Lifestyle

You'll Soon Be Able to Mute Instagram Accounts 

by Jerriann Sullivan
Updated: 
Originally Published: 
Image via Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Mute annoying Instagram accounts without unfollowing them

A new feature from Instagram is about to make all of our lives much better. Instagram’s new mute function will let you keep following an account but eliminate their posts from your feed.

If you’re like us, this means you can free your feed of endless posts about body wraps without offending your favorite work-from-home friend. Or maybe it’s your Aunt Susan and her never-ending inspirational quotes you’d like to avoid. Whatever the reason, the mute function is guaranteed to be a favorite for users — especially since there is no way of knowing who has muted who. Plus, you can still see the account’s photos when you search for them, and if an account tags you in a post or comment, you’ll still receive a notification.

Image via Instagram

“With this change, you can make your feed even more personalized to what matters to you,” Instagram said in a press release. “You can always unmute an account to get their posts back in your feed,” the company added.

While the new feature hasn’t been released to everyone yet, Instagram did let folks know that they can expect to see the new function in the coming weeks. There will be two ways you can mute an account: from your feed and the person’s profile. From your feed, tap the … button in the corner of the post, then choose “mute posts” or “mute posts and stories” from the account (steps pictured above). Another way to utilize the feature is to click on their profile and tap the … button in the top corner (steps pictured below). The same screen will appear and give you the mute options.

Image via Instagram

If you want to mute a user’s stories but not their posts from your feed, there is already an option for that on Instagram. From your feed home screen, tap and hold the profile photo of the person/account who you’d like to mute. A screen will pop up and give you the option to mute the stories. If you change your mind, just repeat the steps and hit “unmute [username]” to bring the user’s stories back to the front of your story feed.

“Mute can make your feed even more personalized to what matters to you,” an Instagram spokesperson told CNBC. “We’ve also heard it may be a useful tool for managing complex social dynamics.”

In other words, mute that annoying cousin that you can’t unfollow without the hurt feelings of an unfollowing. Thank you, Instagram.

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