On Instagram there are several activity statuses that you might see near the green dot beneath a user's profile picture including: active now, active today, and active yesterday.

This appears within the direct message list and tells other Instagram users when the person opened Instagram last.

What Does 'Active Now' Mean?

Active Now means that the user is currently active on Instagram, or was online less than 8 hours ago.

What Does 'Active Today' Mean?

Active Today status shows that the user was online within 8-24 hours ago, but is not currently online.

What Does 'Active Yesterday' Mean?

Active Yesterday means that the user was active between 24-48 hours ago.

How To Turn Off Active Status On Instagram

If you'd rather not let others know when you're active now on Instagram, either publicly or within an Instagram direct message, you can toggle off this setting in your Privacy settings.

Visit your profile page and tap the menu icon on the top right corner.

Tap Settings.

Tap Privacy.

Scroll down and tap Activity Status.

Toggle off 'Show your active status'

Why Can't I See I Active Status On Instagram?

If you can't see the online activity of other users, it means that you have your general status hidden. To view other users' status, you'll first need to turn your activity status on by following the steps here.

Once you've done so, you should see a green dot near other user's profile icons in the direct messages section, and if you have the Active Together feature toggled on, you'll be able to see when another user is online at the same time as you while direct messaging.

If you've turned your activity status on but you're still not seeing the feature, it might not be available in your region.

Keep in mind that activity status only appears on the Instagram app, not on desktop.