Instagram has an option to restrict users, that is to limit what they can post and who can see what they can post on your account. Show
New Delhi,UPDATED: Nov 23, 2020 17:48 IST Comments from restricted accounts only remain visible to them and can be seen by users who restrict them if they allow it. (Picture: Reuters) Are you tired of constant DMs or the prying nature of certain people on Instagram but do not want to block or unfollow them? There is a feature on Instagram called Restrict accounts, which as the name suggests helps users to limit someone’s activity on Instagram. Over the years, Instagram has brought features like Close Friends and Hide Story From XYZ account to disable certain people to view your activity. Restrict accounts is one such option that allows you to limit what people can post on your profile. -- Users have control if others can see comments on their posts, their chat will move to your Message requests, so they will not see when you read it. -- Restricted accounts are also not able to see when you are online or if you have read their messages. -- The new comments from restricted accounts on your posts will only be visible to that person, and you can choose to see the comment by tapping See Comment. If you want others to be able to see their comment, you can tap Approve, then tap Approve to confirm, or you can delete it or ignore it. -- You will also not receive any notifications for future comments from that person. Restricting an account through a profile: -- Log into your Instagram account through your Android or iPhone. -- Go to the profile of the person you want to restrict. -- Click on the three dots on the right-hand side. -- Select the restrict option. You can un-restrict the person by following the same steps.
-- Tap on the Direct message or messenger icon in the top right and tap the chat with the person you want to restrict. -- Tap the person's name at the top right of your chat. -- Tap Restrict at the bottom. If you are in a group chat with someone that you have restricted, you will get a warning that you will see a restricted account’s messages. You can choose to stay on the group or leave the group. To restrict or un-restrict someone through your settings: -- Tap on your profile picture in the bottom right to go to your profile. -- Tap the three lines in the top right. -- Tap Settings and then tap Privacy. -- Below Connections, tap Restricted Accounts. -- Tap Continue. -- Search for the account you’d like to restrict and tap Restrict next to their username, or tap Unrestrict to un-restrict someone.
-- Go to your post and tap View all comments. -- Swipe left over the comment (iPhone) or tap and hold the comment (Android). -- Tap on the exclamation mark and then tap Restrict (username) or Unrestrict (username). If a restricted person comments on your post, you can tap See Comment to reveal what the comment says, or you can tap Delete to delete the comment. If you tapped See Comment, you can tap Approve, then tap Approve to make the comment visible to others, or you can tap Delete to delete the comment. Published On: Nov 23, 2020 A new Instagram feature designed to stop bullying went live on Wednesday. The "Restrict" option gives users more control over what comments their followers see on each of their posts. Instagram users can now "restrict" any chosen individual, which gives a few, immediate perks. If a user chooses to restrict any individual, all of their future comments will be invisible to the public. This only pertains to comments on posts by the person who restricted them. The user can also choose to approve the comments to make them visible to all users. This tool might be best used for repeat bullies, who leave negative comments on a given user's posts. With the tool, the bully will still be able to see their own comment, but third party Instagrammers won't know the comment exists. Another bonus is the restricted user won't know when the person who restricted them is online or has read their direct messages. Instagram explained some users may be nervous to fully block their bullies. "We've heard from young people in our community that they're reluctant to block, unfollow, or report their bully because it could escalate the situation, especially if they interact with their bully in real life," the app said in a press release. "Some of these actions also make it difficult for a target to keep track of their bully's behavior." Now, restricting a bully allows the user full control over the mean comments, while keeping the bully in the dark. "We wanted to create a feature that allows people to control their Instagram experience, without notifying someone who may be targeting them." So how can users take advantage of the new feature? In order to restrict an Instagrammer, users must find a comment they've left on any of their photos. Swipe left over the comment to see a "restrict" option. The person you restrict will seemingly not receive a notification they've been silenced. Instead, they'll be able to continue posting their nasty comments to an audience of only themselves. This isn't the first time Instagram has proposed an anti-bullying idea. The platform, and its parent company, Facebook, are contemplating removing likes from the social media sites. This would be in an effort to eliminate competition for attention on the platforms, according to CNN in August. Other social media platforms are making similar changes. Twitter introduced a feature called "hide replies," which is similar to the Instagram "Restrict" idea. Twitter users can now "hide replies" on their tweets. This means they can intentionally remove comments from any Twitter user on tweets they wrote. There is a difference between "Hide Replies" and "Restrict", though. When a Twitter user hides replies, they are still accessible to the public. A new, drop-down menu allows all Twitter users to see what hidden comments were left in the thread.
Have you noticed that someone has limited your access to their content on Instagram? Are your comments on their posts not getting as many responses as they used to? That could be a sign that someone restricted you on Instagram. Being restricted on Instagram is more difficult to figure out than being blocked, as it doesn’t remove your access to a person’s profile completely. In this article, we’ll tell you about the signs you can use to determine Instagram restrictions, and how you can use the restrict feature to limit people’s access to your own content. What Happens When Someone Restricts You on Instagram?Instagram’s Restrict feature is one of the privacy features that allows users to limit someone’s access to their account. In order to learn whether someone restricted you on Instagram, you first need to understand what this feature does.
