How does restricting someone on instagram work
What It Means to Restrict on Instagram—And How to Do It
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National attention on mental health has put pressure on social media giants like Instagram to address safety and security on their platforms. In response, Instagram has recently launched new privacy features, including a restriction option that allows users to limit how often they see comments and messages from certain accounts on their feed. And while you can tell if someone blocked you on Instagram, this feature won’t alert the user that you have restricted them.
The restrict on Instagram feature aims to protect users from harassing, abusive, or annoying comments and messages on their profiles. Whether they are dealing with a menacing cyberbully or embarrassing family member, “oftentimes users don’t want to escalate the situation or cause unnecessary confrontation if they interact with the person offline,” says Katelyn Sorensen, CEO of Loomly, a brand marketing company. “This makes the restrict feature a perfect solution for someone who wants to prevent another account from interacting with them without the other account knowing.” Instagram’s commitment to user privacy also explains why you can’t see who views your Instagram profile.
Ready to try this new privacy feature for yourself? We’ve got the scoop from experts on what the restriction feature does and how to use it. As you read, keep in mind that the restrict feature on Instagram only limits your interactions with another Instagram account. If you want to stop someone from messaging you through Facebook, you’ll need to learn how to block someone on Facebook Messenger.
What does restrict mean on Instagram?
Restricting a user on Instagram is similar to blocking them—but a little more polite. Whereas blocking a user hides your entire feed and stories from them, the restrict feature simply hides their comments and messages from you while still allowing them to view your posts. “It’s a more subtle way to limit unwanted interactions without completely removing them from seeing your content,” says Teresa Day, president of PLANOLY.
“Unlike blocking someone on Instagram, the account you’re restricting will not be aware.” When you restrict on Instagram, you can avoid unwanted interactions online without breaking any social media etiquette rules.
What happens when you restrict someone on Instagram?
By restricting an Instagram account, you hide the account’s comments and direct messages from yourself and other users. You also will not receive any notifications when that person comments on your posts or sends you a message, and they will not be able to see some of your activity, such as when you are online, either. “Restricting someone is perfect for those times when you don’t necessarily want to block, unfollow, or kick them off as a follower, but you also don’t want them to have unfettered access to you,” says Michelle Krasniak, author of Social Media Marketing All-in-One for Dummies. To view a restricted user’s comment, you can tap “See Comment” and choose from one of three options: “Approve” if you want others to see the comment, “Delete” if you want to remove it or ignore it.
You can also see a restricted user’s messages under the “Message Request” tab.
How to restrict someone on Instagram
You can restrict an account on Instagram via the iPhone or Android app as well as on Instagram’s website. This is how to restrict on Instagram through an account’s profile.
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- On the user’s profile page, tap the three-dot menu icon in the top right-hand corner of your screen.
- Tap “Restrict.”
- First-time users may see an explanation about the restriction feature. Tap “Restrict Account,” if so.
- A pop-up window will say that the user is now restricted. Tap “Learn More” for more information or “Dismiss” to go back to their profile.
Want to reverse the restriction on Instagram? Here’s how.
- Open the user’s profile page.
- Tap the three-dot menu icon.
- Tap “Unrestrict.”
To restrict an Instagram account through the comments section of a post, follow these steps.
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- For Apple users, swipe left on a comment from a user you want to restrict. Android users should tap and hold the comment.
- Tap the exclamation point icon, then choose “Restrict.”
- To unrestrict an Instagram user through their comment, swipe left for iPhones or tap and hold the comment for Androids, tap the exclamation point icon, then select “Unrestrict.”
You can also restrict an account through your settings.
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- Go to your profile.
- Tap the three-bar menu icon in the top-right corner.
- Tap Settings > Privacy > Restricted accounts.
- Enter the name of the account that you want to restrict.
- Tap “Restrict” next to the name of the account.
Now that you know how to use this feature on Instagram, find out how to start a secret conversation on Facebook.
How to know if someone restricted you on Instagram
Although a restricted user won’t be notified that you have restricted them, “it’s probably only a matter of time” until they notice something’s up, according to Krasniak.
“If your behavior toward and interactions with them on the platform suddenly change, they may start asking questions,” she says.
There are a couple of ways to find out if someone restricted you on Instagram. Check to see if you can view the green “Active Now” dot on the user’s profile picture or statuses like “Active 1h ago” underneath their messages. You can also try to leave a new comment on their latest post and ask a friend to see if your comment is visible. If your friend cannot see the comment that you just posted, then you might have been restricted.
