Instagram provides its users with a wide range of opportunities, including posting personal photos and videos, short stories, and communicating with other people in chat. Some users do not want their posts and personal information to be seen by outsiders or unwanted individuals. For such cases, there is a function to block access to the account. After this, only subscribers can view photos and other materials on the page. In this article, we will explain how to close a profile on Instagram from a phone using the new version of the application and what is required for this.
What is the difference between a private and public profile on Instagram?
The developers of the social network Instagram have taken care of reliable protection of their users’ personal information. At any time, you can hide your personal posts from strangers using a special privacy feature. After that, only your approved followers will have access to your page. All others will not be able to open your account without permission.
This feature is available for all types of mobile devices and personal computers, and it only takes a few clicks to activate. It should be noted that such a step is unlikely to help gain quick popularity and promote your account, which is especially important for bloggers and businessmen engaged in commercial activities.
The main difference between a public page and a private account is that anyone can go to a public page and subscribe without warning, open posts, comment on them, and like them.
Let’s consider the characteristics and features of a closed account:
- A user who decides to subscribe to your updates must first send a friend request, and only after approval can they become a follower.
- All posts – photos, videos, and stories in the news feed can only be viewed by approved followers. The same requirement applies to likes, comments, and private chat.
- If you use hashtags to search for posts, your posts will not be displayed.
Users can find you by name in the search, but they will not be able to access your page. The ability to block your account from outsiders is only available for regular accounts, business profiles cannot close their pages.
How to close an Instagram account after updating on a phone
This function is available on all types of mobile devices and on personal computers. You can switch your account from public to private or vice versa at any time, depending on your needs. Below, we will discuss how to change the privacy settings on different mobile devices and operating systems after updating.
On Android
The most popular way to use a social network is to download and install the official mobile application, which works on all modern devices. To hide personal information from prying eyes on Android, you will need to take the following steps:
- Launch the utility on your smartphone.
- In the authorization menu, enter the password and login of your account and log in.
- In the main menu, click on the silhouette icon on the bottom panel of the workspace to go to your personal page.
- Find the icon in the form of three horizontal lines at the top of the screen.
- Select the settings option, which looks like a gear.
- In the parameters section, specify the privacy and security of personal information.
- Move the checkbox to the active state.
- Save changes.
If you decide to cancel the function, perform the same actions. It should be remembered that after closing, all users who are subscribed to your page will be able to view your publications.
If there is an unwanted contact among them, you will have to perform a personal block specifically for them.
On iPhone
Owners of popular Apple mobile devices can use this feature to hide their posts from outsiders. To make a closed account on an iPhone, follow these steps:
- Launch the utility on your iOS mobile device.
- Enter your password and login, and confirm your login.
- In the main menu, find your personal page.
- Open the settings tab, located on the right panel of the workspace.
- Select the privacy and security of personal information section.
- Then find the corresponding parameter (hide information) and activate the slider.
- Save your changes.
From this point on, only subscribers can access your page and view your posts. As you can see, the steps are almost identical to those for the Android operating system. The only difference is in the design of the icons and the application interface.
How to make your Instagram profile private if you have a personal blog
As previously mentioned, only standard accounts can close their profile from the eyes of others, business profiles do not have this function. For the stories of a business blogger and promoting their account, this is not necessary, as it will decrease popularity and visitor flow. However, if you need to temporarily block your blog, you will need to first convert your account to a standard type. Follow these instructions:
- Open the mobile app and log in under your username.
- Go to the user’s personal page.
- Click on the button with three parallel lines on the top panel of the screen.
- An additional menu will appear on the display, find the settings section here.
- In the next window, click on the account settings tab.
- At the bottom, you will find the option to convert from a commercial profile to a standard one.
- Confirm the changes and save the data.
Only after this can you close your account, following the instructions described earlier in our article. There are no other possibilities or methods for business accounts on the social network.
The article explained how to close a profile on Instagram using an iPhone or Android phone. The procedure takes only a few minutes and clicks. After this, your personal information and publications will only be available to regular subscribers and friends. Everyone else will have to submit a friend request to subscribe to updates.