Every registered user on the social network Instagram can post photos and videos publicly on their personal page or in the news feed as short stories. Among the standard features of the service, there is the ability to activate a hidden contact, whose recordings can only be viewed by friends and followers. At any time, the user has the right to close or open recordings from unwanted eyes on their own in a few clicks. Let’s talk about how to open a profile on Instagram from a phone, considering the procedure on the example of different operating systems.
What are the differences between an open Instagram profile and a private one?
Any social media user has a wide range of functional capabilities, such as posting images, videos, short stories, and communicating in private chat. However, if you don’t want your content and posts to be seen by unwanted and unfamiliar people, you can close your account. This will result in only your best friends or followers being able to access and view your posts.
Such measures provide protection for confidential information and restrict access for annoying advertising. The operation can also be reversed, namely unblocking the profile and allowing publications for public access.
Let’s consider the differences between a public and a closed account:
- Anyone can subscribe to an open page without warning. However, if your contact is blocked, the visitor must submit a subscription request. Only after the owner’s approval can they gain access to the information.
- Posts from a public page can be easily found in the general news feed using hashtags.
- Only followers and best friends can see photos and videos, leave comments, or write messages in the private chat of a closed user.
A closed page is unlikely to be suitable for people who are promoting themselves and want to gain popularity, as such restrictions make it impossible to broadcast your news in the general feed. It is also important to remember that business account owners who run their own blog or engage in commercial activities cannot activate a hidden profile. This feature is not available to them, and to obtain it, they will have to change the account type to a standard one.
How to open your Instagram profile from your phone
Mobile device owners can use the social network through the official application. After the initial installation of the utility and registration in the service, your account automatically becomes open. If access was previously blocked, you can change the privacy settings at any time as you see fit. Below we will detail the process of opening a profile for different types of mobile phones with different operating systems.
On Android
The process of changing security settings can be done in just a few clicks. If you are the owner of an Android mobile device, to open Instagram for all users, you will need to follow these steps:
- Open the application on your device.
- In the authorization menu, enter the login and password for your account.
- Go to the personal section by clicking on the silhouette icon.
- After that, on the top panel next to the header, click on the icon with three horizontal lines.
- An additional window will open on the right. Select the settings option, which is depicted as a gear.
- Go to the privacy and security tab.
- Find the corresponding item and move the slider to the off position.
- Save the changes.
From this moment on, all your publications will be in the public domain and anyone can subscribe to your page.
On iPhone
Owners of technology from the global brand Apple need to follow a similar algorithm of actions. The difference between mobile applications on different operating systems lies only in the design and interface. To open an Instagram account on an iPhone after updating to a new version, follow these instructions:
- Launch the utility on your mobile device.
- Authorize in the service by specifying your personal password and profile login.
- A public page of the social network will be displayed on the screen. Go to your personal account.
- Here, you need to open the settings section, which is located on the right panel of the workspace.
- In the next window, find the privacy and security section, move the slider to the disabled position.
- Save and update the page.
You can cancel the settings at any time and make your account private again through your phone.
How to close an open profile on Instagram
If you need to hide personal information and private posts from prying eyes, convert your account to a private mode. The procedure is the same for all types of mobile devices and operating systems. Follow these steps:
- Launch the Instagram app and log in to your account using your username and password.
- In the main menu of the service, go to your personal page.
- Open the system settings tab. It is located in the hidden menu, which can be accessed by clicking on the icon with three lines on the top panel of the workspace.
- A new window will appear, click on the privacy of personal information and posts.
- Select the appropriate field and activate the switch to the active position.
- Done. Save changes.
From this moment on, all your posts will be hidden from visitors and only permanent subscribers of the page will have access to them. The same procedure should be followed on a personal computer.
The article checked how to open a profile on Instagram from a phone. As it turned out, the procedure is very simple and can be done by yourself in a couple of seconds. It should be remembered that this service is only available for standard accounts, business accounts cannot hide their posts.