Instagram just added a new feature you might want to turn off — here's how (FB)

Instagram has a new feature that tells your friends when you were last checking the app, and it's turned on by default.

People started noticing the new feature in the Instagram apps for iOS and Android on Thursday. Thankfully, it doesn't tell everyone when you were last on Instagram — only the people with whom you share private messages, or those you tag in your Instagram Stories.

For those people, it shows the last time you opened the app, or the last time you were on the Instagram messaging screen. Recently active

Luckily, if you'd rather keep your Instagram addiction to yourself, it's easy to turn the feature off.

Tap on your profile page, then click on the settings gear underneath to your name, next to "Edit Profile." Inside the settings menu there's a toggle for "Show Activity Status."

Turn it off, and the fact that you check your Instagram every five minutes will remain a private matter.

options turn off show activity status

There's a catch, though — if you turn it off, then you won't be able to see when other people were last active. Such is the price you pay for privacy.

Team follow back

Another recent tweak to the Instagram experience is a new indicator that makes it easier to see if an account follows you.

Now, if you're looking at the profile of someone who follows you, but whom you don't follow, you'll see "Follow Back" instead of "Follow."

Instagram added the words follow back to the follow button now if they follow u, so you know if someone follows you or not 😱 pic.twitter.com/awHaeOqEk3
— Taylor Lorenz (@TaylorLorenz) January 18, 2018