Want to know ‘how to open Instagram messages without being seen?’ This post is for you. Since millions of people are using Instagram, you, too, might have some friends on it. You often want to read someone’s messages without letting them know, but unfortunately, there’s no dedicated option available.
When you read someone’s messages, or they read yours, a seen message with the timestamp is shown under the message. Luckily, a couple of working methods are available to eliminate this. We have mentioned the best ways to read Instagram messages without seeing them. You can follow these methods on any device of your choice.
How To Open Instagram Messages Without Seen?
As rapid changes are coming to technologies every day, new methods of bypassing the limits and features are getting launched. You might have seen various apps and browser extensions that allow you to use a social network anonymously.
There’s no harm in using such tools if they are from a trusted source. You must rely on the methods mentioned here to see Instagram messages without letting them know.
1. Read From The Notifications:
If you want to sneak peek at Instagram messages without the other person knowing, simply checking the Instagram app notification can give you an idea about the message without marking it as read. This technique works well to get an overview of the message contents before deciding if you want to open the chat.
Notifications include a message preview, which you can read to see without opening the chat. However, notifications only show a limited amount of text, so this method is best for getting a general sense of the message rather than reading it fully. Also, this method doesn’t work when the message is a media file.
2. Using Airplane Mode:
One of the easiest ways to read Instagram messages without being seen is by enabling the Airplane mode on your phone. Turning on Airplane mode before opening the Instagram app will load the messages but will not register as read since your phone is offline. You can then disable Airplane mode to go back online once you’re done reading the messages.
This method ensures the messages remain unread, but you risk missing important new messages while your phone is in Airplane mode. You can also not like, reply or share anything from inside the Instagram app. Follow the steps below to read Instagram messages in Airplane mode, as this method works for Android and iOS devices.
- First of all, open Instagram and go to the Messages tab.
- Find the message you want to read but do not open it yet.
- Now, Turn On the Airplane mode from the notification center.
- Open the Message which you want to read.
- Keep the Airplane mode turned on while you read the message.
- Once you’ve read the message, Force Stop the Instagram app.
- You can enter the App Info section from the Settings menu.
- Now you can Turn Off the Airplane mode, and the message will still be unread.
3. Log Out Method:
Logging out of your Instagram account is another simple trick to read messages without others knowing. By logging out after viewing the messages, Instagram will not mark them as read since you’re not technically logged into your account. However, you cannot reply from that view, so this method is best used just to sneak a quick peek.
The advantage here is that it allows you to remain anonymous while reading the messages in full. This method works just like the Airplane mode but is more effective than previous ones. Sometimes even if you have the Airplane Mode turned on, Instagram might send the read receipts to the user, and that’s when this method comes in handy.
- First, open the Instagram Messages tab.
- Find the message you want to read but do not open it.
- Now, Turn On the Airplane Mode and read the message.
- Instead of force-stopping the app, log out of the app.
- To do this, you need to go to your Profile Page.
- Click on the 3 Lines (Menu) icon on the top right corner of the screen.
- Now click on the Settings and Privacy option on the pop-up menu.
- On the settings page, scroll down to the bottom.
- Under the Login section, click on the Log Out [Username] option.
4. Restrict The Account:
Restricting a user who has sent you a message will allow you to view it without marking it as read. Once you’re done reading the message, you can unrestrict the account so they can message you again. This method works for personal and business profiles so you can follow it without any worries.
Restricting the account ensures their messages do not deliver to your main inbox, so you can read them quietly without triggering the “Seen” notification.
However, the sender may realize they have been restricted and figure out you read their message secretly. Here’s how you can restrict an account from reading their messages anonymously.
- First, open the profile of the person/account you want to restrict.
- Now click on the 3 Dots (Menu) button on the top right corner of the screen.
- A pop-up menu will appear on your screen.
- Simply click on the Restrict option from the list.
- When you click on it, the account will be restricted.
- A pop-up confirmation message will appear on your screen.
- Now you can open the Messages section and read the messages of that account.
- Once you are done, click on the 3 Dots (menu) option and then click on Unrestrict.
- Doing this will help you enjoy all the features like a normal account.
5. Unread A Message (Only Business Accounts):
Business Instagram accounts can manually mark a message as unread again, even after opening it. So if you accidentally open a message and want the sender’s message to remain unread, you can press and hold on the message and select “Mark as unread” to have it appear as if you’ve never opened it before.
Again, this feature is exclusive to business profiles and not personal accounts. However, repeatedly marking and unmarking messages as read may draw suspicion from the sender, and they will know you’ve read the message. If you have a business account on Instagram, you can follow the steps below to Unread A Message.
- Open your Instagram account and go to the Messages tab.
- Now open the message and read it like you normally do.
- When you are done, Long Press on the name of the profile.
- A pop-up menu will appear from the bottom of the page.
- Click on Mark As Unread from the list, and you are done.
6. Use Spying Apps/Tools:
Numerous third-party spying apps and programs claim to allow you to view someone’s Instagram messages without them knowing.
While such tools may achieve this purpose, they often violate Instagram policies and can also pose security risks. So it’s usually best to avoid these and instead use the more legitimate methods mentioned above.
These spying apps should be used cautiously due to the security and privacy implications. They may also damage your relationship with the other person if used without permission.
Many parents use such services to monitor their children’s accounts, and you can do the same. Here are some new great Instagram spying services.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Many questions might arise in your mind related to Instagram messages’ timestamps and the methods mentioned here.
You are not alone; we’ve got plenty of questions from readers asking general questions on the topic. Read the answers to most common questions related to Instagram DM seen glitches and how to preview Instagram messages.
You can go invisible while reading Instagram Direct messages in a few ways. You can enable ‘Airplane Mode’ to disconnect from the internet so the app can’t mark messages as seen. Logging out of your account before opening the app is another option – the app won’t know you’ve read the messages since you’re logged out.
There are many possibilities for this, and the reason is not certain. The recipient may have WiFi issues, so the message showed as delivered, but the app couldn’t properly update to “Seen.” They could’ve read your message from the notification shade, so it listed as “Opened,” but Instagram wasn’t active then.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a foolproof way to know if someone has read your Instagram message. All you can see is if the message switches from “Delivered” to “Seen.” However, people use sneaky methods to read DMs invisibly without changing the status to “Seen,” as discussed in this article.
“Ghost Read Mode” refers to Instagram users’ techniques to secretly view Direct Messages while appearing “invisible” to the sender. Using things like Airplane Mode, logging out of the app, or restrictions for Business accounts, someone can discretely read your DMs and media within chats while keeping their status as “Active Now” hidden.
There are a few reasons the “Seen” timestamp on an Instagram message might change. Sometimes it’s simply a display bug within the app and refreshes to the correct time upon reopening the chat. Other times, the recipient may have initially read your message via the notification shade so it registers as “Opened,” but only later fully opens the Instagram app to view – this updates the status to “Seen.”
Final Words:
So, this is how to read Instagram messages without being seen on iPhone, Android, and the web. There are hundreds of ways to read Instagram messages without seeing the app and website, but we have mentioned only the working ones on this page. We have tried these methods, so we can confirm they are safe.
We will add more methods to open Instagram messages soon, so you can keep visiting this page to see the latest updates. If you have been able to open Instagram messages without them knowing in 2023 and you think the method works for all, share your views with us via the comments below.
Hi, I am Anshul Mathur. A Cisco Certified Network Associate and Blogger from Sikar, Rajasthan. I love digging deep into the technology world, therefore I write about it on this blog.