When it comes to making friends, different people have their own preferences. Some are more outgoing and constantly hang around larger circles of, say, 10-15 people. They’re the kind you’ll always find having fun experiences, taking trips, and doing impromptu sleepovers and parties. Then, there are slightly introverted people who usually flock in pairs of twos or threes. These are more attached to things that need no human interaction – books, movies, games, and art. They also rarely find like-minded people, but when they do, they tend to stick together.
Be it a small or a larger group, they all grow in depth and closeness with time until a phase comes where you might even feel suffocated by them. Still, choosing to leave them is equally painful. These dilemmas are just as real online as they are offline.
Take Instagram, for instance. If you’re a part of Instagram groups, you must have worried about who finds out when you decide to leave them, even if briefly. In this blog, we’ll not just address your concern but also put your worries to rest. Let’s get started!
Does Instagram Notify Other Members When You Exit Group?
No matter how many group chats you’re currently a part of, there has to be that one member in every group you know things can get awkward with when you leave the chat. This fear has kept a large number of users stuck back in groups they have zero interest in being a part of.
If the same question, what would they think if they were notified of your leave? has been bothering you as well; we’re here with good news!
In one of its recent updates, Instagram finally got rid of the peculiar feature of leaving in-chat notifications every time a group member left or was removed. This means that if you leave a group on the platform now, none of the other members will be notified about it in any way; neither personally nor in the group.
Isn’t that a relief? And we’re not even done yet; we have more in store for you. Keep reading!
How can you exit a group chat on Instagram?
Now that we’ve lifted a rock off your chest, you’d be itching to exit some groups, right? Then allow us to show you the path and save you some time:
Step 1: Navigate Instagram’s mobile app icon on your smartphone’s app grid and give it a tap to launch the app.
Step 2: As it opens and you land on the home tab first, keep in mind that your task requires you to go to the DMs tab first.
To head there, look towards the top-right corner of your screen. You’ll see two icons here: a and a message bubble; select the latter.
Step 3: Doing so will take you to your DMs, where all the conversations you’ve had on Instagram so far are stored for you. You’ll also notice how the Notes section is located on this tab as well.
Following this section are the Messages listed in chronological order – the most recent to the oldest.
Step 4: To exit a group, you’ll need to find it in this section; both manual scrolling as well as using the search bar are viable methods of getting there.
As soon as you find the chat, tap it to launch it in full display.
Step 5: As the next tab opens, navigate to the top bar, where the group’s name is mentioned. Give the name a tap here.
Step 6: Doing so will take you to your Group info page, where all the details of this group, including its name, theme, members, and privacy policies, are listed.
Right below the group’s name, you’ll see four icons drawn in a column. These are shortcuts to the actions they represent:
Add
Search
Mute
Leave
As you can guess for yourself, you need to select the rightmost icon here to exit this group. When you’re asked to confirm your action next, select Leave, and you’ll no longer be a member of this group chat!
Bonus: If you’re someone who doesn’t want to go through the hassle of leaving the group and would rather find a way to avoid them, we have a surprise for you. There are two features you can use to do that effectively – archiving and muting. Find the guide to both these features on the Snapchat section of our blog!
Does exiting a group chat remove all your older messages as well?
Another strange question that we’ve been getting a lot lately is whether a person leaving (or being removed from) a group chat erases their messages from the older conversations as well.
We’d like to reassure these users – and you – that no such thing happens when someone leaves a group chat on Instagram, whether willingly or not.
Their past messages will continue to stay, regardless of their sender.
Can you prevent others from adding you to a group chat?
Now that we’ve managed to get rid of that pesky group chat, what are your thoughts moving forward? Would you like to be involved in more groups in the future, or have you had enough of it?
Many users ask us for ways to keep themselves away from all group chats on Instagram, but we’re afraid that’s a big ask for now. This is because Instagram encourages more socialization on the platform, and group chats are a fantastic way of doing that.
However, the platform does offer you a way to decide whether you want to be added to groups just by the people you follow, or everyone on Instagram. That’s narrowing your likelihood of being added to a group down, to say the least.
If you want to customize your settings of the same, here’s a guide that will show you how it’s done!
Step 1: From the home tab of your Instagram app, you need to head to your profile tab first.
To do that, you need to locate your profile picture’s thumbnail icon at the bottom-right corner of your screen and tap on it.
Step 2: Upon landing on your profile, your first job is to open your settings, but where will you do it from? The key lies in the hamburger icon placed at the top right corner of the screen here.
Find it, and give it a tap.
Step 3: Did a menu just scroll up your screen? You’ll easily find the Settings option on it – it’s located right at the top. Tap on it to head to your settings tab.
Step 4: On this tab, following the search bar, you’ll find a number of settings listed, including Notifications, Security, and Help.
The Privacy option is third on this list; select it to be taken to the Privacy tab.
Step 5: The first thing you’ll spot on the Privacy tab is the Account privacy options – which decide whether or not you have a private account on the platform.
Following that, there are two distinct sections with multiple settings within themselves:
Interactions
Connections
Scan through the first section until you locate Messages; you’ll need to tap on it next.
Step 6: Finally, you’ll land on the Message controls page.
Scroll to the bottom of it to find your Group settings; there’s only one option within this section:
Who can add you to groups
Everyone on Instagram
Only people you follow on Instagram
You need to select the second option here, and mission accomplished!
The bottom line
With this, we’ve come to wrap our blog up. The subject of our discussion today revolved around group chats on Instagram and the consequences of leaving one.
We learned how the platform no longer notifies other group members when one of them exits the group, which is why you’re safe to move ahead. We’ve also added a guide on how to exist groups to make your job easier.
Do you have more questions about group chats on Instagram? Share them with us in the comments below, and wait for our answers!
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