That said, there are no foolproof ways to know that someone has restricted you on Instagram. Instagram allows users to turn off their activity status for everyone, and comments might get delayed before appearing on a post. You can avoid other dangers lurking on your Instagram app by looking for these signs an Instagram ad can’t be trusted.
Sources:
- Katelyn Sorensen, CEO of Loomly
- Michelle Krasniak, senior content marketing manager at CyberGRX and author of Social Media Marketing All-in-One for Dummies
- Teresa Day, president of PLANOLY
- Facebook: “How do I restrict or unrestrict someone on Instagram?”
- Instagram: “Introducing the ‘Restrict’ Feature to Protect Against Bullying”
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When You Should Use Each Privacy Option
Blocking someone on Instagram is a good way to take control of your engagements on the social media app, but blocking someone you know in real life can make things pretty awkward.
After all, they'll know you've blocked them.
Luckily, Instagram's Restrict feature helps you avoid those awkward situations. This article will help you understand what the Block and Restrict functions do on Instagram and how they differ so that you can decide which option is best when trying to avoid someone.
What Does Restricting Someone on Instagram Do?
We know what blocking does—it prevents someone from interacting with you on Instagram and viewing your posts. But what does restricting someone mean on Instagram, and what happens when you restrict an account?
To put it plainly, it helps you avoid unwanted interactions with other users without alerting them. Introduced as an anti-bullying feature, restricting on Instagram gives you more control over what comments both you and your followers see on your posts by limiting what restricted accounts can post on your profile.
It's different from muting and blocking someone on Instagram. When you restrict someone, their comments and messages will be hidden from your profile.
It’s like keeping the restricted user behind a privacy window where they can see you, but they can't exactly interact with you as normal, and they don't realize that this is the case.
The tool comes in handy when dealing with repeat bullies who leave negative comments on your Instagram posts and who may harass you in your Direct Messages. Think of it as a soft block—a toned-down version that offers similar capabilities, but in a limited manner.
Block vs. Restrict on Instagram: How It Affects Access to Your Profile
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When you block someone, your Instagram profile is hidden from them. They won't be able to find it if they looked. That means they won't have access to your posts, Stories, and profile information—unless they access your profile through another profile you haven't blocked.
If you're concerned that someone's Instagram posts violate community guidelines, you can report their profile on Instagram before blocking it.
When you restrict someone, not much changes on their end in terms of the visibility of your profile and posts. They can still view your Stories and feed, and you can see theirs. While there are ways to tell if you are blocked on Instagram, it's much harder to figure out if you have been restricted.
Blocking someone prevents them from being able to comment on your posts. But when you restrict them, you can both comment on each other's posts. The difference is that the comments made by the person you've restricted will only be visible to them and no one else.
In other words, they will not know their activity has been restricted. Essentially, they will continue to enjoy the ability to comment on your posts, without these comments impacting you or other followers. As for your comments on their posts, nothing changes. They will still be able to see them.
Toxic comments can cause emotional and mental trauma. If you want to enjoy a peaceful experience online, consider filtering toxic comments on social media.
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The restricted person's comments appear along with others under your post but under a protected message. You will not receive a notification when they comment on your post, so you can only view their comments by opening the post and going through the comments section.
To view the comment, tap See comment. You can then choose to either Approve or Delete it. If you approve it, it'll be visible to everyone, like the rest of the comments. If you delete it, neither you nor the restricted person will be able to see it.
Either way, they will not be notified of the action you have taken.
Block vs. Restrict: How It Affects Messages
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When you block someone on Instagram, you can't message each other. But it works differently when you restrict an account.
Here are the implications:
- A restricted person can message you.
However, their messages arrive in the Requests folder. - You will not receive notifications when they message you. You will only be able to see their messages if you manually view your message requests.
- If you do view their message, they will not be notified by the "seen" text in the chat. This means they won't know when you've read the message.
- If you find yourself in a group chat with someone you've restricted, Instagram will give you a heads-up that you'll see a restricted account's messages. You can then choose to leave the group or stay.
To reply to a restricted person's message, tap Unrestrict at the bottom of the screen. You can also select Delete to get rid of the message. If you do not wish to engage with that person further, tap Block.
Other Differences Between Blocking and Restricting Someone on Instagram
There are some other differences between blocking and restricting on Instagram.
This applies to seeing activity status, tags, mentions, and notifications. Just like the block option, when you restrict someone, you can no longer see each other's active status, so you will not know when they were last online and vice versa.
