How to Read Instagram Messages Without Being Seen

There are many ways you can check your Instagram messages. But the problem is that the platform marks the chats ‘Seen’ as soon as they’re opened. This raises the question, can you read new messages on Instagram without informing the sender? Yes, you can. Below are several ways to read new Instagram messages without being seen.

How to Read Instagram Messages Without Seen

Instagram doesn’t offer an option to disable the ‘Seen’ read receipts. However, with a few tweaks, you can quickly glance at or read the entire Instagram conversation without labeling it as seen. This way, you can avoid situations where you’re accused of reading and not replying to an Instagram message.

From Lock Screen Notifications

A simple trick to read Instagram messages covertly is to go through your lock screen notifications. Expand the Instagram alerts on your lock screen to read the newly received message. While this trick guarantees showing most new messages, you might have difficulty reading entire conversations.

1. Tap the down arrow next to the Instagram notification on your lock screen.
   
2. Press the drop-down arrow to read all related conversations.
   
3. If you’re on an iPhone, press the grouped Instagram notification alert to read all notifications from your lock screen.

Through Notification History on Android

Most Android devices include a Notification History feature that (if enabled) keeps track of the last 24-hour notifications. You can utilize it to read all new Instagram messages without opening the app or marking the message as seen. Here’s how you can enable and use it:

1. Open the Settings app and tap Notifications.
2. Press Notification History.
   
3. Enable the Use Notification History toggle.
4. If you’ve pre-enabled the feature, scroll down to locate Instagram. Tap the down arrow next to it to read all Instagram messages.
   

It will have the same limitations as messages on the notification screen. If a message is too long, you cannot read it completely.

Restrict the Sender 

A sure-shot technique for reading Instagram messages without ‘Seen’ is to restrict the sender’s Instagram profile. This will prevent the sender from seeing when you’re online or if you’ve read their messages. All messages from the restricted profile will go straight to ‘Requests’, where you can read them without altering the read status.

1. Go to the sender’s Instagram profile.
2. Tap the three-dot menu in the top right.
3. Press Restrict in the pop-up menu to limit the sender.
4. Next, head to the Instagram Direct Messages and tap Requests. All messages from restricted accounts land as Requests.
   
5. Tap the sent message.
6. You can now read it without being seen.
   
7. Once you’ve finished reading, head back to the profile to Unrestrict it.

Disconnect Internet and Log Out of the App

If you don’t wish to deal with the hassle of restricting profiles, you can disconnect the internet on your phone and read the new messages without getting seen. But the catch is that after restoring internet connectivity on your phone, you must log out from the Instagram app. Otherwise, the message can be marked as read. This method worked a few times for us, but we can’t guarantee it won’t trigger the ‘seen’ read receipts at all times. Follow these steps to try it:

1. Pull down the Notification panel (Android) or Control Center (on iPhone) to disable the internet connectivity.
   
2. Open Instagram and read the new message.
3. Next, restore internet access and open your profile. Tap the three-bar menu in the top-right.
4. Press Settings and Privacy.
   
5. Scroll to the bottom and tap Log Out to sign out of Instagram.
6. Finally, sign back in to use Instagram.

Use Third-Party Tools

Lastly, you can use free third-party tools like AirDroid and AiGrow to read new Instagram messages in ‘incognito mode’. These tools monitor your Instagram account and send new DMs to your mailbox. You can then read them without sending the read receipt to Instagram. However, they are a considerable risk to your privacy, and we do not recommend using them.

Wrapping Up

Reading Instagram messages without notifying the sender might seem impossible, but it can be achieved with a few nifty tricks. To get started, you can do it from your phone’s lock screen or use hidden features like notification history and Instagram profile restriction.

In case you’ve accidentally deleted an important conversation, you might want to learn how to recover deleted Instagram messages.

FAQs

How do you turn off your Activity Status on Instagram?

Open your Instagram profile settings. Tap ‘Messages and Story Replies’ and turn off the Show Activity Status toggle.

I accidentally cleared the Instagram notification from my lock screen. How do I read it again?

You can re-read cleared notifications using the Notification History feature on Android phones. It keeps track of the last 24-hour notifications received on your device.

Can you remove ‘Seen’ from a message you’ve read on Instagram?

Unfortunately, there’s no way to delete the Seen label once you’ve read the message. However, you can avoid it in the first place by following the methods listed in this explainer.