Instagram shows a user’s last activity status through its Activity Status feature. This feature allows you to see when someone was last online, but only under specific conditions.
To see when someone was last active on Instagram, follow these steps:
- Open the Instagram app on your mobile device
- Tap the Direct Messages (DM) icon in the top-right corner of the screen.
- Select a conversation or view the chat list.
- Check the text under the person’s username, where Instagram displays information such as “Active now,” “Active 5 minutes ago,” or a similar time indicator.
Instagram displays this information only if the person has Activity Status enabled and if you have previously exchanged direct messages with them. If these conditions are not met, their last active time will not appear.
This method allows you to see the most recent activity of people you interact with on Instagram, making communication timing more transparent.
Conclusion on Instagram Last Active Feature
The Instagram Last Active feature shows when a user was online by using Activity Status, which is visible only in direct messages. You can see someone’s last activity if you have chatted with them before and if they have not disabled this feature in their privacy settings.
Instagram Last Active is effectively the same as the Instagram Last Seen function. Both rely on activity status to indicate whether a user is currently online or when they were last active. If activity status is turned off, Instagram does not display any online or last-seen information.
Summary by Editor: Instagram was launched in 2010 after evolving from a location app called Burbn. Founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger focused on...
Summary by Editor: Instagram was launched on October 6, 2010, as an iOS-exclusive app and gained rapid popularity. The platform was founded by Kevin ...
This feature helps users understand availability, but it also respects privacy by allowing activity visibility to be disabled at any time.
If my last active time is very long, does it reduce my chances of appearing on the Explore page?
No, having a long last active time does not directly affect your chances of appearing on the Explore page. Instagram’s algorithm focuses on content quality, engagement, and user interactions not your activity status. Explore visibility depends on factors like saves, shares, watch time and Instagram impressions. Even if you haven’t been active in DMs for a while, strong engagement on your posts can still help you rank and appear on Explore effectively.
