How to turn off Instagram notifications on Android

What does Instagram send notifications about?

Instagram’s help page on push notifications says they let you know about interactions and posts you might be interested in. That covers a lot of ground:

• Interactions. Likes, comments, mentions, new followers, and messages.
• Posts from people you follow. New posts, stories, reels, and live videos, if you have turned these on for an account.
• Things Instagram picks. Instagram says an AI system decides some of the posts and activity you are notified about.

Very few of these need you right now. Most are a small nudge to open the app, and once it is open, the feed and Reels do the rest. The good news: you can turn them down in a few places, from one account up to the whole app.

How do you turn off notification types in the Instagram app?

Start here if you still want some notifications, like messages, but not the rest. Per Instagram’s help:

1. Open Instagram and tap your profile picture at the bottom right.
2. Tap Menu, the three lines at the top right.
3. Tap Notifications, below How you use Instagram.
4. Tap each notification type below Pause push notifications and turn off what you do not want.

These settings belong to the Instagram account, so if you switch between more than one account in the app, repeat the steps for each.

How do you turn off notifications from one Instagram account?

If one account you follow notifies you every time it posts, you can switch that off without unfollowing. From Instagram’s help:

1. Open the account’s profile.
2. Tap Notifications, the bell.
3. Tap Posts, Stories, Reels, or Live videos and turn off the ones you do not want.

You still follow them, and their posts still show up in your feed. They just stop pinging you.

How do you pause Instagram notifications for a while?

Instagram has two softer options if you want quiet for a stretch, not forever:

• Pause push notifications. Per Instagram’s help, go to your profile → Menu → Notifications and turn on the toggle next to Pause push notifications, then pick a time. Notifications come back by themselves when it ends.
• Sleep mode. Per Instagram’s help, go to Menu → Settings and activity → Time management → Sleep mode, turn it on, and choose the days and times. It pauses notifications for up to 24 hours a day, sends an auto-reply to people who message you, shows a moon icon instead of your green active dot, and gives you a summary when it ends. Teen Accounts get it by default from 10 PM to 7 AM.

Sleep mode is the one to use for nights. It runs on a schedule, so you do not have to remember to turn it on.

How do you turn off Instagram notifications in Android settings?

If you want Instagram to send nothing at all, use Android’s own app notification settings, per Google’s Android notification help:

1. Open Settings and tap Notifications, then App notifications (on some phones, Apps).
2. Select All apps if needed, and find Instagram.
3. Turn off its notifications, or tap in and turn off only the categories you do not want.

Shortcut: touch and hold an Instagram notification in your notification shade, and you can jump straight to its settings. This is the bluntest option, and it holds no matter which account you are signed in to or what you change inside the app. You can still see what you missed inside the app. For the general version of this for any app, see how to turn off notifications for specific apps.

Which option should you pick?

A good default: keep messages, turn off likes and new-follower alerts, and set sleep mode for the night. If you keep opening Instagram from a notification and surfacing 30 minutes later, go all the way and turn it off in Android settings. For quiet hours across every app, use Do Not Disturb, and to keep previews off the lock screen, see how to hide notifications on the lock screen.

What if Instagram notifications keep coming back?

I turned them off, but I still get some

• Check the account. Settings are per Instagram account, so a second account in the app can still notify you.
• Check whether a pause ran out. Pause push notifications only lasts for the time you picked.
• Check which app sent it. Touch and hold the notification and see which app it names. Threads, Facebook, and Messenger each have their own settings.

I want messages, but nothing else

• In Instagram’s Notifications settings, leave messages on and turn off the other types. Or in Android settings, open Instagram’s notifications and keep only the message categories.

I cannot find the setting

• Update Instagram from Google Play, then look again. Instagram moves menus around between versions.

Where ReClaim fits

ReClaim is the Android launcher we build. It does not read or change your notifications, and it does not touch Instagram’s settings, so everything above keeps working as described. What ReClaim changes is what you see when you unlock: a home screen with a clock and the few apps you choose, and a plain alphabetical list of names for everything else. On top of that:

• App reminders. Before Instagram opens, ReClaim asks how long you intend to use it, then nudges you when that time is up.
• Daily and weekly limits. Give Instagram a budget. When it is up, ReClaim can close it.
• Blocking and scheduled blocking. Block an app for a set time, or set recurring windows, like bedtime, when selected apps are not available.
• Hidden apps with friction. Hide an app with four levels of hiding, and put one of 10+ unlock challenges in front of it.

If you want to try it, see how to change the default launcher on Android; switching back is the same setting.

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