What Does Instagram Active Today Without a Green Dot Mean

Have you ever been confused by Instagram‘s ‘Active Now’ or ‘Active Today’ status?

Users often wonder what it means and find it difficult to determine if the individual is really engaged in the conversation or just browsing around. Instagram users may also have noticed that the ‘Active Now’ tag sometimes appears next to their usernames, even though they aren’t really using the app at the time.

This essay, fortunately, will help you learn the difference between the Active Now and Active Today statuses. The different explanations for why Instagram could show Active Now incorrectly will be more clear to you as you read on.

Does ‘Active Now’ on Instagram mean chatting?

The “Active Now” feature on Instagram indicates whether or not a user is currently engaged with the app. A user’s “Active Now” status may not always indicate that they are online and available to talk with other users.

Seeing “Active Now” next to a user’s name means that they are actively logged into Instagram on either their mobile device or a computer. This might imply that they are actively interacting with the platform’s content by frequently scrolling through their feed, viewing stories, liking posts, or exploring other updates.

The “Active Now” status alone does not specifically imply that the person is actively chatting, although it is likely that they may be.

What does Active Today mean on Instagram?

If someone has the “Active Today” status, it suggests they have not checked Instagram for eight to twenty-four hours. Status updates to minutes or hours of activity are shown if the user has accessed Instagram at least once in the past eight hours. However, Instagram quits tracking and displays the “Active Today” banner following 8 hours.

“Active today” signifies that the user has been on Instagram during the last 24 hours, but not within the past 8 hours.

Instagram will indicate how many minutes or hours have passed since a user was last active if they have used the app within the previous 8 hours. As an example, it may say “Active 15m ago” or “Active 3h ago.”

When a user hasn’t engaged with Instagram in the past 8 hours, but has been active at a certain point in the past 24 hours, the status will change to “Active Today.” When you get this alert, it means the person logged in earlier in the day, but not recently enough to provide an exact time.

What does Instagram Active Today without a green dot mean?

Short Answer: Users who have been on Instagram within the previous 24 hours but aren’t presently online or using the app may have the “Active Today” status displayed without a green dot next to it.

A user’s “Active Today” status alone may tell you just that they have logged into the service today, but not whether or not they are currently online. The green dot, on the other hand, displays next to a user’s profile picture when they are currently logged into Instagram and ready for instant messaging.

To sum up, if a user’s “Active Today” status does not include a green dot, it means that although they have used Instagram over the past 24 hours, they are not actively using the app right now. They may have exited Instagram without actively using it by closing the app, switching to another app, or leaving the app altogether.

Why does Instagram say Active Today instead of hours?

When the time on Instagram exceeds 8 hours, the app will no longer display the exact number of hours or minutes but will instead use the less specific heading “Active Today.”

It is assumed that ‘Active Today’ is used rather than disclosing the specific time after 8 hours to protect the privacy of users and safeguard their interests. This enables a more flexible and user-friendly platform experience and gives an indicator that the user has been active at some time throughout the day without disclosing the actual timing.

That being said, if you really do not want to share your chat activity on Instagram, you can always disable this feature by navigating to Settings from your profile, selecting Privacy followed by Activity status and then ultimately disabling the Show Activity Status option.

Why does Instagram say ‘Active Now’ when I’m not?

Instagram says ‘Active Now’ even when you’re not because you have just signed out, the app continues to function in the background, the app has been left open on the device without any usage, your account has been compromised, Instagram is glitching, or you are using your Instagram account on multiple devices.

1. User has recently logged out

When you log out of Instagram, the “Active Now” status may remain for a while even after you quit the application. There may have been a lag in updating your status, but don’t worry; the problem should go away soon. After some time, the status should match what you’re actually doing.

2. App is operating in the background

You may still have Instagram open in the background even if you’ve switched apps or locked your phone. Even if you’re not using the app at the moment, it can still display you as “Active Now” until it notices your inactivity and adjusts your status.

3. App is open but there’s no engagement

Even if you aren’t currently using Instagram, the app may still show as “Active Now” if you keep it open on your phone. You may have experienced this if you launched the app but then abandoned it to focus on other tasks.

4. Account has been compromised

If your Instagram account has been hacked, the hacker may be actively updating to your feed right now, which will appear as “Active Now” to your followers. If you believe that someone else has gained access to your account, you should change your password and turn on additional safety settings right away.

5. Technical glitches

Sometimes, discrepancies in showing activity status might be the result of technical glitches or errors. This may lead the app to show that you are “Active Now” even if you aren’t really using it. Clearing the app’s cache, restarting the program, signing out and back in, or reinstalling the Instagram app may help if you keep running into this issue.

6. App is open on multiple devices

Instagram’s “Active Now” status may be set by activity on any of your devices if you use the app across several platforms, such as a phone and a computer. Even if you’re not actively using Instagram at the moment, the “Active Now” status may still be shown if you’ve left the app open on one of those devices.

Instagram users should log out of the app from all devices and shut any open tabs when they aren’t using the app to prevent giving the impression that they are online.

SEE ALSO:

Can You See Who Viewed Instagram Highlights After 24 Hours

How To Post Horizontal And Vertical Photos On Instagram

Can Someone See I Viewed Their Instagram Story If Not Friends?

FAQs

Q1. What is the difference between Active today and Active now on Instagram?

When someone is said to be “Active today” on Instagram, it indicates that they have used the app during the last 8-24 hours. A user who is marked as “Active now” on Instagram is someone who made an appearance within the previous five minutes.

Q2. Can you be active on Instagram without being on it?

While the Instagram app is running in the background, the ‘Active now’ status may be shown even if the user is not actively interacting with the app. Someone might be displayed as ‘Active now’ on Instagram despite having closed the app.

Final Words

We’ve looked at the reasons behind Instagram’s activity status display in this post, highlighting the difference between “Active Now” and “Active Today.” We’ve also spoken about the circumstances under which Instagram could display “Active Now” even if you’re not currently using it.

There are a number of things you can do to make using Instagram less of a hassle, from signing out when you’re done to quitting the app and protecting your account to fixing any problems that may arise.

Akshita Pattanayak

An anime aficionado who also maintains a keen interest in global developments in the fields of technology & gadgets. In her downtime, she can be found trying out all possible varieties of dumplings. A strong believer in animal rights, she can’t help but pet every cat she sees.