Instagram offered a new and unique way for people to share aspects of their lives online, and the image focus of this platform really kick-started the career path of being an influencer.
Since it was first launched, Instagram has totally transformed, and honestly, it is now almost unrecognizable from the platform that first launched back in 2010.
As the platform has grown and developed, and new features have been added, one function that was also added for users is the ability to “mute” people.
In this guide, we’re looking at what the mute feature is on Instagram, how to mute accounts that you want a break from, and more importantly how to unmute those accounts when you have second thoughts about muting them.
Keep on reading to find out more!
What Is The Mute Feature On Instagram?
The mute feature on Instagram is a feature that wasn’t added to the platform until it started to expand.
Back when Instagram was a feed-only platform there wasn’t any need to mute accounts because accounts never used to post as frequently as they do nowadays.
But when Instagram stories launched (see also “How To Add Multiple Photos To Instagram Story“), and the chat feature, this is when the platform added the ability to “mute” accounts. So what is this feature?
Well as the name suggests, the mute feature allows you to mute accounts.
You can use this feature to mute notifications on the direct chat function on Instagram, you can use it to hide an account’s stories from the top of your Instagram screen, and you can use it to stop you from seeing people’s posts on your feed.
The mute function allows you to do all this without unfollowing that account.
Everybody has been there when someone you’re friends with is spamming their Instagram account with photos of their new puppy.
While the first one or two photos might be cute, they can quickly grow boring and you might want a break from the puppy spam.
But because that person is a friend, you can’t really unfollow their account. That is where the “mute” feature becomes handy.
By muting the account, you can take a break from seeing their stories and feed posts until you unmute them in the future (see also “Different Ways To See Story Previews“).
So, after a few weeks, you can unmute your friend and resume seeing their posts now that they are likely posting fewer stories of their puppy. Cool, right?
Muting an account is something that can literally be done with the click of a button, but unmuting that account is a little more complicated.
There are two routes that you can go down when it comes to unmuting someone’s Instagram stories and posts, they will differ depending on whether you know the name of the account you muted.
We’ll take a look at both routes below.
Unmuting An Account When You Know The Account Name
Unmuting an account is super easy when you know the account name, simply click on the “search” option on Instagram and find the account that you muted.
Once you have done this, open their profile.
Beneath their account statistics, photograph, and bio, you will see a button that says “following”. Besides this, there will be a drop-down arrow, so click on this drop-down button.
This will open up a menu with the following options listed:
“Add to close friends list”
“Mute”
“Restrict”
“Unfollow”
From the list select mute, and this will take you to another toggle menu that lists “posts” and “stories”.
Simply toggle these buttons off, and the account’s posts and stories will no longer be muted from your Instagram feed.
You will be able to do all this without the account holder even knowing you muted them.
Unmuting An Account When You Don’t Know The Account Name
If you want to unmute an account when you don’t know the account name, then you need to wait for them to post to their Instagram story.
Instagram stories are displayed at the top of the Instagram home page.
All the stories for the Instagram accounts you follow will be shown here, and they will typically be listed with the ones you interact with most shown first.
The muted accounts will also be displayed but they will be right at the end of the list and covered with a faded gray film to demonstrate that they are muted.
To unmute these accounts, simply scroll through the Instagram stories at the top of your feed.
When you reach the end of the list, you will find the accounts you muted covered with a gray film.
Hold down on the circle for these accounts, and a menu will pop up. This will give you the option to “unmute” their stories.
If you also want to unmute their posts, you will need to click on their profile and then follow the steps outlined above.
How To Mute Someone on Instagram
Unmuting an Instagram account is a little complicated, but muting an account is actually super easy.
To mute somebody’s Instagram stories, simply hold down on their Instagram story button and a menu will pop up giving you the option to mute them.
Here you will be able to mute not only their stories but their feed posts too. It really is that simple.
Summary
In short, unmuting somebody’s Instagram stories and posts isn’t too difficult.
In this guide, we’ve told you how to unmute someone on Instagram, with two different methods depending on if you know the account name, and if you don’t know the account name.
We hope this information has helped. Thanks for reading!
Hi, I’m Matt Johnson, and I work as a Digital Marketer. I started out as a PR assistant for a publishing company, and I quickly learned how important digital platforms are for marketing in the modern world.
This is why I started EngageDigital.com, to offer you a behind the scenes look at all of the most popular sites, applications and platforms, from Amazon to Snapchat, Venmo accounts, Instagram, NFTs, to Omegle and Tik Tok.
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