Find Out How Accurate Instagram’s Active Now Status Is in 2024

Ever wondered if that "Active Now" status on Instagram is a real-time peek into someone's online life? In 2024, as social media continues to evolve, the accuracy of this feature has become a subject of curiosity. Let’s discuss this more in detail.

What Does Instagram's “Active Now” Mean?

In 2018, Instagram launched the "Active Now" feature, which is visible on the direct messaging tab. Placing a green dot next to a person's username or indicating when you last used Instagram lets people know whether they are active on the platform.

How Accurate is Instagram's “Active Now”?

Instagram can show an incorrect active status. There are several possible causes for this, including someone enabling location services or an issue with the app. Furthermore, in the chat bar, Instagram sometimes shows the wrong time since the last activity next to your name. 

By removing location services or turning off the Display Activity Status feature in the app's settings, you can disable this.

The Active Today feature on Instagram isn't always reliable. It may not be the case that you are online at that same moment because Instagram displays your online status anywhere from a few to 10 minutes after you log in. 

Also, the active status can be inaccurate if you have enabled location services.

How Does Instagram Identify Your "Active Now" Status?

To determine if someone is "actively using" the app, the software uses various signals, such as updating their status whenever they are active. While this is a real-time feature, there can be some lags.

In-app Activity

Instagram will count you as active if you use it to send messages, like posts, or go through your feed.

App Background Activity

If Instagram is open in the background when you're not using it, the app may still consider you as "active."

How is the “Active Now” Status Affected by Instagram?

The accuracy of this feature can be affected by several factors, such as network outages and user interactions with the app;

Using Numerous Devices

Your Active Now status might not always be true if you are using numerous devices to connect to Instagram. This is because, even if you are using a different device right now, Instagram can still display you as active on the last one you used.

Network Issues

Your Active Now status could be incorrect or delayed if you have a bad internet connection. Instagram must be able to communicate with its servers in order to change its status.

Using Connected Apps

If you have connected your Instagram account to other apps, such as Facebook, utilizing those apps could unintentionally modify your Instagram Active Now status. This is because certain apps might use Instagram's servers to send and receive data on your behalf.

Instagram's Algorithm

The platform's algorithm also influences the Active Now status. When deciding whether or not to display you as active, this algorithm considers a variety of factors, including your recent app usage, device usage, and network connectivity.

Instagram's "Active Now" status gives users an indication of who is online, but this convenience comes at the expense of privacy. The software creates a wealth of data by continuously monitoring different activities to update this feature. 

However, this data acquisition raises security issues. In the absence of appropriate security measures, such as tracker blockers, this data is susceptible to data theft. This is where PurePrivacy comes into play.

Is Your Friend Really "Active Now" on Instagram?

Instagram's activity status isn't always as real-time as it seems. There can be a slight lag between when you open the app and when your status updates to "Active Now." Likewise, closing the app might take a few minutes to reflect as "Last Active" with a specific timestamp.

For those who haven't been on Instagram for over 24 hours, the platform displays a more general "Active Yesterday" or "Active [number of] days ago" status. This provides a broader timeframe for when you were last active, even if it wasn't very recent.

How to Hide Your "Active Now" Status on Instagram

Want to keep your Instagram activity private? Here's how to disable the "Active Now" feature:

1. Launch the Instagram app on your Android, iOS, or iPhone device.
2. Tap your profile icon in the bottom right corner.
3. Tap the three lines in the top right corner to access the menu. Select "Settings."
4. Go to "Privacy" and scroll down to "Activity Status."
5. Turn off the "Show Activity Status" toggle.

Once disabled, you won't be able to see other users' activity status, and they won't be able to see yours.

PurePrivacy Helps You Improve Your Online Privacy

PurePrivacy is an app that focuses on digital security and protects your online identity. It serves as your social privacy manager. 

PurePrivacy looks over your social media settings, suggests changes to improve your privacy, and even assists you in deleting your data from online sources.

PurePrivacy protects your privacy through a comprehensive set of measures:

Effortless Privacy Management

Securely erase your search history across multiple social media platforms with a single tap and gain control over your content. Perform a comprehensive scan of your social media settings to get personalized recommendations for optimizing your privacy configurations.

Data Broker Management

With your consent, our Remove My Data feature sends recurring removal requests to supported data brokers. You can track progress through the in-app dashboard, receive weekly reports, and determine your data's risk score. 

Enhanced Security

Establish a secure, on-device VPN to block known trackers from communicating with their domains. You can also choose to whitelist specific trackers you deem safe.

Social Sites Aren’t Always Accurate!

Since Instagram's "Active Now" feature might help determine someone's general online presence, it shouldn't be depended upon for pinpoint accuracy. 

Updates may not happen right away, and even if the user isn't actively using the app, the green dot might stay on. 

Instead of seeing it as proof that someone is always staring at their phone, it's better to view it as a general indication of availability.