Spanbox
2
I keep opening messages I'm not ready to reply to yet, and then the person sees 'Seen' and expects an instant answer. Is there a proper way to read a DM without triggering the read receipt, or am I just stuck with it?
Forum › Social Media Messaging › Question
Social Media Messaging
Answered
Is there any way to read an Instagram DM without them seeing the 'Seen'?
11 answers
4
Best answer
A few reliable tricks: turn on airplane mode after the message has loaded, read it, then fully close the app before going back online. Or read it straight from the notification preview without opening the chat. On the desktop version you can hover over a thread without clicking in. Instagram doesn't have a single 'turn off read receipts' switch like WhatsApp, so these workarounds are what most of us use.
One caveat: it only works if both people are on a recent version. – Kofi Bishop 2d ago
34
Long answer because there are a few methods and they each have trade-offs.
1) Airplane mode. Open the app so the message loads into the chat list, turn on airplane mode, then open and read it. Because you are offline, the read receipt cannot be sent. Close the app fully before going back online, or it will sync the "seen" the moment you reconnect.
2) Notifications. If you have message previews on, you can read most of a short DM straight from the notification or the lock screen without opening the app at all. Nothing gets marked seen because you never opened the thread.
3) Desktop. On the web version you can hover over a conversation in the list to see a preview without clicking in.
4) Restrict them. If it is one specific person whose "seen" you are avoiding, restricting them sends their messages to requests, where you can read without a receipt ever being sent.
The honest reality: Instagram has no single "turn off read receipts for everyone" switch the way WhatsApp does, so these workarounds are what people actually rely on. The airplane mode trick is the most reliable once you get the muscle memory for it.
21
Following, been wondering the exact same thing.
15
If you run your DMs through a desktop inbox you can usually skim the preview line without opening the thread, which dodges the Seen entirely. Honestly half the reason I stopped replying from my phone.
Bookmarking this one. – Yara Weber 1d ago
The fact that we need a forum thread to work this out says a lot. – Liam Volkov 1d ago
13
Went through this last month, you are not alone with it.
Great thread. Half my family hits this and never knows why. – Malik Mehta 2d ago
Which app exactly? A couple of them handle this very differently. – Raj Ito 2d ago
12
The airplane mode dance, a classic. I've done it so many times my thumb knows the route to the toggle by muscle memory.
Interesting, I always assumed it notified them. Good to know it does not. – Zoe Quinn 1d ago
Adding: on iPhone the toggle sits under a slightly different menu. – Nadia Torres 1d ago
Just to save others time: this did not work on my work profile, only my personal one. – Naomi Verma 1d ago
Show 2 more comments
11
Had no idea about this, thanks for asking it out loud.
Can someone confirm this still works after the recent update? Mine reverted. – Aisha Sharma 2d ago
If it still fails after all this, a clean reinstall was the only thing that worked for me. – Nora Meyer 1d ago
Adding a +1, identical issue and this walkthrough nailed it. – Nora Singh 1d ago
Show 1 more comment
5
Same issue here after the last update. The fix above sorted it.
Bookmarking this one. – Jonas Dunne 3d ago
Anyone else find this only happens on wifi? Mobile data is fine for me. – Sana Bauer 2d ago
This should be pinned honestly. – Naomi Verma 1d ago
4
Restarting the phone entirely did it for me when nothing else worked.
4
Following, been wondering the exact same thing.
Can someone confirm this still works after the recent update? Mine reverted. – Aisha Volkov 3d ago
1
Can confirm the top answer, worked on my end too.
Does the same apply to the desktop version, anyone know? – Maria Quinn 2d ago
Genuinely the clearest explanation of this I have seen, thank you. – Greta Chen 1d ago
Log in to answer.
Create a free account
Create a free account