A person you've blocked can't mention or tag you. In fact, blocks remove all kinds of interactions, so you will not be notified. However, a person you've restricted can tag you—although you won't be notified. The only exception is if you've placed limitations on who can tag you in your Instagram settings—like people you follow or no one at all.
In these instances, an account you've restricted won't be able to tag you. Unfortunately, you'll be notified when they mention you. That means Instagram's Restrict function doesn’t work with mentions.
Block vs. Restrict: Will the Affected Person Know?
There is no direct way to know if someone has blocked you. However, there are ways you can find out, like looking for their profile. If you can't find it on Instagram, even though you know that their profile is active, you'll know they've blocked you.
This isn't the case with the Restrict feature though. A restricted person will never know if they have been restricted. Everything appears normal on their end as they can still comment on your posts, send you messages, and view your profile like another user. The difference is only on your end.
If you're dealing with bullies, restricting them isn't the best course of action against them as they can still reach you. Instead, you can hide your social media profiles from bullies to avoid them contacting you.
How to Block Someone on Instagram
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To block a user, go to their profile, tap the three-dot icon at the top-right of your screen, and select Block.
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You can also go to your profile > Settings > Privacy > Blocked accounts > plus icon. Enter their account name in the search box and tap the Block button next to it.
How to Restrict Someone on Instagram
There are three methods to restrict a person on Instagram:
- Directly from comments
- Through your account settings
- From their profile
We'll explain each of these methods below:
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On an Android phone, follow these steps:
- Tap and hold the comment from the person you want to restrict.
- Tap the information icon (an exclamation point in a bubble) at the top and then the Restrict button.
On iOS, follow these steps:
- Swipe left on the comment.
- Tap the information icon (an exclamation point in a bubble) and then Restrict.
How to Restrict a User From Your Settings
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To restrict a user from your account settings, you can follow these steps:
- Go to your profile and tap the three-bar menu icon in the top-right corner.
- Go to Settings > Privacy > Restricted accounts.
- Now search for the account you'd like to restrict, then tap the Restrict button next to the chosen account.
How to Restrict a User From Their Profile
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You can also restrict an account using their profile page.
To do this, follow these steps:
- Go to the Instagram profile you want to restrict.
- Tap the three-dot menu in the top-right corner.
- Select Restrict.
Which Function to Use to Avoid People
Your decision to block or restrict someone on Instagram depends on your reasons and how much access you want to give that person to your profile. If you don’t want them to interact with you in any way or to see anything on your profile at all, you should block them.
Just ensure you're okay with them knowing that they've been blocked. If you want to avoid someone without them knowing, then restricting is your best bet.
How to know if I'm limited on Instagram
can give us Social Media A glimpse into the lives of others. Although this tool is useful to keep up with friends, but accessing it can become an easy problem. offend some persons Hide identity In an online environment, harass others.
If you are dealing with such harassment على Instagram and looking for a way to reduce them, you might be able to help you. Here's what you need to know about this tool and what happens when you do it Restricting someone on Instagram.
In this article
What is a restrictive function?
Instagram posted " restriction In 2019 to combat cyberbullying and create a more positive society. Cyberbullying has been a common problem on the platform. Using the deterrence feature is one tool that can be used against bullies or unwanted interactions.
Essentially, you can use this feature to subtly restrict someone's access to your account. This tool is designed to frustrate the aggressor's attempts to cause embarrassment. At the same time, you can avoid direct confrontation, which can further exacerbate the problem.
For example, if someone relentlessly leaves rude comments under every post you make, restricting that user could nip the problem in the bud. The restriction will also protect the direct messaging space from their unwanted calls and messages. However, you will still be able to interact with the user you have restricted whenever you want.
Due to its confidential nature, the restriction can be used for purposes other than combating harassment. You can use it to deal with enthusiastic followers or relatives who flood you with embarrassing comments.
What happens when you restrict someone on Instagram?
Here are the changes you can expect when clicking the Restrict button on someone's profile:
Their messages will be included in your message requests.
Whether you follow each other or not, restricting a user will redirect their messages to the Message Requests folder. This also includes their responses to your stories. You can find your requests in the top right corner of the private messages folder.
In the Message Requests section, you won't be notified of new messages that the person might send you. However, you will still be able to view their messages if you wish. Even if you view it, the sender will not be notified. Read receipts will be hidden, as is usually the case with message requests, until you accept them.
If you want to reply to a restricted person, you must remove the restriction.
Your activity status is hidden from them.
