Yes, you can turn off read receipts, but the setting works differently than you might expect
Instagram lets you disable read receipts in your direct messages, which means other people won't see the exact time you read their messages. You turn this off in Settings > Apps and Websites > Messaging, then toggle off "Read Receipts". Once you do, nobody will see a timestamp showing when you opened their DM.
The catch: turning off read receipts is an all-or-nothing choice. You can't hide it from some people and show it to others. If you turn it off, it applies to every conversation you have. And if someone else has read receipts turned on, you'll still see when they read your messages — the setting only controls what others see about you.
Key Takeaways
- Read receipts show the exact time you opened a direct message, and turning them off hides that timestamp from everyone you message with.
- The setting is in Settings > Apps and Websites > Messaging, and it applies to all your conversations at once, not individual chats.
- Turning off your read receipts does not prevent you from seeing when other people read your messages if they have read receipts turned on.
- Instagram still shows a "Seen" indicator even with read receipts off — you just won't see the specific time stamp.
Where to find the read receipts setting on different devices
On iPhone, open Instagram and tap your profile icon in the bottom right. Go to Settings and Privacy, then scroll down to find Apps and Websites. Tap Messaging, and you'll see the Read Receipts toggle. Switch it off.
On Android, the path is almost identical: profile icon, Settings and Privacy, Apps and Websites, then Messaging. The toggle is in the same place. If you're using Instagram on a web browser, you won't find this setting — Instagram only lets you control read receipts through the mobile app.
What happens when you turn read receipts off
When read receipts are off, people who message you won't see a timestamp next to their message saying "Seen 2:34 PM" or whenever you opened it. Instead, they'll just see that the message was delivered. This can be useful if you want to read messages without feeling pressured to respond immediately, or if you prefer not to broadcast your activity.
However, Instagram still shows a "Seen" indicator — just without the time. Some people find this distinction confusing. If you want to be completely invisible about whether you've read something, turning off read receipts won't fully achieve that. The person will know you've seen their message; they just won't know exactly when.
Why someone might turn off read receipts
The most common reason is to avoid the expectation of an immediate reply. When someone sees you read their message at 3 PM, they might expect a response within minutes. Without the timestamp, there's less social pressure to answer right away.
Some people also turn off read receipts for privacy reasons — they don't want others tracking their activity patterns or knowing when they're actively using the app. Others simply find the feature annoying and prefer a cleaner message interface without timestamps cluttering the conversation.
What you can still see about other people's activity
Turning off your own read receipts doesn't change what you see from others. If someone else has read receipts turned on, you'll still see when they read your messages. You can also see their "Active Now" status if they have that turned on, which shows whether they're currently using Instagram.
If you want to hide your own activity status from specific people, that's a separate setting. You can go to Settings and Privacy > Who Can See Your Activity and choose to hide your status from certain accounts. This is different from read receipts — it controls whether people see that you're online right now, not whether they see when you read old messages.
The difference between read receipts and activity status
Read receipts show when you opened a specific message. Activity status shows whether you're currently using Instagram at this moment. They're controlled by different settings and serve different purposes.
You can turn off read receipts but leave activity status on, or vice versa. Some people turn off both because they want maximum privacy about their Instagram use. Others only turn off one or the other depending on what matters to them. The choice is yours for each setting independently.
Why Instagram shows "Seen" even without timestamps
Instagram keeps the "Seen" indicator even when read receipts are off because the platform wants to prevent people from pretending they never opened a message. Without any indicator at all, someone could claim they didn't see your message when they actually did, and there'd be no way to know.
The timestamp is what you control with the read receipts setting. The "Seen" status itself is built into how Instagram's messaging works and can't be turned off completely. If you want to avoid showing that you've read something, your only option is to not open the message at all — but that's not practical for most conversations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I turn off read receipts for just one person?
No. The read receipts setting applies to all your conversations at once. If you turn it off, nobody will see timestamps for any of your messages. Instagram doesn't offer a way to hide read receipts from specific people while showing them to others.
If I turn off read receipts, will people know I did it?
Not directly. They won't get a notification saying you turned off read receipts. However, if they were used to seeing timestamps and suddenly stop seeing them, they might notice the change. There's no way to hide the fact that you've made this adjustment.
Does turning off read receipts hide my activity status too?
No, they're separate settings. You can have read receipts off but activity status on, or any other combination. If you want to hide both, you need to turn off the activity status setting separately in Settings and Privacy > Who Can See Your Activity.
What if someone screenshots my message before I turn off read receipts?
Turning off read receipts only affects timestamps going forward. If someone already saw a timestamp before you changed the setting, that information is in their memory or their screenshot. The setting doesn't erase past activity — it only controls what new messages show.
Can I see read receipts on Instagram Stories or posts?
No. Read receipts only apply to direct messages. Stories show you a list of who viewed them, but that's different from read receipts. Posts don't show read receipts at all — they just show like and comment counts.