We’re all used to our typical DM section on Instagram, but they are the only messages you can receive. A little harder to find and not ones you’ll immediately notice are the Instagram hidden messages. If you’re a little confused about them, we can explain what they are and how you can see them.
With the addition of Instagram notes over the last couple of weeks, we’re spending more and more time in our DMs. Because of that, you may have notices notifications on your requests tab that you didn’t know were there before. If you’re new to the feature or just want to know more, we can explain.
What Are Instagram Hidden Messages?
Hidden messages on Instagram are DMs you’ve received that may contain spam or offensive words. If you have specific hidden word preferences (e.g words you don’t want to see on your Instagram), then messages containing those will also be hidden.
Messages that are from accounts that you don’t follow, or don’t follow you, are also grouped in this category. However, DMs from those you have connected with on the platform won’t ever be hidden, even if they contain offensive words.
If you still want to connect with an account but they send you inappropriate or offensive messages, you can restrict or block them.
How To See Hidden DMs On Instagram
Instagram Help Centre explains that message requests are kept in the request tab on your DM screen. This will be in the top left corner; you’ll need need to click ‘hidden requests’ to see the unwanted messages.
There won’t be any notifications for hidden messages on Instagram, but there will be a section for them underneath any ‘genuine’ requests.
Once you’ve found them, you’ll be able to delete them all without having to look through them all. However, if you want to block that account then you will have to click on the DM to do so.
Sometimes, the odd message gets put into the hidden messages folder when it wouldn’t have been. So, to move it into your main DM section, just accept the message or reply to it.
You can report accounts that spam you or send offensive messages if you’ve had enough of seeing them. Plus, although the account will know they have been reported, they won’t be notified who by. The content of their message gets sent to the Instagram Help Team who investigates.
Instagram hidden messages are turned off by default, so make sure you turn it on in your settings to avoid seeing spam or offensive messages in your main inbox.
Managing Your Hidden Words
Sometimes you don’t want to see stuff that’s not offensive or spam on your social media. If you’ve had enough of seeing everyone talk about football or Love Island, then platforms typically let you hide more specific words too.
On Instagram, their hidden words feature automatically hides offensive words. This includes racial slurs and more which have no place on the platform. However, this isn’t automatically turned on; you can do this through your settings in the privacy and settings tabs and then clicking ‘edit comment settings.’ Tick the box next to ‘default words’ to remove these kinds of words from your feed and comments.
If you want to add custom words to this, then in the same section you can enter specific words, phrases and even emojis that you don’t want to see in your comments.
