Can you turn off read receipts on Instagram direct message? The quick answer is unfortunately not, you can’t really stop others from knowing that you’ve read their message.
However there are workarounds you can do to somehow disable the read receipts. In this guide, we will show you how to turn off read receipts on Instagram with 3 options.
What are Instagram read receipts?
They were first introduced in 2016 as part of Instagram’s new messaging feature. The idea behind it is to let users know when their messages have been read.
While this might be useful for some, others find it to be a bit of an invasion of privacy. So if you’re someone who doesn’t want others to know when you’ve read their message, unfortunately Instagram doesn’t give you that option.
Option 1 Read messages with airplane mode on.
This is the most common and probably the easiest way to go about it. When you turn on airplane mode, your phone will not be able to receive any messages or notifications.
So when you want to read a message without the other person knowing, simply turn on airplane mode, read the message and then turn off airplane mode.
Before we show you step by step how to do it, make sure you turn off Instagram Direct Message notifications first because if you tap on any message notifications, that will count as read.
Go to Instagram profile > Tap on the 3-lines on top right corner > Settings > Notifications > Direct Messages and Calls > Select Off for both Message Requests and Messages.
Next, follow the steps below to read your Instagram messages while in airplane mode:
- Open your Instagram app & tap on Messenger icon (on the bottom, 2nd from the left)
- Turn on Airplane mode
Important to make sure also the WiFi and Bluetooth are turned off as well by tapping off both icons, see below.
On Android: Swipe down from the top of the screen and tap on the Airplane icon
On iPhone: Swipe down from top right corner and tap on the Airplane icon - You can now read your messages. When finished, exit Instagram and you can turn Airplane mode off.
Option 2 Read Instagram messages via phone notifications
This workaround doesn’t require you to put your phone on airplane mode but the obvious downside is that it only works if you have notifications turned on for Instagram.
Here’s how to do it:
We will go to your phone’s Settings and make sure you allow notifications for Instagram.
Open your Instagram > select your Profile (last icon on the bottom) > Tap on the 3-lines on top right corner > Settings > Notifications > Direct Messages and Calls > Make sure both Message Requests and Messages are enabled.
Now that we have notifications turned on, whenever you receive a new message on Instagram, you will also see it as a notification on your phone.
Without opening the Instagram app, from your phone home screen, just swipe down from the top to see and read the messages.
The only downside of this option is that you may not be able to see the whole message on the phone notification area.
Option 3 Restrict an Instagram account
This last option is a bit more extreme but it will prevent the person from ever knowing that you’ve read their message. The tradeoff is that you also won’t be able to see when they’re online or if they’ve read your messages either.
To restrict someone on Instagram, follow these steps:
Go to the person’s profile that you want to restrict > Tap on the 3-lines on top right corner > Settings > Privacy > Restricted Accounts
Once you’ve restricted someone, their messages will only appear as requested in your Message Requests. You can choose to approve or delete the requests.
And that’s it! Those are the three ways you can read Instagram messages without the other person knowing.
Conclusion
In nutshell, there are 3 ways how to turn off read receipts on Instagram so you can still read your messages without the other person knowing by using airplane mode, reading phone notifications or restricting the account.
Hope this guide help answer your query.
While on the Instagram topic, do you know that when you post a TikTok video, you can share it directly and automatically to Instagram?