The Instagram social network has its own message and communication platform, integrated to be able to chat with your followers in a simple way. The Direct messages (DM in English) are the tool with which we interact privately, with each contact. But how can we view the messages without opening them, in case we do not want the other person to know that we have read their message?
The following are 4 simple methods with which you can read direct messages without opening them, step by step we tell you how to activate them. You can choose the one that is most comfortable for you, and start viewing direct messages without opening them.
Contact restriction method
La option to restrict to a contact It appeared in 2019 on Instagram, as a tool to reduce cases of harassment and bullying on the social network. When we restrict a contact, their direct messages go to the Requests section. There, we can read the messages and the sender will not know that we have read them. Technically, it's as if we hadn't opened them.
To restrict a contact, we have to select the Restrict option in the actions menu at the top right. We confirm the account restriction option and that's it. Every new direct message will be in the request section so you can see them whenever you want. Once you finish reading the messages, you can cancel the restriction in the same way.
Turn off WiFi connection and Mobile Data
Si you cancel connectivity to mobile data or to the Internet through WiFi networks, you'll be able to read all the direct messages you've received up to that point, without the sender seeing the “read” mark. It does not work with images and videos, and also once we recover the Internet connection, the reading mark will be automatic.
To get more time without being marked as read, you can force close instagram and as long as you don't open the app again, even if you connect to the internet the messages won't show up as read.
Disconnect the WiFi network and mobile data from the quick access menu of your mobile. Read received direct messages and force close the app, preventing it from running in the background.
Turn off the internet connection and log out
This third option is very similar to the previous one. The difference is that, after we log out and read the messages, we are going to log out of Instagram before re-enabling connectivity. This option prevents the message from being marked as read when reconnecting to the Internet.
To log out, you can go to the Instagram settings options and select the Logout option or choose the Logout option. Clean data in the applications menu. Either option will log you out so that Retrieving the Internet doesn't automatically mark any received direct messages as read.
The Instagram social network includes chat through direct messages.
Read messages with third-party apps
One last alternative to read messages on Instagram without opening them is use apps from third-party developers designed for this purpose. There are different apps, such as AiGrow, Unseen. It is not the most recommended alternative, since Instagram's own options do not require us to enter our social network account on another platform, but some users prefer the comfort of an exclusive app to read messages without opening them.
AiGrow, for example, incorporates the possibility of reading Instagram direct messages, directly from your email inbox, and without the senders knowing that we have read them. To configure this option, the steps are as follows:
- We create a free account on AiGrow and from the app dashboard, we choose the DM to Email tab.
- We enter our email account and confirm the data.
- Once the email account is linked to your Instagram user, you will receive an email every time someone sends you a direct message. When reading it from the AiGrow tray, it will not appear in the chat as seen.
Conclusions about direct messages and reading them without opening them
The social networks are very versatile communication tools, but at certain times we do not want the other person to know that we read their messages. Whether it is because we do not want to respond immediately, because they are messages that we would prefer not to receive but we want to have them stored, there may be different reasons.
What we explore in this little tutorial, are the simplest and most concrete alternatives to be able to visualize the direct messages and that they do not appear as read. That is, reading the messages without actually opening them. Either with third-party applications, or by disconnecting the phone from the Internet, or by restricting the contact in question, there is the possibility of reading messages without opening them and thus maintaining our privacy. Each one chooses when to use this function and take advantage of its usefulness.
