To stop selected Instagram alerts without missing direct messages, open your profile menu and go to Settings and privacy > Notifications. Open the category related to the alert and switch off only the relevant toggle or sub-option. Instagram’s labels and menu layout can vary by app version and account, so there may not be one universal “new features” switch.
Turn off only the Instagram alerts you don’t want
- Open Instagram, tap your profile icon, then tap the menu icon.
- Choose Settings and privacy, then Notifications. If the labels have moved, look for “Notifications” in the settings area.
- Open the category that best matches the alert. A current third-party guide lists categories such as Posts, Stories, and Comments, Following and Followers, Direct Messages, Live and Reels, and From Instagram. The names and available options may differ in your version of the app. EverydayTech’s notification guide describes these categories.
- Turn off the relevant category or specific sub-option, if one is available. Leave other categories enabled to keep alerts you still want, such as direct messages.
If a feature announcement or recommendation does not have its own visible toggle, check the categories most closely related to it rather than disabling every Instagram notification.
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Block Instagram notifications from Android settings
Use Android’s system controls if you want to silence Instagram more broadly or manage the notification categories your phone exposes. Google documents this route, while noting that labels and options vary by device and Android version:
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- Choose Instagram.
- Turn off all notifications, or adjust the available categories if you want to keep some alerts.
You can also long-press an Instagram notification and open its notification settings. On some phones, the category controls or menu names differ. See Google’s Android notification instructions.
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- Take Back Control of Your Screen Time: Brick is a physical device that temporarily removes distracting apps and their notifications from your phone by creating real world friction. When you're ready to reconnect, return to your brick and tap to unblock your apps. Includes 1 grey Brick.
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Schedule a quiet period with Sleep mode
For a recurring or temporary break from Instagram alerts, Meta’s current instructions use Sleep mode, the feature formerly called Quiet mode. Go to Profile > More options > Setting and Activity > Time Management > Sleep mode, switch it on, set the days and hours, and save. Meta updated the instructions and naming on January 28, 2025; its original 2023 launch availability information should not be treated as a current availability list. Meta’s Sleep mode announcement explains the feature.
Sleep mode is broader than muting one notification category: while it is on, Instagram says it sends no notifications, changes your activity status, and automatically replies to direct messages. When it ends, Instagram shows a summary of notifications. Use category controls instead if you want to silence only feature or activity alerts.
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Check for a separate control for a specific feature
Some newer features may have their own setting. Tom’s Guide reported on May 24, 2026, that an option called Hide Instants in Inbox appeared under Content Preferences and could hide the Instants stack and its associated notifications. This is secondary reporting, and the option may not be available to every account or app version. If Instants is the alert you want to stop, look for that setting in your current app. Tom’s Guide’s report describes the option.
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| Control | Best for | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Instagram notification categories | Keeping some alerts, such as direct messages, while muting selected activity or feature notifications | Selected categories or sub-options; names and availability may vary by app version and account. |
| Android app notification settings | Blocking Instagram alerts broadly or using categories available on your phone | All app notifications or the categories Android exposes; controls vary by device and version. |
| Sleep mode | Scheduling a period away from Instagram alerts | All notifications during the scheduled period, plus activity-status changes and automatic DM replies. |
Other Instagram time-management controls
Meta’s wellbeing tools also include a weekly time-spent dashboard, a customizable daily time alert, and a setting to mute push notifications. These can help manage app use, but they are distinct from selectively disabling notification categories. See Meta’s wellbeing tools.
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