Instagram announced that it will soon offer the option to disable the read mark for direct messages (DMs), which means users will not be able to know that you have read their messages.
Instagram says it is currently testing the feature, although it has remained tight-lipped about plans to deploy it more widely. Social media users were divided over the move, with some calling it a “much-requested feature,” and others disliking it.
“Soon, people will be able to choose when they let others know when they have read their messages,” Instagram President Adam Mosseri said in a post.
However, he did not clarify what he meant by “soon” or whether the feature would be available to all users at once. Mosseri also included an image showing what the option would look like. In the Privacy and Security settings, under the “Who can see your activity” category, users are given the option to toggle the Read Messages flag on or off.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg explained that the company was “testing the ability to turn off the reading tag for Instagram direct messages.”
