Meta has recently released a few good features for Instagram. One of them, called ‘Quiet Mode’, is a time-management and focus tool that lets users, especially teens, use the app more responsibly. With it, Instagram users can silence their push notifications whenever they are taking a break from the app.
Here is everything you need to know about the new Quiet Mode feature, what it is, what it does, and how to turn it on or off with ease.
What is Quiet Mode on Instagram
As the name suggests, the aptly titled Quiet Mode feature is a way for users to hush incoming notifications about likes, comments, DMs, etc. Quiet Mode can also be customized to turn on automatically during certain hours, allowing users to set healthy boundaries so they can focus on their studies or work during certain hours of the day.
Instagram will also prompt teenagers to enable this new feature if they spend too much time on Instagram, especially at night. Exactly how many hours one needs to spend on Instagram at night for this prompt to appear is unclear as of now.
All this comes at a time when criticism about Instagram’s impact on the mental health of teenagers is on the rise. With such changes, Instagram is doing all that it can to move away from its association with teenage addiction and social media anxiety.
How to put on Quiet Mode on Instagram
Here’s how to turn on Quiet Mode on Instagram.
Open the Instagram app on your phone. Next, tap on your profile icon.
Then tap on the hamburger icon (three horizontal lines) at the top right corner.
Select Settings.
Select Notifications.
You should see Quiet mode here. Tap on it to access its options.
Toggle on the switch next to Quiet Mode.
Once enabled, you will get a confirmation about the same.
You can also change the hours during which Quiet Mode turns on automatically from the same Quiet mode settings page or by tapping on Edit once it is turned on.
Then tap under “Turn on automatically” to select your hours.
Choose your quiet mode hours. Quiet mode can remain turned on for 12 hours at a time.
The ‘Quiet Mode’ feature is currently available in the US, UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and will be rolled out to more countries soon.
How to turn off Quiet Mode on Instagram
Turning off Quiet Mode is as simple as enabling it on Instagram. To do so, go to the same Notification settings page from your profile icon and select Quiet Mode.
Then simply toggle off Quiet Mode. You can use the guide above for turning off to reach the page where you can turn its toggle off.
What happens when you turn on Quite Mode on Instagram
Quiet Mode is quite an intelligent feature. When enabled, apart from silencing your Instagram notifications, it will automatically set your status to ‘In quiet mode‘.
On top of that, it will also reply to those who are messaging you, telling them that the user wasn’t notified about the message “because they’re in quiet mode”.
This screen lets you also turn on Quiet Mode. If you’re at the receiving end of this message, you will see the option to “Turn on quiet mode” next to it (see image above). Simply tap on it to turn it on.
After a session, once ‘Quiet Mode’ is turned off, Instagram will show a summary of missed notifications for you to catch up on.
FAQs
In this section, we shed some light on commonly asked questions about Instagram’s quiet mode feature and look to answer the same.
How does quiet mode work?
Quiet Mode is Instagram’s version of Do Not Disturb. Once enabled, it will pause all notifications, set your status as ‘In Quiet Mode’ for others to see, as well as automatically reply to users who’re messaging you, telling them that you weren’t notified about the message because you’re in quiet mode. Quiet mode can also be set to turn on automatically during certain hours of the day. And all this with just a flick of a switch.
How to tell if someone has turned on Quiet Mode on Instagram?
The simplest way to tell if someone has turned on Quiet Mode on Instagram is to check their status (from the messaging screen). Alternatively, try sending them a message. If quiet mode is turned on, Instagram will let you know the same.
How is ‘Quiet mode’ different from ‘Pause notifications’?
Quiet Mode is not unlike the ‘Pause notifications’ option that it sits under on the Settings page. But unlike its older cousin, Quiet Mode can do more than just pause notifications. It can be set to turn on automatically during certain hours of the day which is a great feature to have. Additionally, once enabled, it will set your status to “In Quiet Mode” and also let users messaging you know that you’re in quiet mode and their messages won’t notify you.
The recent Instagram feature updates also let you manage your recommendations in the Explore section. With these new tools, Instagram is pushing the envelope for more user control over what they see and how much they interact with the app. At a time when concerns over social media addiction and its mental health impacts are on the rise, these are important steps in the right direction for Instagram and Meta.
