Instagram has a new DM feature—here’s how you can turn it off

January 23, 2018

After angering users with suggested posts, Instagram has a DM update that might also bother some people.

Now, you can see when the people you follow were last active on the app—which means they can see your status too. Don't worry too much, though: there's a way to turn it off.

The activity status feature, introduced in Direct, shows real-time updates from the people you've messaged, just like Facebook Messenger. You are able to find out if someone's typing and if they've see your posts, as well as the number of minutes or days since they've been last active on the app.

“We’ve heard from our community that the ability to see when friends were last active helps them feel more connected as they go back and forth in Direct,” an Instagram spokesperson told Refinery29.

Clearly, many people think it's a good idea to show their activity status. If you're not one of them, there's an easy way to turn it off.

Here are the steps: click the Options icon on your profile, then scroll down to Settings and all the way to “Show Activity Status.” Slide to turn that off and everything it's back to the way it used to be.

Watch more: 10 actors who could play scene iconsS