Yes, you can turn off read receipts on Instagram, but the setting works differently than on other apps
Instagram lets you hide when you've read a direct message, but it's not a simple on-off switch for all your messages. Instead, you turn off read receipts for individual conversations, and the person you're messaging with will see that you've turned them off. This means they'll know you're choosing not to show when you read their messages — it's not invisible.
The setting lives in your direct message thread with that specific person. Once you turn it off, they won't see the "Seen" indicator next to their messages, but they can still see that you're active on Instagram if your activity status is turned on. If you want complete privacy about when you're using the app, you'll need to handle activity status separately.
Key Takeaways
- Read receipts are turned off per conversation, not for your whole account, so you choose which people can see when you've read their messages.
- When you turn off read receipts with someone, they will see a notification that read receipts are off in that chat.
- Turning off read receipts does not hide your activity status, so people can still see when you're active on Instagram unless you disable that separately.
- You can turn read receipts back on at any time by going back into the same conversation settings.
How to turn off read receipts in a specific conversation
Open Instagram and go to your Direct Messages by tapping the paper airplane icon at the top right. Find the conversation where you want to turn off read receipts and swipe left on it (on iPhone) or long-press it (on Android). A menu will appear with options including "Mute" and others.
Tap the three dots or menu icon in that conversation thread to open more options. Look for "Disappearing Messages" or "Chat Settings" — the exact wording varies by phone type and Instagram version. Inside those settings, you'll find the toggle for "Allow Message Requests" or "Read Receipts." Turn that toggle off, and the person will immediately see that read receipts are disabled in your chat.
What the other person sees when you turn off read receipts
When you disable read receipts in a conversation, the other person won't see a "Seen" timestamp next to their messages anymore. Instead, they'll see a note in the chat that says something like "Read receipts are off" or "You have read receipts turned off." This is not a hidden setting — they know you've made this choice.
They can still see if you're typing a reply, and they can still see your activity status if you have it turned on. The only thing hidden is the exact moment you opened and read their message. If you want more privacy, you should also turn off your activity status in your Instagram settings under "Privacy" and then "Activity Status."
Turning off read receipts does not hide your activity status
Many people think turning off read receipts makes them invisible on Instagram, but it doesn't. Your activity status — the green dot or "Active now" label that shows when you're using the app — stays visible to people unless you turn it off separately. Someone can still see that you're active on Instagram even if they can't see when you read their specific message.
To hide your activity status, go to Settings, then Privacy, then Activity Status. Toggle off "Show Activity Status." Once you do this, people won't see when you're online, but they also won't be able to see when other people are online either — it's a trade-off. You can turn activity status back on anytime.
Why Instagram shows the other person that read receipts are off
Instagram designed it this way because hiding read receipts silently would let people avoid accountability in conversations. By showing that you've turned them off, Instagram keeps the interaction transparent — the other person knows you're choosing not to show when you read their messages, rather than thinking your phone is broken or you're ignoring them.
This is different from some other messaging apps like iMessage or WhatsApp, where you can turn off read receipts and the other person simply won't see a "Read" indicator. Instagram's approach means you can't use the setting to seem unavailable while actually reading messages.
Turning read receipts back on
If you change your mind, you can turn read receipts back on in the same conversation. Swipe left (iPhone) or long-press (Android) the conversation, tap the menu icon, and go back into Chat Settings or Disappearing Messages. Toggle read receipts back on, and the other person will see that they're now enabled again.
Turning them back on doesn't show them your past messages — they'll only see "Seen" on messages you read after you've re-enabled the setting. There's no way to retroactively hide when you read old messages.
Read receipts and group chats
In group direct messages, read receipts work the same way — you can turn them off for the whole group conversation. When you do, everyone in the group will see that read receipts are disabled, and none of them will see when you read messages. However, you can't turn off read receipts for just one person in a group while keeping them on for others.
If you're in a group chat where you want privacy but other people want to see read receipts, your only option is to leave the conversation or mute notifications so you're less tempted to respond quickly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I turn off read receipts without the other person knowing?
No. Instagram notifies the other person that read receipts are off in your conversation. They'll see a message in the chat saying read receipts are disabled. If you want complete privacy about your activity, you also need to turn off your activity status in your main Instagram settings.
Does turning off read receipts hide when I'm typing?
No. The other person will still see the typing indicator when you're composing a message, even if read receipts are off. If you want to hide that too, you'd need to compose your message in a notes app and paste it in, but that's not a built-in Instagram feature.
What if someone turns off read receipts with me?
You'll see a note in the conversation saying their read receipts are off. You won't see "Seen" next to your messages anymore, but you can still see if they're typing or if they're active on Instagram. It doesn't mean they're ignoring you — they've just chosen not to show when they read messages.
Can I turn off read receipts for everyone at once?
No. Instagram only lets you turn off read receipts per conversation. If you want to disable them with multiple people, you have to go into each conversation and turn them off individually. There's no account-wide setting for this.
Will turning off read receipts stop Instagram from tracking when I read messages?
Instagram still knows when you read messages — the setting only hides that information from the other person. Instagram's servers still log the data. If you're concerned about Instagram's data collection practices, turning off read receipts won't change that.