In most cases, you won’t even notice when someone restricts you on Instagram. It’s a lot more subtle than when someone blocks you. Particularly because when you’re restricted, you can still open the user’s Instagram profile and see their content, including the user’s posts, stories, reels, and comments. You can even like their posts and send them direct messages. However, there are some things you won’t be able to do or see, when it comes to comments on Instagram posts, messages, and activity status. Restricted vs Blocked
Being blocked on Instagram is different from being restricted, as it removes your access to the user’s profile almost entirely. For example, as a blocked user, when you open the Instagram account of the person who blocked you, you’ll only see the information at the top of their profile: their profile picture, number of followers and following, number of posts, and their bio. Unlike a blocked user, the restricted account holder will be able to see all the posts, stories, and any other content on the page. They’ll be able to leave new comments on posts, see new and previous comments in the comment section from other subscribers. As a restricted user, you’ll also be able to send an Instagram DM (direct message) to the person who restricted you. However, your message will appear as a message request that the person can Block, Delete, or Accept. You won’t be able to see their activity status, as well as whether they received your message or not. As a blocked user, you won’t be able to message the person who blocked you.
Unlike being blocked, being restricted doesn’t affect your ability to tag and mention the person who restricted you. They will get a notification when you mention or tag them, as usual. How to Tell if Someone Restricted You on InstagramAs you can see, being restricted on Instagram is tricky to determine. So how do you know if someone restricted you on Instagram? There are only three ways to find out. 1. Check the Comments SectionInstagram first introduced the restriction feature to reduce cyberbullying. The primary function of this feature is to restrict unwanted comments from a user. On your end, it won’t look like anything’s changed. You can still leave comments on posts as usual. You’ll also be able to view your comments, but they may be hidden from everybody else. The user who restricted you will see your new comment appear behind a restricted comment message. They can then choose to approve your comment or keep it hidden from everybody else. If they approve your comment, it’ll become public, and if they deny it, only you and the user who restricted you will be able to see the comment.
So how can you find out if someone restricted your comments? Go on this user’s account on Instagram and leave a new comment on their post. Since comments will show up on your primary account as usual anyway, you’ll need to access Instagram using your secondary account. If you don’t have a secondary account on Instagram, you can either create a new account, ask to use a friend’s account, or ask to use an Instagram account of your family member. Right after you post a comment from your main account, check if you can view it from a different Instagram account. Make sure you do it straight away, before the user who restricted you can approve it. If you don’t see your new comment appear straight away, then your account was restricted. 2. Try Sending a DMYou can also find out if you’ve been restricted or not using Instagram DMs. When someone restricts you, your new direct messages to them will appear in a message request folder rather than in a regular chat. The person who restricted you won’t be notified of any new messages, and they’ll have to manually approve them to answer you. On the other hand, you won’t get notified if or when the user reads your direct message. To find out whether you’ve been restricted, try sending a DM to the person who you suspect restricted you on Instagram. After sending the DM, all you have to do is wait. If you see the user being active on their account but not responding to your message for a long time, then it could be a sign that your suspicion was right and they’ve restricted you. 3. Check Their Activity StatusWhen you get restricted, it removes your ability to view the person’s activity status. That means you won’t be able to see the last time they were online, or the last time they checked their messages. You can try to check the activity status of the person who you suspect has restricted you. Before you can do it, make sure that you have the option to show activity status enabled on Instagram. To do that, open the Instagram app, go to your profile page, open the menu, and follow the path Settings > Privacy > Activity Status. Switch it On to enable the feature.
When the Activity Status feature is on, you can see when the people you follow and message were last active on Instagram. Now head back to the person’s profile and check if you can see their last seen status (or their Active status if they’re currently online). If you don’t see this info, even though they recently posted on Instagram, there’s a chance they restricted you.
However, it’s also possible that they have the option of showing Activity Status switched off, in which case you should use some other method to check if you’ve been restricted. How to Restrict Someone on InstagramWhether you find out that someone restricted you or not, one day you might need to use this feature on someone else yourself. If you want to restrict someone on Instagram, you can do it through comments, messages, and settings. The instructions are the same for iOS and Android users. How to Restrict Someone in CommentsYou can restrict someone right in the comments section. To do that, follow the steps below.
How to Restrict Someone in MessagesAnother way to restrict a user on Instagram is via messages. To do that, follow the steps below.
How to Restrict Someone in SettingsYou can use the Settings menu to restrict someone on Instagram. Here’s how you can do that.
How to Restrict Someone on Their ProfileIf you’re viewing someone’s profile and want to restrict their account, you can do it right on their Instagram page by following the steps below.
How to Fix Someone Restricting You on InstagramFinding out for sure if someone has restricted you on Instagram is rather difficult. Plus, there’s not much you can do to gain back access to the person’s profile once they restrict you. Your best bet is to reach out to them personally and try to figure out a way to resolve the problem together. |