Figuring out if someone has restricted you on Instagram is quite tricky. Unlike the block option, being restricted on Instagram doesn’t limit your access to the person’s profile and you can still continue to see their content, as well as message them normally without knowing you’re restricted. Isn’t it? Well, in this article, we’ll familiarise you with some hacks and tricks on how to know if someone restricted you from their Instagram account.
Here’s what happens when a user has restricted your account
Before getting into the tell-tale signs of whether someone has restricted your account, let’s find out what happens when someone restricts you.
1. All your messages to the concerned user won’t go into their Instagram DMs. Your conversation will appear in the message requests section.
2. Even if their activity status is enabled, you won’t be able to see whether they’re online or not.
3. Your comments on their posts aren’t published instantly. The user will have to manually approve your comment after which it will be shown to other people. However, you’ll still see the comment normally as if it’s already published.
How to know if a user restricted you from their Instagram account?
1. Leave a comment on the user’s post and check from another account
This trick works every time. If the user has restricted your Instagram account, then your comment won’t be immediately displayed on the post. So, after commenting on their post, you can use a secondary account or a friend’s account to check whether the comment is visible. You must do this very quickly before giving the user time to approve your comment. If you see the comment from another account, you aren’t likely restricted. But if you don’t, you know the answer.
2. Check how long they take to respond to your DMs
Another way to check if you’ve been restricted is to send a message to the user. If the person has indeed put a restriction on you, all your texts will go into the message requests section, and they won’t receive any notification of your DMs. Which means, they’ll take a relatively longer time to respond to you. So, if the person is constantly taking long hours to get back to you or is actively posting stories, reels, and pictures on their feed without replying – take this as an indication that restrictions against you have been put in place.
3. Keep tabs on their activity status
If someone restricts you, you can’t see their online status or last seen. So, if you were earlier able to view their activity status and now it is completely gone, chances are you might be restricted from their account. However, this could also mean that they have disabled the ‘Show Activity Status’ option in their profile, and nobody can track their online presence.
Please note: To view another user’s activity status, you must enable your activity status as well. To do that, go to settings and tap the ‘privacy’ button. Now, select the ‘activity status’ option and turn on the toggle against ‘Show Activity Status’.
Lastly, if someone has indeed restricted you from their Instagram account, it’s best not to pester them constantly. Respect other users’ space and don’t violate Instagram’s community guidelines.
Following the aforementioned tips, you’ll know if someone has restricted your Instagram account.
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This article first appeared on Lifestyle Asia Hong Kong
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
When someone restricts you on Instagram, your messages will go into their 'message requests' section instead of DMs. You'll also not be able to view their activity status. Lastly, your comments on their post will not be published until they manually approve it.
Yes, a restricted account can still see your Instagram stories.
You can restrict someone on Instagram for as long as you want. They'll only be unrestricted when you decide to do so.
Blocking a user hides your entire Instagram profile from them and they've no access to contact you. Meanwhile, when you restrict someone, they can still access your profile, stories and even send you messages.
