Clever trick to see Instagram messages WITHOUT letting the sender know
Whether it’s avoiding the unwanted attention of a stranger or the brunch ideas of a forgotten friend desperate to make a new acquaintance… there are plenty of reasons why you might want to feign ignorance on Instagram.
Normally, when a user opens a direct message, it informs the recipient that it has been viewed – but there is a way to prevent them from seeing this, if privacy is an issue.
This simple trick can be useful for victims of online bullying, or for those who fear being targeted by scammers.
Limiting users can be a great way to remove hateful comments from your posts
The photo-sharing platform introduced the Restrict feature in 2019, which allowed users to read DMs without calling up the “seen” icon at the bottom of the chat.
Instagram says that if a user has a disability, they “can’t see when you’re online or if you’ve read their messages.”
The social media platform confirmed that the feature is designed to “allow you to quietly protect your account while still keeping an eye out for a bully.”
So, here’s how to use the feature.
1. How to restrict a user
A user can be restricted through a small number of simple steps through the comments section.
If a user has posted a hateful comment under your photo, you can restrict it directly from the comments section by tapping and holding on the chosen user’s comment.
Holding down on the comment will bring up two options, restriction being one of them
Once pressed, the option is given to restrict the user or report the comment.
If the user clicks on the second option, a panel pops up with some details about what throttling means.
The app will then ask you if you’re sure you want to restrict the user and provide some brief details about what it means
Once restricted, the user’s comments will only be visible to themselves unless the recipient chooses to tap “See Comment.”
Unfortunately, if a user chooses to enable the “Limit” feature, it also means they won’t be able to see when a user views their post.
It also means that if a restricted user comments under someone’s photo, it will only be visible to that person and no one else.
Notifications for comments posted by restricted users are also not displayed.
To restrict an account, a user must tap the Direct Messages icon in the top right corner before tapping the chat of the user they want to restrict.
Their comments will then be visible only to themselves unless the recipient clicks ‘See comment’
Once in the chat window, they must tap the “i” icon at the top of the chat before hitting “Restrict” and then “Restrict Account.”
Another way to do this is to go to the settings panel before tapping “Restricted accounts” and find the account they want to restrict.
Once the user has been found, a simple tap on the “Limit” button next to their name can prevent them from seeing if their message has been received.
Alternatively, a user can be restricted on their profile page. Just tap the three dots before hitting “Limit” and then “Limit Account.”