How to stop being added to groups on Instagram

Receiving spam messages has become a common occurrence when using a social media platform and Instagram is no different. While you can switch your profile from public to private, strangers can still send you message requests or add you to random groups, with some even being inappropriate ones.

If you’re annoyed by the constant alerts of random groups by strangers on Instagram, this post will help you solve the issue within minutes.

Can you stop anyone from adding you to groups on Instagram?

No. Technically, there’s no way you can stop others from adding you to groups on Instagram. This applies to both the people you follow and the ones you don’t. While groups from people you know are visible inside Instagram’s Direct Messages screen, group requests from unknown people will be sent to a special ‘Requests’ folder.

Your ‘special requests’, if you have one, will be visible inside the Direct Messages screen as a “Requests” link at the top right corner.

How to ignore alerts about getting added to an Instagram group

Step 1: Open the Instagram app on your phone and tap on your Profile tab at the bottom right

Step 2: Inside your profile screen, tap on the menu icon at the top right corner and select the Settings option at the bottom.

Step 3: From the Settings screen, head over to Notifications > Direct Messages.

Step 4: Under the Group Requests section, select the Off option.

While others will still be able to request you to be added to a group, you will no longer get alerts for these events.

What else can you try?

Besides being able to turn off alerts for group requests, you can try the following options to ignore notifications or avoid group messages on Instagram.

Muting a group

If the group you’re on is from one of the people you follow or includes your friends and family, you can mute it to avoid receiving notifications from the thread. To do so, follow the steps below:

Step 1: On the Instagram app on your phone, open the group conversation that you want to mute.

Step 2: Once the group is opened, tap on the ‘i’ icon at the top right and toggle the switch adjacent to ‘Mute messages’ to ON position.

Additionally, you can also mute mentions and video chats from the same screen if you want to.

Leaving the chat

If the group you were added to a group consisting of a bunch of people you don’t know personally, then you can directly leave the chat by following these instructions:

Step 1: Open the group conversation you want to leave on your Instagram app.

Step 2: Tap on the ‘i’ icon at the top right and select the Leave chat option.

Report the user adding you to a group

When an unknown person adds you to an Instagram group, you can report them as abuse, spam, or anything else and Instagram will take action on the user profile.

Step 1: Open the group conversation you want to leave on your Instagram app and tap on the ‘i’ icon at the top right.

Step 2: To report a user, hit the 3-dots menu adjacent to their profile inside the ‘Details’ screen, select the Report option, and follow the on-screen instructions to report them as abuse or spam.

The ultimatum: Block the person adding you repeatedly

In case you’re being added to groups repeatedly by the same user, the only option left for you is to block them once and for all.

Step 1: Open the group conversation you want to leave on your Instagram app and tap on the ‘i’ icon at the top right.

Step 2: To block a user, tap on the 3-dots icon adjacent to their profile inside the ‘Details’ screen, select the ‘Block’ option from the list and confirm the process by tapping on ‘Block’ again.