Has your friend not responded to your Instagram message, even though they’ve been online?
It might be they are just busy or haven’t checked in for a while.
So, are you wondering how accurate Instagram’s active status is or is Instagram Active now accurate?
Let me help you clear all your doubts about Instagram’s “Active Now” feature in this article.
What is “Active Now” Feature?
The “Active Now” feature is an online status indicator in social media platforms that signifies when a user is currently online or has recently been active.
Popular platforms like Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp have incorporated variations of the “Active Now” feature.
The Active Now status on Instagram tells the users when their friends are active.
You will notice a green dot appear below the name of your friend and there should be an ‘Active Now’ status.
This feature lets us gauge how quickly we will get a response to our messages.
Is Instagram Active Now Accurate?
Instagram’s “Active Now” shows when someone is online, but it’s not always accurate. Things like keeping apps running in the background or being logged in on multiple devices affect its accuracy.
Instagram records the time when each user is on the platform. It uses various factors to determine if the user is online.
For example, how recently the user has logged in, the battery settings on their phone, the privacy settings of the device, other third-party apps, etc.
There are several factors that affect the accuracy of the Active status. I will discuss those points in detail below.
How to Disable Active Now Feature on Instagram?
Many users don’t like the “Active Now” feature because it shows when they’re online to friends and followers on Instagram.
If you can see a friend online, they can also see you active.
However, you can turn off the “Active Now” feature on Instagram by following the steps.
- Go on your mobile Instagram app.
- Select the profile icon at the bottom right panel.
- Select the 3 horizontal lines in the top right corner.
- Choose “Setting and privacy“.
- Scroll down and tap “Messages and story replies“.
- Tap on “Show activity status“.
- Toggle off “Show Activity Status“.
Now nobody will be able to know your active status even if you come online.
Factors that can Affect the Accuracy of the Active Status on Instagram
This feature comes in handy but it is not perfect. Factors like technical glitches and your phone settings can affect the accuracy of the Active status on Instagram.
- Technical difficulties – Sometimes, there can be a glitch or a bug that can result in temporary inaccuracy of the active status. Check the app in the app store and see if there is an update.
- Battery settings on your phone – The accuracy of a user’s activity status is affected if the phone is in Battery Saver mode.
- Privacy settings – A user’s privacy settings affect their activity status because these settings stop Instagram from sharing your activity with others.
- AIs, bots, and third-party apps – There are several third-party apps that can reply, comment, and post for someone. These apps can show that the users are active even when they are not.
You can make changes to your settings based on your preferences but there is nothing you can do about your friends.
They may have an Active status even when they are not and there’s nothing you can do about it.
Hence, you should not take this feature too seriously and resent those friends who don’t reply immediately even when they are active. Because they might not be.
How to Verify the Accuracy of Instagram Active Status
Now that you know the limitations of this feature, here’s what you can do to check how accurate the feature is for you.
- Monitor your activity log regularly – The activity log will show your activity on the app. If your status doesn’t match with the activity then this feature is not accurate for you.
- Check for third-party apps – If there are any automation tools that are connected to Instagram then you can disable them for an accurate assessment of your active status.
- Check your device settings – Turn off your battery saver mode and give relevant access to Instagram for an accurate read of your activity on the app.
How long does ‘Active Now’ status last on Instagram?
As soon as you go offline, your followers can see that you are active for 5 more minutes.
This may be because users may go to reply to a message on another app and pop back in within a minute or two.
But if a user has been gone for more than 5 minutes, they are shown to be inactive. After 5 minutes, the status changes to ‘Active (x) minutes ago’.
Instagram Active Now feature is updated every time a user interacts with the app or visits their profile page. But there is no exact time for how long the status will stay active.
The time until the active status stays visible differs from person to person. People who stay active for extended periods are shown to be active for a longer duration compared to those who are less frequent.
It is entirely possible that a user who uses Instagram has a visible status for an hour after they have stopped using the app.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Instagram show me ‘Active’ when I am not?
The main reason why Instagram shows that you are active when you are not are the notifications.
When there’s a notification from Instagram, it sends a push notification to you on all the devices that you are logged in from.
This triggers the feature and shows that you are active even if you have not opened the app yet.
If you have logged in on multiple devices then it will affect how Instagram will read your activity.
Can someone be online on Instagram without knowing?
Yes, it is possible to be seen as being online even when you are not using the app. This occurs if you have enabled the setting of ‘Last seen’.
Anyone who is following you can check when you were last active. If you want to hide this then turn your ‘Last seen’ setting off.
If you want to only hide it from certain people then you can select the people you want to hide the activity status from.
Instagram is very good at letting you control how much information your followers can access and lets you customize it.
If you select a couple of people who monitor or stalk you then even if you are online, they will not be able to see that.
Conclusion
With Instagram’s ‘Active Now’, you can see when friends are online and ready to chat.
In this article, I have answered the question raised by the users “Is Instagram active now accurate“. Also, I have described the steps to turn off the Active now status and keep yourself invisible even after coming online.
It defeats the purpose by being inaccurate and leads to conflicts between friends so you should choose how much your friends should know about your Instagram activities.
Hope you enjoyed it!