Normally, when the active status of both parties is enabled, a green dot indicates when the other party is online, and vice versa. Apart from the bubble, you will also see exactly when it was last active. If this makes you uncomfortable, you can hide your activity status from all users by simply disabling this feature. However, as a result, you won't be able to see anyone's status either.
You can continue to use this feature and at the same time hide your activity from unwanted users by restricting them.
Their comments under your posts are hidden by default.
Finally, restricting a user will also hide their comments on your posts from the public. They will be able to comment as normal, but their comments will only be visible to them unless you choose otherwise. You will also not be notified of their comments.
You can view their comment by clicking View Comment below the hidden comment. You can click Agree, Delete, or just ignore the comment from now on.
If you're constantly experiencing comment spam and the problem isn't just one or two users, there are other solutions available. Automatically hide offensive comments with the Hidden Words menu, or create your own list of unwanted words. Choose who can comment on your posts, or limit activity for a set period until things calm down.
What's left?
As already mentioned, the restricted user will still be able to send you messages and comment on your posts, albeit with additional information. Most importantly, they will still be able to see all your content normally - new posts in the feed, stories, videos, accounts you follow, etc. They may like your content, and their likes will still be visible to others users. In addition, you will see their content as usual and be able to interact with it. If you follow them, limiting them will not result in unsubscribing.
How to restrict someone on Instagram
You can access the restriction feature from several menus.
From user profile:
- Find the person you want to restrict.
- Find the three dots in the upper right corner of their profile.
- Select Limit and confirm your choice in the pop-up window.
From comments:
- Select a comment or spam comment by continuing on Android or swiping left on Apple.
- Look for the exclamation mark icon in the menu above.
- Select Block (name) and then confirm your choice.
From messages:
- Start a conversation with the user you want to restrict.
- Click on the username at the top.
- You will find the Limit option at the bottom of the menu that appears. Confirm your choice.
From settings:
- Open settings and click "Privacy".
- Locate the Restricted Accounts menu.
- You can add any account here by searching.
Additional questions and answers
Can I cancel the restriction?
Yes, you can remove the restriction from your account at any time. You can do this by opening the user's profile and clicking on the three dots, or by going to your privacy settings and deleting them from your list of restricted accounts. You can also remove the restriction from their message request.
What is the difference between prohibition and restriction?
Blocking is a strict measure because the person you have blocked will not be able to interact with you in any way. Also, it's easy to see that you've been blocked because the profile of the user who blocked you will show up blank. You won't be able to send them messages or leave comments. They will know that they have been blocked, which can lead to embarrassing situations.
Unlike blocking someone, restricting them is more conservative. Users will continue to see your content and feel like they can still interact with you in the same way. This is a rather indirect way of avoiding someone without causing conflict.
Will the user know that I have restricted them?
One of the main advantages of using the restrict function instead of blocking someone is that it is a more subtle way of restricting interaction. At first glance, they will not even notice that they are tied.
However, if they continue to insist, sooner or later they will realize that something is wrong. The user can sign in with a different account, or ask a friend to check if their comment appears at the bottom of your post.
Can I participate in a group chat with a restricted account?
If you are in a group chat with a user you have restricted, this will be indicated in a note. You can then decide if you want to leave the conversation.
Keep your Instagram safe
It's very important that we control our social media accounts and not the other way around. Fortunately, more and more settings allow us to stay safe. The Limit option on Instagram is a great example.
Have you ever used it or do you prefer other platform privacy tools? Write to us in the comments!
what is it, what is it for and how is it done
Bad experience with another Instagram account is not uncommon. The person leaves rude or offensive comments on your posts, or comments too much, or sends you nasty messages in private messages. If this happens, the social network gives us options with which to limit communication with this other person.
One of the options available today is to restrict anyone on Instagram. This is a feature that many people don't know about, but seems to be a good help in situations like this. This is something that can help us restrict some other account on the platform from communicating with us.
Content
- 1 What is it and how to use the limit on Instagram
- 1.1 How to limit
- 1.2 to remove restrictions
- 2 Close someone on Instagram
- 2.1 how to block someone
- 2.2 unlock someone
What is and how to use limit on Instagram
Limit is a feature available on Instagram with which we will limit our communication with another account . When this feature is used on the platform, the communication between us and this account will be different, it will have a number of restrictions or limitations. This person will be able to continue to see our profile normally, the posts we upload or stories, and likes. This also applies to us, who will be able to continue to visit your profile, see your posts and like them.
