Let’s be honest. We’ve all come across situations where certain Instagram DMs can’t be answered right away, and we want to browse through them without the other person knowing right away.
Unfortunately, unlike WhatsApp and Facebook, Instagram does not have a direct option to hide your read receipts.
So, how to read Instagram direct messages without being seen? You can follow some easy tips to read messages without notifying the other person.
Can You Hide You’re Reading a DM on Instagram?
No, you cannot hide that you have read a DM on Instagram. The platform does not have the ability to turn off read receipt settings. As a result, a “Seen” notification will appear underneath as soon as you view the direct message. Just like that, when you screenshot someone’s Instagram Story or Post, there’s no way they can tell.
But, do not be sad! Read on as we discuss some great and easy workarounds to help you take care of your Instagram DMs without being seen.
How to Read Instagram Direct Messages Without Seeing
1. Read Message From Notification Bar
This is probably the best remedy to read any direct message on Instagram without giving permission to anyone. seen or just seen notification appears below.
pull down notification bar on your smartphone (Android or iPhone) and read the message from there. Expand if possible. But please don’t touch!
Push notifications for Instagram must be turned on for this trick to work. To check or enable them, follow these steps:
- Lunch instagram on your mobile phone
- go to yours Profile by tapping the icon in the lower right corner of the screen.
- choose three horizontal lines in the upper right corner, next to + button.
- go Settings and privacy.
- Under How do you use Instagram?choose Notifications.
- On the next screen, stop all option below push notifications out of order. If not, do it now.
This much. You will now receive all push notifications on your smartphone, including DMs.
Note: This method is not suitable for long messages or when you receive multiple DMs.
2. Check Your Phone’s Notification History
Besides push notifications, viewing direct messages from your Android phone’s notification history is also a good option. But make sure you enable it as it is disabled by default.
Note that the notification will disappear from the history after: 24 hoursand your handset should be working Android 11 or above. Also, Notification History option is not available on all smartphones.
If you have a Samsung phone or other phone with this option built in, follow these steps:
- start Settings Open the app by tapping the gray gear icon.
- choose Notifications.
- scroll down until you find Advanced Settings.
- On the next screen, tap . Notification history.
- You will now see all your Instagram DM notifications under the history. Open any message to read.
Note: If you restrict the sender on Instagram, they won’t know you’ve seen their message. This is true even if you have the chat window open.
3. Turn On Airplane Mode/Disable Internet
You can also go through your Instagram DMs unnoticed by turning on airplane mode or disabling the internet before doing so.
So how to read Instagram messages without appearing in airplane mode?
Follow these steps:
- Hungry Aeroplane mode on your smartphone. Alternatively, disconnect from Wi-Fi and cellular data.
- Then go to the message you want to read. open it.
- When Airplane mode is On, the Seen receipt is not sent to the other person.
Yet there is a problem here. TThe seen tag will appear when you turn Airplane mode OFF or connect to the internet.
4. Restrict Other Person’s Instagram Account
Here is your last resort.
Since the above method is not very reliable, we have another workaround to help you. For this, you need to restrict the Instagram account before reading the message of the other person.
By doing this, any DMs they send after being restricted will always appear on your page. Message Requests section. If you don’t know, Instagram won’t show read receipts for such messages until you approve or revoke the restriction.
Before continuing, here’s how to check if the person has changed their Instagram username, otherwise you might not be able to find them when searching. Also note that if someone blocks you on Instagram, their profile will not appear in your search results.
Below are all the steps of this method.
- To go sender’s profile.
- Tap three vertical dots in the upper right corner of the application.
- choose restrict choice.
- The sender is now restricted.
- Now, open your DM section.
- you will see one wants () option on the right. It is highlighted in blue. Tap it.
- The message from the restricted user will appear here.
- Open and read the message.
If you restrict the contact, Instagram won’t send any Receipts of Sees for that message. You can also choose to block reels from this Instagram account.
Why Do You Want to Read Instagram Direct Messages Without Being Seen?
You want to read Instagram’s direct messages without being seen for several reasons. The list includes compromised accounts; you want to view the message and reply later. It could also be that the message came from someone you’re not good with. You may want to review the DM to decide how to respond without conflict.
FAQs About Reading Instagram Direct Messages Without Being Seen
Yes, you can read a message request on Instagram without accepting it. The sender is not notified that you have seen it.
To turn off Instagram Seen or Activity Status, Profile and tap three horizontal lines Selecting in the upper right corner of the screen Settings and privacy. Call later Activity Status in the search box. When you find it, turn it OFF Show Activity Status choice.
Reading Instagram messages without being seen on an iPhone is similar to an Android phone. See the sections above for this.