3. Scroll down and look for the user you wish to unfollow. You may also search for their username on the search bar present at the top. 
  4. Now, tap on the Following button next to their username. 
  5. How to Hide Last Seen From One Person on Instagram
  6. Finally, select Unfollow to confirm. 
unfollow confirmation message

Read also: What happens when you unfollow someone on Instagram

3. Block the User.

If you no longer want to associate with an Instagram account and also wish to hide your last seen from them, your best option is to simply block the user. This way, they will not be able to view your profile, posts, reels, etc. Moreover, Instagram doesn’t notify or message when you block a user. 

A blocked account, on the other hand, can still see your comments on other people’s posts but cannot access your profile.

Here’s how to block an account on Instagram:

  1. Open Instagram
  2. Now, go to the Search tab by selecting the Search icon present at the bottom. 
  3. Afterward, search for the user you wish to block by tapping on the search bar.
  4. Select their profile from the search results. 
  5. Then, choose the three vertical dots from the upper-right of your screen.
  6. Tap Block
  7. block on instagram
  8. Select Block @ and new accounts they may create, and then tap on Block again.
  9. How to Hide Last Seen From One Person on Instagram

    Read also: Can You Block People From Seeing Your Instagram Posts

    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

    1. What does Active Now on Instagram actually mean?

    To show when a user is currently online on the app, Instagram displays a green dot on their profile icon. You can easily see who’s active on the Instagram app by going to your DMs.

    All of the users that are currently online will be present at the top bar. Note that the Active Now status shows people that are using the app at that moment. It doesn’t indicate that these users are messaging someone.

    2. How accurate is Instagram Active Now?

    The Active Now status isn’t the most accurate when it comes to displaying the currently online accounts. Users have reported that there’s an average of ten minutes delay from Instagram’s side.

    This means that if you see someone online, it’s possible that they’ve left the app, but Instagram hasn’t updated their status yet.

    Some users may also be online, but their Activity status may show them as offline for up to ten minutes before updating.

    Wrapping Up: How to Hide Last Seen From One Person on Instagram

    To sum up, there are a few ways you can employ to hide your Activity status from selected users on Instagram. You may simply restrict their accounts to prevent them from viewing your last seen or Activity status. Moreover, unfollowing and blocking them will also get the job done.

    This concludes our guide on how to hide last seen from one person on Instagram. If you have further confusion or queries, you may utilize the comments sections below. We’ll try our absolute best to help you out.

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