Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms, but it also comes with some drawbacks. One of them is receiving unwanted messages from strangers, spammers, or trolls. If you are tired of dealing with these annoying messages, you will be happy to know that Instagram has introduced some new features to help you protect your privacy and control who can contact you.
Stop Unwanted Messages on Instagram
In this article, we will explain how to use these new features and share some tips on how to make your Instagram experience more enjoyable and safe.
New Features to Block Unwanted Messages on Instagram
Instagram has recently rolled out some new features that allow you to block unwanted messages on Instagram. These features include:
Message Requests: This feature lets you filter out messages from people who are not your followers. You can choose to accept or decline message requests from anyone who tries to contact you. You can also delete or report message requests if they are inappropriate or spammy. To access your message requests, follow these steps:
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- Go to your Direct Messages (DM) and tap on the Requests tab at the top.
- You will see a list of message requests from people who are not your followers.
- Tap on a message request to view it and decide whether to accept or decline it.
- You can also swipe left on a message request to delete or report it.
Vanish Mode: This feature lets you send and receive disappearing messages that vanish after they are seen or when you close the chat. You can use this feature to have more private conversations with your friends or anyone you trust. To enable vanish mode, follow these steps:
- Swipe up in an existing chat or turn it on from the settings menu in a new chat.
- You will see a notification that says “You’re in vanish mode”.
- You can now send and receive messages that will disappear after they are seen or when you close the chat.
- You can also turn off vanish mode anytime by swiping up again or tapping on Turn Off Vanish Mode at the top of the chat.
Restrict: This feature lets you limit the interactions with someone who makes you uncomfortable without blocking them. When you restrict someone, their comments on your posts will only be visible to them and you can choose to approve, delete, or ignore them. Their messages will also be moved to your message requests and they won’t be able to see when you are online or when you have read their messages. To restrict someone, follow these steps:
- Go to their profile and tap on the three-dot icon at the top right corner and select Restrict.
- You will see a confirmation message that says “You restricted [username]”.
- You can also restrict someone from your DMs by tapping on the i icon at the top right corner of the chat and selecting Restrict.
Tips to Enhance Your Instagram Privacy
Besides using these new features, there are some other ways to enhance your Instagram privacy and prevent unwanted messages. Here are some tips:
Make your account private: By default, your Instagram account is public, which means anyone can see your posts, stories, reels, and IGTV videos. If you want to limit your audience and only share your content with people you know, you can make your account private. This way, only your approved followers can see your content and message you directly. To make your account private, follow these steps:
- Go to your profile and tap on the hamburger icon at the top right corner and select Settings.
- Then tap on Privacy and turn on the Private Account toggle.
Manage your followers: Even if you have a private account, you may still have some followers that you don’t want to interact with anymore. You can remove them from your followers list without blocking them by following these steps:
- Go to your profile and tap on Followers.
- Then tap on the three-dot icon next to the follower you want to remove and select Remove.
Control who can tag or mention you: Sometimes, people may tag or mention you in their posts or stories without your consent. This can expose your profile to their audience and invite unwanted messages. You can control who can tag or mention you by following these steps:
- Go to your profile and tap on the hamburger icon at the top right corner and select Settings.
- Then tap on Privacy and select Tags or Mentions under Interactions.
- You can choose whether you want everyone, only people you follow, or no one to be able to tag or mention you in their posts or stories.
We hope this article helped you learn how to block unwanted messages on Instagram with new features and tips. If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to leave a comment below.