Everyone needs to know how to unread messages on Instagram. You need it when you accidentally open a message without intending to.
Sometimes, you realize you don’t have time to deal with content. What you need to do at that moment is to find a way to remember to go back to the message.
The unread mark by a message helps you know the messages you must return to. However, opening a message removes this mark, leaving you with a message you are not ready to deal with. The solution is to mark such Instagram messages as unread.
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How to make Instagram messages unread?
There are two ways to mark Instagram messages as unread. You can restrict the user or make Instagram messages unread if you have a Business or Creator account.
1. Unread messages directly on Instagram
This method is applicable to Business and Creator accounts only. Here’s how to make Instagram messages unread:
- Open Instagram and go to your messages.
- Tap on the conversation to open it.
- Tap and hold onto a message that you want to mark as unread.
- Press the More button and select Mark as Unread.
The message will be marked unread, and you can distinguish it from other read ones.
2. Restrict the user
Another way to make Instagram messages unread is to restrict the sender.
When you restrict a person on Instagram, they will not be able to interact with your account. In this vein, they will not know when you read their messages.
To restrict a user on Instagram, follow these steps:
1. Go to the user’s profile.
2. Tap on the three-dot icon in the top right.
3. Select Restrict.
The user will now be restricted from interacting with you and will not know when you read their messages.
How to read Instagram messages without being seen?
At first, it seems impossible to read Instagram messages without being seen. This is because Instagram sends a notification to the sender once you open a message.
So even if you later mark the message as unread, it will not remove the read receipt from the sender.
There is a hack to overcome this restriction.
After receiving the message, ensure you do not open it while your mobile data is on. Turn off your mobile data and WiFi, then turn on Airplane mode. Now open the message on Instagram while on Airplane mode and read it.
This method has its limitation too. The sender gets the read receipt once you turn on your mobile data.
The only way to bypass this is to uninstall your Instagram app before turning off the Airplane mode. Reinstall Instagram afterward, and the person will not know that you have read their message.
The other two methods explained above also work here. If you restrict the person who sent you the message, they will not see that you have opened their message.
How to turn off read receipts on Instagram?
Instagram does not allow you to turn off the read receipts. Once you open a message, the sender knows immediately.
However, that does not mean you have no way around it. You can turn off your mobile connection after the message loads. Then, read the message. However, you should not rely on third-party apps and browser extensions as they may get your account banned.
Conclusion
Knowing how to unread messages on Instagram will make your use of the platform easier. You can mark a message to be read later, even after opening it. You may need to change to a Business account before you can do this safely, though.
