Instagram is making a welcome change by testing a feature that many users have been eagerly awaiting. Now, you can turn off read receipts in your Instagram DMs, granting you greater control over your privacy. Both Mark Zuckerberg and Adam Mosseri made the announcement through their communication channels.
Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, conveyed the news by stating, "We heard your feedback and have started testing a new feature that lets you turn off read receipts in your DMs. Soon, people will be able to choose when to let others see when they've read their messages."
In the screenshot shared by Instagram's head, you can see the Privacy & Safety menu for direct messages. Accessing this menu is as simple as tapping on the name of the profile within a chat. For those included in the testing group, a convenient toggle can be found under the "Who can see your activity" section, allowing you to disable read receipts. While the company didn't specify the scope of this feature's testing, users can anticipate its availability in the near future.
Instagram's introduction of this feature may seem overdue when you consider that Meta-owned WhatsApp has offered the ability to turn off read receipts since 2014. Nevertheless, it's a step in the right direction for enhancing user privacy and control.
In addition to this read receipts off feature, Meta, Instagram's parent company, plans to introduce default end-to-end encryption for Instagram DMs. This rollout will occur after the feature is fully implemented for Messenger. In August, Meta announced its goal to complete the implementation of end-to-end encryption by default for Messenger by the end of the year, prioritizing user privacy and data security.
