Have you seen that someone has blocked your access to their Instagram content? Are the responses to your comments on their blogs declining over time? That can indicate that someone has restricted your Instagram account.
As it doesn’t totally prohibit your access to a person’s profile, being restricted on Instagram is trickier to understand than being blocked. This post will explain Instagram limitations, the warning flags you can look for, and how to utilize the restrict tool to control who can access your own content.
What Happens When Someone Restricts You on Instagram?
One of the privacy tools on Instagram that lets users restrict access to their accounts is called Restrict. You must first grasp what this feature does in order to find out if someone has restricted you on Instagram.
When someone restricts you on Instagram, you probably won’t even notice. Compared to when someone blocks you, it’s far more subtle. The user’s posts, stories, reels, and comments may all be seen when you view their Instagram profile while restricted and can be found there. You can even comment on their postings and DM them on social media.
When it comes to comments on Instagram pictures, messages, and activity status, there are some things you won’t be allowed to do or see.
Restricted vs Blocked
Being limited on Instagram differs from being blocked in that you have nearly no access to the user’s profile. When you open the Instagram account of someone who banned you, for instance, you will only see the information that is displayed at the top of their page, such as their profile image, number of followers and following, number of posts, and their bio.
The restricted account holder will be able to view all posts, stories, and other content on the page, unlike a barred user. In addition to being able to post new comments, subscribers will also be able to view both older and newer comments that have already been made.
You can also send the user who restricted you a direct message on Instagram while you are a restricted user. Nevertheless, the recipient will see your message as a message request that they can Block, Delete, or Accept. The status of their activities and if they got your message won’t be visible to you. If someone has blocked you, you won’t be able to message them.
Being restricted has no impact on your ability to tag and mention the person who restricted you, in contrast to being blocked. As always, they will be notified when you mention or tag them.
How to Tell if Someone Restricted You on Instagram
As you can see, it can be difficult to tell if your Instagram account is restricted. So how can you tell if someone on Instagram has blocked you? There are just three options for doing so.
1. Check the Comments Section
The restriction function was first offered by Instagram to lessen cyberbullying. The main purpose of this feature is to prevent users from making inappropriate remarks. It won’t appear to have changed on your end. As always, comments are still welcome on postings. Your comments may be hidden from other users, but you will still be able to see them.
Your new comment will be hidden behind a restricted comment message, visible only to the individual who restricted you. Once approved, they can decide whether to make your comment public or not. If they accept it, your comment will be seen by everyone; if they reject it, just you and the user who blocked you will be able to see it.
How then can you determine if someone has blocked your comments? Go to this user’s Instagram account and add a new remark on their article. You must use your secondary account to visit Instagram because comments will continue to appear on your primary account as usual. You can open a new account, request to use a friend’s account, or request to use a family member’s Instagram account if you don’t already have one.
Check to see if you can access a comment you just posted on your main Instagram account from another account. To avoid the user who banned you from doing it, make sure you act immediately. Your account may have been restricted if your new remark does not display right away.
2. Try sending DMs
Instagram DMs can be used to check whether or not you have been restricted. Your new direct messages will not show up in a regular chat when someone restricts you; instead, they will display in a message request folder. New messages won’t reach the person who restricted you automatically; instead, they must manually approve them before they can respond to you. You won’t be informed if or when the user reads your direct message, on the other hand.
Try sending a DM to the Instagram user you think may have restricted you to see whether you’ve been blocked. All that’s left to do is wait after sending the DM. It may be a clue that your suspicions were correct and the user has limited you if you observe the user using their account frequently but not responding to your message for an extended period of time.
3. Check Their Activity Status
Your ability to see the person’s activity status is removed when you are restricted. You won’t be able to view their most recent online activity or when they last checked their messages as a result.
You might try to look up the person’s activity status if you believe they have blocked your access. Make sure the Instagram setting for showing activity status is enabled before you do it. Open the Instagram app, navigate to your profile page, select the menu option, and select Settings > Privacy > Activity Status. To activate the feature, turn it on.
You can see when the people you follow and contact on Instagram were last active by turning on the Activity Status feature. Return to the person’s profile now and see if you can see their last seen status (or Active status if they are online right now) or whether they have recently joined. They may have restricted you if you can’t see this information despite their latest Instagram post.
Nevertheless, it’s also possible that they have the option to show Activity Status disabled, in which case you should use a different approach to determine if you’ve been restricted.
How to Restrict Someone on Instagram
You could need to utilize this function on someone else one day, whether you know someone restricted you or not. On Instagram, you can restrict someone by using their comments, messages, or settings. For both iOS and Android users, the instructions are the same.
How to Restrict Someone in Comments
Right there in the comments, you can prohibit someone. Follow the instructions below to do that.
- Click View all comments on your Instagram post.
- On your phone, swipe left on the comment of the individual whose activity you wish to block. On a computer, hold the comment (Android).
- Click the exclamation point icon in the top-right portion of the screen.
- Click Restrict Username to limit the user
How to Restrict Someone in Messages
Using messages is another method of limiting an Instagram user. Follow the instructions below to do that.
Go to your chats on Instagram after opening the app.
- Start a discussion with the individual you wish to impose restrictions on.
- On the chat’s header, click on their name.
- Click Restrict after scrolling down.
How to Restrict Someone in Settings
To limit someone on Instagram, utilize the Settings menu. Here’s how to go about doing that.
Start Instagram and navigate to your profile page.
- Click the icon with three horizontal lines in the top right corner to access the menu.
- Click Settings > Privacy > Connections > Restrictions > Continue.
- Using the search box, locate the account you wish to restrict, then click Restrict next to the user’s username.
How to Restrict Someone on Their Profile
You can restrict someone’s account while viewing their Instagram page by doing the actions listed below on their Instagram page.
- Find the person you want to limit on Instagram and open it.
- View this person’s profile.
- To open the menu, select the three horizontal lines (for iPhone) or three vertical lines (for Android) symbol.
- Click Restrict to lock down their account.
How to Fix Someone Restricting You on Instagram
It’s not always easy to tell if someone has limited you on Instagram. Furthermore, once they restrict you, there isn’t much you can do to regain access to the person’s profile. Your best option is to get in touch with them directly and work on a solution to the issue with them.
