With our increased engagement and communication on social media platforms, it is important to understand the activity statuses available on these Apps. Instagram has four status options that automatically update according to your activity on the platform. 

Net Influencer delves deeper into an Instagram activity indicator called “Active Today”. We interpret this in comparison to the other 3 options available on the app.

If you see “Active Today”, Instagram is informing you that the user has not been active on the platform in the last 8-24 hours. For example, a user who chatted on Instagram 3 hours ago, will be times stamped with the number of hours since their last activity – “Active 3h ago”. 

However, if a user was active on Instagram 12 hours ago (between 8-24 hours), the activity status will only show “Active Today”. This status indicator does not specify the hours of inactivity but informs users that you were active on the app some time between 8 and 24 hours. 

The activity status is displayed beneath the username in the direct message list. This is visible when you tap the heart icon at the top right-hand corner of your feed screen. 

You may choose not to share your activity status with other users. Set your status to private and your activity will not be shared. However, you will not be able to view other users’ activity statuses either. A blank space replaces the number of hours since their last activity on the app.

Types Of Activity Status on Instagram 

There are four different activity statuses available on Instagram. 

Active now: Active within the last 5 minutes

This status includes a green dot to show that the user is online on the app. The app shows you are online even if you have been inactive for five minutes. The status indicates that you are active on the app and therefore, likely to receive the messages. 

Active X H/min ago: Active within the last 5 minutes to 8 hours

This status indicates that the user was active on the app a specified amount of hours and minutes ago. This status is displayed when you are inactive for more than 5 minutes but less than 8 hours. 

Active today: Active within the last 8 to 24 hours

This status indicates activity during the course of 8 to 24 hours. It reflects your activity and not hours of inactivity.

Active yesterday: Active within the last 24 to 48 hours 

This status indicates that the user was inactive on Instagram for 24-48 hours. 

You can also choose to share if you’re currently active in a chat.

How to hide your activity status on Instagram

Hiding your Activity status on Instagram is quick and easy. 

• Open Instagram and tap on your profile icon, in the bottom right corner. 
• Tap on the menu icon at the top right corner of your Instagram profile screen. 
• Now, tap on Settings from the pop-up. 
• Tap on Privacy from the settings menu for the list of privacy settings. 
• Scroll to locate the Activity Status on this screen, then tap on it. 
• Toggle “Show Activity Status”, off to hide your Instagram Activity Status.

Be reminded that while your activity status will not be available for display and viewing by other users, you will not be able to view other users’ activity status, either. 

The Origin of Instagram’s Activity Indicator and “Active Today”

Instagram’s activity indicator was rolled out to all iOS and Android users in January 2018. With no fuss and hype, the swift and silent application of this feature on the platform was embraced by all users. 

How to Use ‘Active Today’ in Content Creation

Keeping track of followers’ activity on the platform is vital for content creators. What’s even more nifty about the feature, is that you do not have to be following or have the user follow you to view their activity status. As long as you have direct messaged the user, you can view their activity status.

This is versatile for tracking habits and schedules of creators you want to collaborate with or super fans and followers of your account and brand. For quality engagement, having sight of the users’ activity on the platform is key. Knowing when to reach out makes all the difference and enhances communication.

Conclusion

With this information, any confusion related to “Active Today” and even its 3 counterparts have been cleared up. All users are given the option to turn off this feature and protect their privacy. However, the data collated from monitoring activity habits can be invaluable to content creators or any Instagram user interested in understanding the best times to interact with followers and post content.