Instagram has new feature that lets people track your activity: how to turn it off

Instagram now lets users see when you’re online and when you’re away, plus how long it’s been since you checked the app.  The new Last Active feature is creepy, for some.

Instagram introduces new Last Active feature

The  app has rather quietly introduced a new feature called ‘Last Active’ that lets some contacts see the last time you logged on to the app or were active on it — down to the minute.

Troublingly for some, the default setting for the app is ‘on’ – meaning your friends will know exactly when you’ve been scrolling through your feeds — unless you turn this off.

Direct Messages – see who’s active and when

Thankfully, if you have this setting on, not all your followers will be able to see your most recently Instagram activity; it’s limited to people you follow and have previously talked with via direct messages, and that’s where you’ll see this activity info.

The app shows how long it’s been since you were last active: was it earlier today? Last week? Are you active now? The app will tell your message recipients.  Want to keep that info private? Here’s how to turn it off:

How to turn off Last Active on Instagram

1.  Go into your Instagram profile and select the Gear icon beside “Edit Profile”
2.  Scroll down to Show Activity Status.
3.  Use the switch to toggle the setting to off

It’s worth pointing out that if you turn off your Last Active feature, you won’t be able to see others’ activity either.  Fair’s fair, I guess.

It’s a simple fix, really, but one that lets you have more control over your privacy information and potentially keep creepers at bay.

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