Skip to Content

Instagram Gains Status Dots to Let You Know When Friends Are Online

by

Instagram today announced the launch of a new feature that's designed to let you know when your friends are active on the social network. When a friend is online, their profile picture will be accented with a green dot in various places within the app.

You'll see the green dot in the Direct inbox and in your friends list when you share a post from the feed. Dots will be displayed for friends who follow you or people you have previously spoken to in Direct.

instagramstatusdots
If desired, you can hide your own status and turn off the ability to see when your friends are active in the settings section of the Instagram app.

Instagram says this new update is meant to make it easier to connect with friends over direct messages for more realtime conversations. The dots are rolling out to Instagram users today.

Instagram can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Top Rated Comments

99 months ago
How to turn off this?
It literally tells you in the article.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
riverfreak Avatar
99 months ago

...
Instagram says this new update is meant to make it easier to connect with friends over direct messages for more realtime conversations. The dots are rolling out to Instagram users today.
... (https://www.macrumors.com/2018/07/19/instagram-online-status-indicator/)
Uh, right. No, it’s meant to increase user engagement and the opportunity for more ad placements by feeding a generalized sense of anxiety and FOMO.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
99 months ago
I’ve had this all year. I turned it off though, they were annoying.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
99 months ago
imagine paying a cto, president of engineering, vp of engineering, a bunch of product managers and engineers to build and deliver..... a colored status indicator.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
haruhiko Avatar
99 months ago
How to turn off this?

Edit: just found out that I have already turned off the 'feature', thanks.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iphone fold text

iPhone Fold Crease Measurements Revealed as Device Hits Production

Wednesday February 25, 2026 5:37 am PST by
Apple has submitted production line orders for its upcoming foldable iPhone, effectively confirming that the device will launch this year, claims a Chinese leaker. According to the Weibo account "Fixed Focus Digital," assembly lines recently received the orders from Apple, which has apparently allowed the leaker to learn the crease measurements for the device's 7.8-inch inner display....
m3 macbook pro blue

M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro: What to Expect

Wednesday February 25, 2026 3:02 pm PST by
Apple is working on a new MacBook Pro that could launch next week ahead of the "Special Experience" planned for March 4, so we thought we'd highlight all of the rumors about the device so far. Design There are no rumors of design changes, and we are expecting the upcoming M5 MacBook Pro models to look just like the M4 versions. Apple will continue to offer 14-inch and 16-inch size options,...
Low Cost A18 Pro MacBook Feature Pink

Leaker Says Apple's Lower-Cost MacBook Will Have These 8 Limitations

Wednesday February 25, 2026 9:25 am PST by
Apple is expected to unveil its long-rumored lower-cost MacBook next week. Given it will be more affordable, this MacBook model will obviously have some reduced specs and compromises compared to the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. While we are still waiting for Apple to announce the new MacBook, a leaker has shared eight alleged limitations to expect, based on an internal version of Apple's...