Are you familiar with a restrict feature on Instagram? Instagram restrictions are similar to blocking users, only more polite.
But How do you restrict on Instagram, and How to know if someone restricted you on Instagram?
While there isn’t an official way to determine if someone has restricted you on Instagram, certain methods may assist you in doing the same and figuring out the problem.
We will show you how to tell if you feel like someone has restricted your Instagram account.
By the end of this article, you’ll learn everything about the Instagram Restrict feature. So without ado, let’s get started.
What Does Instagram Restrict Mean and Do?
Instagram launched the “Restrict” feature in 2019 to give users a safe experience and prevent bullying. The Restrict feature is essentially the same as blocking on Instagram but more polite.
Instead of hiding your entire feed and story from a user by blocking them, you can restrict a user who still has access to seeing your posts while excluding their comments and messages. By restricting an account on Instagram, you can prevent unwanted interactions with users and avoid them.
Furthermore, restricting a user’s interactions will prevent you from receiving notifications for the comments he makes on his posts (which can only be seen and hidden from all other users).
You can tap on “See Comment” and choose one of three options: “Approve” to keep the comment, “Delete” to change it, or “Ignore” to ignore it. Also, you can see the message requests of a restricted user under the “Message Requests” tab.
However, you can remove restrictions at any time, and any hidden comments can be approved by the restricted user so that everyone can view them.
What Happens When You Restrict Someone On Instagram
When you restrict an account on Instagram, you hide the account’s direct messages and comments from yourself and other users.
As soon as you restrict someone on your page, their future comments will become invisible to the rest of the public. Alternatively, you can allow individual comments by the said individual on your page if you choose to do so.
- The user will no longer be able to see your Active Status.
- The user’s messages will go to the Message Request section of the DM, and you won’t be notified.
- You will no longer notify the user if you’ve seen their DMs.
- The user’s future posts or comments will not be visible to the public.
Restrict feature is designed to discourage persistent trolls from following specific accounts. Also, it’s great to help prevent the repeated posting of advertisements and MLM schemes that lead to scams.
Nobody you restrict will know whether they’re restricted or not. They can only tell if their comments have been restricted if they view your posts from another account that isn’t restricted.
Restricting someone is a great option when you don’t want to block, unfollow, or kick them out as a follower, but you also don’t want them to have unlimited access to you.
How To Restrict Someone on Instagram
Instagram allows you to restrict user accounts through the iPhone & Android app and their website.
Follow these steps to restrict an account on Instagram.
1. Go to the person profile and click on the three dots from the right side corner of your screen.
2. Next, select “restrict“.
3. The person will now be restricted.
Additionally, there’s also an alternative method to restrict someone on Instagram.
1. Go to your profile and tap the hamburger menu.
2. Now go to Settings > Privacy > Restricted Account.
3. Simply, Tap on continue and search for the account you like to restrict.
4. Select the user profile.
5. The person is now restricted.
Finally, if you wish to unrestrict someone on Instagram, here’s how.
1. Go to their profile and click on three dots.
2. Now select “Unrestrict“.
3. The User is now Unrestricted.
Easy peasy, right? Now that we have restricted their account, messages will be filtered from this account.
To view them, go to the message request. However, You can’t reply to their messages unless you unrestrict them first.
How To Know If someone Restrict You on Instagram
While a restricted user won’t know they’ve been restricted, it’s probably only a matter of time before they suspect you.
If you suddenly change how you behave and interact with them on the platform, they might be suspicious of it.
It is important to note that when you restrict someone on Instagram, you won’t be able to contact them directly, and your posts and comments will be hidden from them.
As I mentioned before, there is no foolproof way to find out if someone has restricted you on Instagram. However, these are some methods you can try.
1. Check Their Active Status
Though this method is less likely to confirm all your doubts, it is the first step towards knowing your suspicions. Instagram doesn’t allow restricted users to see the Activity Status of people they’re following.
When someone restricts you, you won’t know their Active Status. See if you can see the green “Active Now” dot on a user’s profile picture or status like “Active 1 hour ago” under their messages.
Unfortunately, if you do not see any active status, this might be due to a restriction. However, the users can hide their active status, so don’t just into conclusions.
2. Check Your Comments with Secondary Account
You’ll need a secondary account to know if someone restricted you on Instagram in this method.
Nevertheless, this method is very effective, and you can conclude your suspicions if someone restricts you.
For this method to work, you’ll need two profiles that follow the same accounts. You can use your friends’ accounts or create a new account and follow them.
The next step is to comment from your primary account to their recent posts and see if your secondary account can see your comment.
If you cannot see your comment on their posts, then it means that the user has restricted you on Instagram.
3. Send a Direct Message and Wait
You will need to wait a little longer to confirm your suspicions with this method.
As a first step, send them a Direct Message.
If they haven’t seen or responded to your message for a long time, then it is possible that the user has restricted you, and your message is moved to Message Requests.
However, it is also possible that the person has not been active for a while and perhaps hasn’t seen the text.
Instagram Restrict Vs Block: What are the Differences?
On Instagram, the Restrict feature allows users to set restrictions on who can comment on their posts and what kind of comments their followers will see so you can avoid unwanted interactions without alarming anyone about your restrictions.
Additionally, Restricted users cannot see when you’re online or have read their messages because your chat is moved to Message Requests.
On the other hand, if you block someone on Instagram, you can tell they’ve been blocked by looking at their posts, follower, and the following count. The blocked users cannot see your posts and stories even if you set them to public.
Furthermore, they are also unable to message you or comment on your posts.
In essence, the restriction feature gives the user the right to comment without disturbing and impacting you in any way. On the contrary, the block feature prevents users from viewing your posts and comments.
Conclusion
What’s great about the “restrict” feature is that those you’ve restricted will never know whether you’ve restricted them or not!
The only way they’ll know if they’re restricted is if they view your account from another account that isn’t restricted.
Many users are praising the addition of the Restrict feature that Instagram has made, and many have mentioned that the platform has become a lot more user-friendly since they were restricted to certain users.
In the end, It’s better to block people you don’t want to interact with or if you are dealing with a crazy stalker.
If you have any additional questions or suggestions, you can comment below or feel free to contact us.
Further Reading
How To Clear Recents on Snapchat
Genius Tricks To Read Instagram Messages Without Opening DMs
