Why is Instagram activity status not showing, and what can you check?

Most of the reasons that Instagram's help pages give for a missing activity status are settings, not faults. Instagram shows it only when you both have Activity Status on, and only for people you follow or have a chat with. If you can't see anyone's status, start with your own setting and your app. If only one person's status is gone, the cause is on their side or in the link between your accounts.

This guide takes the two problems one at a time, using Instagram's own Help Center. It also shows which popular explanations, such as a limit of 25 chats, aren't on Instagram's pages.

When does Instagram show activity status?

According to Instagram's page on who's active, you can see when someone is active, or when they were last active, if two things are true:

• You both have Activity Status turned on. If either of you turns it off, Instagram shows nothing.
• Your accounts are linked: you follow them, or you have a chat with them.

Instagram words the follow part in two ways. The page on who's active says that you see accounts you follow. The Activity Status page says that your status shows to people you follow. A chat counts in both versions, so a chat is the dependable link.

When both conditions are true, the status appears in messaging. You see a green dot or a time next to their profile picture. Your inbox shows a line such as "Active 25m ago" or "Active yesterday", and an open chat can show "In the chat". To learn what each one tells you, see what each activity status label means.

Before you check anything, decide which problem you have: nobody's status, or one person's status. The causes are different.

What should you check if you can't see anyone's status?

Check your own setting first. The Activity Status page says that when you turn yours off, you can't see anyone else's status. So with your setting off, every chat looks empty.

1. In the Instagram app, tap your profile picture at the bottom right.
2. Tap Menu (the three lines) at the top right.
3. Below How others can interact with you, tap Messages and story replies.
4. Tap Show activity status. If the switch is off, turn it on.
5. If the switch is already on, update the Instagram app and your phone's software.
6. Restart your phone.
7. Use Instagram on Wi-Fi, then on mobile data. This shows if a weak connection causes the problem.
8. If the status still doesn't show, delete the Instagram app and install it again. Instagram keeps your photos and profile.

Steps 5 to 8 follow Instagram's troubleshooting page, in the same order. On a computer, the setting starts from More at the bottom left. The guide on how to turn on activity status gives the computer path and a tip for when the menus move.

You can also compare the app with the web. Instagram's page on app problems says that you can always go to instagram.com in a browser. If the status shows on the web but not in the app, the problem is probably in the app.

Instagram gives one more possible cause: some features aren't available to everyone yet. If your setting is on and the app is up to date, report the problem. Go to your profile and tap Menu. Below More info and support, tap Help, then Report a Problem. Instagram's page on reporting a problem gives these steps.

Why would only one person's status be missing?

If your setting is on and you see other people's status, the cause is linked to that one person. The first four causes in the table come from Instagram's help pages.

Why one person's activity status can be missing.

Restrict works on one person. Instagram's Restrict page says that a person you restrict can't see when you're online. Activity Status is one switch for everyone. So if you see other people online but never this person, a restriction is one possible reason.

Sleep mode shows a status. According to Instagram's sleep mode page, the status changes to "In sleep mode" and the green dot changes to a moon. Most people can still use Instagram in sleep mode. So the moon tells you that sleep mode is on, not that the person is asleep.

The last row is the least certain. Instagram doesn't say how long a time stays visible, and the oldest example on its help page is "Active yesterday".

Which explanations online aren't from Instagram?

Several guides about this problem give rules that we didn't find on any Instagram help page. Instagram doesn't publish these rules, so they can be wrong or out of date.

Common claims about a missing activity status, compared with Instagram's help pages.

Treat these claims as reports, not as rules. If a guide gives a number, look for the Instagram page that supports it.

What does iLS show when the status is missing?

iLS has no separate way to see activity status. It uses your Instagram account to open your chat with the person you added, and it reads the line that Instagram shows there. So every cause above also applies to iLS. If one of you has Activity Status off, or if you have no chat, Instagram shows no line. Then iLS has nothing to read. If they restricted you, iLS can't see when they're online either.

When Instagram shows no line:

• The person's card on the Tracker says No presence to show yet.
• On the Report, those checks show as No signal.
• No alert arrives, because iLS doesn't see them come online. Alerts are browser notifications, and they don't work on iPhone yet.

iLS can't get around a turned-off setting, a restriction or a block. It needs an existing chat with the person, and Activity Status on for both of you. To read the status, iLS opens the chat, so their messages to you can show as read. Using iLS also breaks Instagram's terms, and Instagram can restrict your account. The guide to the account risk of using iLS explains this risk. For other messages on the Tracker, see fixing common iLS problems.

What can't a missing status tell you?

• That they're offline. No status means that Instagram doesn't show you their status. They can be on Instagram at that moment.
• That they blocked you. A missing status alone doesn't show a block, because other causes give the same result.
• When they were last active. Instagram doesn't say how long a time stays visible.
• Why they did it. Only the person can tell you why they turned off their status or restricted you.