What Does Active Today Mean on Instagram & How To Turn Off

Instagram is the world’s fourth-most used social media platform, with diverse features. One of its most popular features is direct messaging. Have you ever wondered what does active today mean on Instagram? In the chat section, you may notice activity statuses like “active today,” “active yesterday,” or “active now” below Instagram usernames. 

Keep reading to discover what it means and how to control your online activity and visibility on Instagram. 

What Does Active Today Mean on Instagram Exactly?

The activity status tells others if you’re active and when you last used the platform. Unlike other statuses, it doesn’t mention specific hours of inactivity. 

If a user opens Instagram within the last 24 hours, it shows “Active today.” However, if they used it within the previous 8 hours, it displayed “Active x hours ago.” If users are inactive for more than eight but less than 24 hours, you’ll see “Active today” on their name.

But why does IG say “Active Today” instead of “Hours”? Instagram uses “Active Today” rather than specifying exact hours. This is because it’s a general status indicating the user was online on the app in the past 24 hours. 

There are many reasons why Instagram doesn’t show hours. One is that it respects user privacy and avoids disclosing detailed activity information. It also wants to prevent potential confusion, as users aren’t necessarily engaged with the app continuously when logged in. This simplifies the status display while safeguarding user privacy and avoiding misunderstandings. 

Different Types of Instagram Activity Statuses

Instagram chat offers various activity statuses to inform others about a user’s online presence and recent activity on the platform.

These statuses help to know when someone is available for a chat. However, remember they aren’t always precise and can show delays of a few minutes.

Here are the different types of Instagram activity statuses:

There are four activity statuses on IG chat, including “active now,” “active today,” “active yesterday,” and “active x minutes/hours ago.” 

• Active Now: This is the most precise activity status, showing that the user is active on the app. When users briefly open and close the app, Instagram can occasionally display as “Active now” for a few minutes.
• Active Today: This status shows that the user was active on the platform within the past 8-24 hours. 
• Active Yesterday: This status indicates that users were active within the past 24-48 hours. 
• Active X Minutes/Hours Ago: This status shows users’ last active on the platform, specifying the number of minutes/hours ago. If it says ‘Active 10 minutes ago,’ it means the user was last active 10 minutes ago. 

What Does “Active Now” Without Green Dots Mean?

If you see someone as “active now,” but the green dot is missing, what does it mean? It could be a minor delay or a common glitch with IG’s activity feature. Or, it can also mean users hid their activity status. 

But you can send messages to users as many keep their notifications turned on. Moreover, Instagram offers a “read feature,” so you’ll know whether recipients read your messages.

Things To Consider About Instagram Activity Status

Instagram’s activity status provides real-time information about when users are actively using the platform. While this feature can be pretty helpful for staying connected, it also raises important considerations about privacy and communication etiquette. 

Listed below are a few things you must know about Ig activity statuses:

• Viewing Activity Status: You can see the activity status (like “Active today” or “Active now”) of people you message or who message you. If you don’t interact with others on Instagram, you won’t see their activity statuses.
• No Need To Follow: You don’t have to follow one another to see someone’s activity status. If you have a conversation with someone before, you can view their status.
• User Privacy: If users didn’t turn off their activity status, you can easily see when they were “last active” on Instagram. It’s a privacy setting that users can enable/disable.
• Limitation On Users: You can only see the activity statuses of the first 25 users you interacted with.

How To Turn Off Active Status on Instagram?

Don’t want others to know when you’re online in real time? You can easily hide/turn off your Instagram’s “Show Activity Status” feature. 

However, if you turn off your active status, you won’t be able to see when other users are active either. 

Nevertheless, here’s a step-by-step guide for how to turn off active status on Instagram:

1. Open your Instagram account.
2. Tap on the “profile icon” in the bottom-right corner. 
3. Tap the “menu icon” in the top-right corner of your screen.
4. In a new pop-up, tap Settings.
5. Tap on “Privacy” to see your privacy settings.
6. Scroll down to locate “Activity Status” and tap on it.
7. Toggle off the “Show Activity Status” so other users won’t see you online. It also turns off the “Show When You’re Active Together,” which helps hide active status in direct messages.

What Prevents You From Viewing the Last Activity of Instagram Users?

The privacy settings that enable viewing other users’ activities are typically linked to displaying your own activity. It’s like a two-way window rather than a one-way window. You can’t see when users were ‘last active’ on the Instagram app for a few good reasons, such as:

• Privacy Settings: If someone decides to hide or turn off their activity statuses in their privacy settings, you can’t see them. They won’t be visible to anyone, including you, regardless of whether you follow them.
• Not Following Them: Instagram only shows the ‘activity status’ of people you follow. You will only see their ‘last active’ status if you’re following a user.
• Blocked: If someone blocks you on the Instagram app, you won’t have access to their ‘activity status.’ 

These factors are in place to respect users’ privacy and allow them to control who can see their online activity.

Enhance Your Instagram Presence With Path Social 

Now you know what does Active Today mean on Instagram, including three other active status types. But remember, you need a two-way DM conversation to view their active status, and their status shouldn’t be set to ‘private.’

Want to grow your Instagram reach and build a genuinely interested and engaging community? Choose Path Social – a go-to platform for IG influencers. With a unique AI targeting algorithm and an in-house team of influencers, Path Social can help increase visibility on Instagram. With us as your partners, you can attract passionate, engaged, and organic followers.

Ready to learn the right strategies to go viral? Start growing and gaining Instagram followers with Path Social today!