Where there are changes, it is in the relationship between accounts. Because that person will be able to continue commenting on our Instagram posts, but those comments must be approved by us. Namely, your comments will not be published directly in the post in question. Instagram will let us know that this person left or tried to leave a comment and that we should review it. We can decide what to do with this comment, so if we don't like it, we can make it invisible, then we don't approve it.
When we use restrictions on Instagram, more than just comments are affected. Direct messages between accounts will also undergo some changes. This person will still be able to send us messages, but messages sent by them will be sent as a request. It's not something you usually see in your inbox like other messages. But we will have to go to the requests section in the messages to see this message. In addition, this person will not be able to see when we are online in the chat, and also will not be able to see if we have read the message. Instagram usually shows a read confirmation, which for that person we have restricted, then disappears.
How to restrict
Now that we know what the restriction function consists of, we can do it with an account. It's perfect for those moments when we want to limit the communication of the account with us, because it's somewhat annoying or even not very good. Also, we can use the function as many times as we want. The steps we need to follow if you want to restrict someone:
- Open Instagram on your device.
- Find the person you want to restrict. Either among your followers or simply by using the in-app search feature.
- Once in your profile, click on the three vertical dots in the top right corner.
- Wait for the context menu to open. Click "Restrict" in this menu.
- Instagram will show you a notification confirming that this account is now restricted.
- If there are more beads, repeat this process with them.
The person you applied these restrictions to will never know about it. There are no notifications on Instagram to let someone know that the person has restricted you. This is something you may notice if you see that some of their comments were not posted on your photos or if the posts were never read. But in general, this is not something they will know for sure.
remove restrictions
Of course, we can change our mind at some point after we used Instagram restriction feature. We regret applying these restrictions to any social media account, or we finally saw that it wasn't necessary. In all cases, this is a process that can be reversed without much difficulty. In this way, just as restrictions were applied at some point, we will be able to remove them so that said communication can return to normal. The sequence of actions in this case is as follows:
- Open Instagram.
- Find this person's profile that you previously blocked.
- Click on the three vertical dots in the upper right corner.
- In the menu that appears, click on the "Remove restriction" option.
- If you need other unrestricted accounts, repeat this process for them.
When such restrictions are lifted, the connection between the two accounts returns to normal as we mentioned. Your comments will be published directly to our Instagram posts. Plus, your messages will show up right in your inbox and you'll know when we're online, or see if we've read any messages you've sent us.
Block someone on Instagram
Instagram's restriction feature is a way to limit 's communication with that person. This is an option that can be a good help if we have no problems with this person, but we think that he comments too much or sends us a lot of messages. If the experience with the Instagram account is really negative, you can always resort to the block option, although this is outside the scope of what the restriction does.
When we block someone on Instagram, they will remove or make it impossible to have any contact with that person . In addition, this person will not be able to find us on the social network. Our profile will be completely private to them, so they won't be able to see or interact with anything we upload to our account. We also can't see your social media profile. If we try to find it, we won't see anything. Of course, a link between two accounts is also not possible. This person will not be able to send messages and will not be able to send us messages.
Blocking is something more extreme , right. This is what we should use if someone really bothers us or is very insulting or insulting. There are times when an account dedicates itself to bothering us or trying to make our life impossible. If we block this account, everything will be over as you will not be able to communicate or contact us. As you can see, this is a more extreme feature than a limitation.
How to block someone
If there is an account on Instagram that bothers us or really annoys us, we can block it. There may be cases where the constraints are not strong enough or don't work the way we want them to. Then you can resort to the blocking option. Also some time ago Instagram introduced an additional option when blocking someone . Because we may not only ban your current account, but if you open other accounts in the future using the same email address, we may also ban those accounts. This way we will avoid having to do it again in the future. If you want to block someone on a social network, follow these steps:
- Open Instagram on your device.
- Search the app for the person you want to block and go to their profile.
- Click on the three vertical dots in the upper right corner.
- In the menu that appears, click on the Block option.
- Select whether you also want to block future open accounts.
- Tap the blue Block button.
- If there is someone else, repeat the process.
unblock someone
As with Instagram restriction, We can also unblock the account process. So we're going to unblock this person. Perhaps we talked to them personally, or after a while we considered it unnecessary to further block them. This is something that can be changed, although the process is different from the restriction, because by blocking this person, we do not have access to his profile on the social network. This is what we will have to do in the settings of the application itself by doing the following:0003
- Open Instagram on your device.
- Click on your profile picture in the lower right corner.
- In your profile, click on the three horizontal bars on the right.
- Go to settings.
