Instagram has very quietly added the ability for others to see when you’re using the app and if not, when you were last online.
It works just like WhatsApp’s active status which means it’s an all or nothing feature - you can only see everyone else’s status if you’re happy to share your own.
Unsurprisingly, this feature has raised a few eyebrows.
Before you start frantically Googling how to turn it off, fear not, we’re here to help.
Turning it off is really easy. Just open up the Instagram app, head to Settings and scroll down and you’ll see it tucked in at the bottom:
This new feature might feel like its been ripped straight from WhatsApp but Instagram already offers this level of visibility in another of its features: Stories.
Whenever you make a story you can see each and every person who’s viewed it and in that example there’s no way of turning it off.
More recently though Instagram added a more positively received feature which was the ability to start following entire Hashtags.
Each hashtag is turned into a curated profile which you can then follow, you’ll then be sent the best posts and stories that use that hashtag throughout the day.