Instagram Privacy Tips and FAQ

December 6, 2011  |  marketing, Technology
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I reveal the mysteries of Instagram‘s inner workings. Some nuances to privacy settings are unclear on Instagram Help, so let’s shed some light. Skip to ii. Privacy below if you know enough about account management and third party Instagram websites.Instagram_screenshot_photo_by_enda_ungu_emilybinder

i. Instagram FAQ

1. Can I have multiple usernames?
Yes. Each must be associated with a different email address.

2. Can I toggle between my usernames on the iPhone app?
No, you have to log out and log in to switch your profile. Here are tips on using Dropbox and Fotogramme to make toggling less painful.

3. Can I see Instagram pictures online?
Yes. Some are directly uploaded to Flickr, Tumblr, Posterous etc. But if a user simply tweets a link to the IG picture, you can see it by clicking the link (or in twitter.com’s native display). However, you won’t be able to login and Like or comment. To do this:

4. Can I Like and comment Instagram pictures online while being logged into and able to manage my IG account?
Yes. For this, I like statigr.am best. There are several other  third party Instagram services. This post covers the top 10, however I’ll leave out the cat-related and meaningless competition-based ones in my list.These are the other two sites with functionality closest to the Instagram iPhone app:

A. Ink361 (formerly Inkstagram) Login to this web-based version of Instagram. You can do everything you can on the iPhone app except add new pictures.

B. Insta-great Login to see Instagram photos, follow/unfollow users, or to like photos. Filter photos by dates, users, or tags. You can only view one picture in full size at a time.Instgre.at_Insta-great-screenshot_emilybinderTo see IG photos in a stream or grid, try the web gallery Instagrid.

ii. Privacy Tips

You can block a user. This means that even if they are following you, they will not see your photos in their Instagram feed, nor will your actions (commenting, liking) show up in their News – Following feed. However, they can still see your photos in other ways: If you tweet or post a link to another social network when you share an IG photo, they can click it and see the photo. For example, I am on private mode but I shared to Twitter when I uploaded this Sweetwater Brewing Co. Instagram photo: Sweetwater Brewery Instagram picture by Emily Binder Twitter adoreajarbakery

Anyone can see this photo online, but only IG users who I have approved to follow me can A) view it naturally in their feed, B) view it within the iPhone app, C) like or comment. Don’t put anything on Instagram that you’d be ashamed for someone to see.

Private mode

You can toggle “Photos are private” on or off in the app Profile settings. Anyone who followed you while you were not in private mode will not be affected, but new followers will be in approval purgatory just like on Foursquare. More on viewing private photos online here.

Stalkers

If you are already in private mode and still have a particular user you don’t want to have access, be mindful of new followers. If a user has few pictures (less than ten), few followers, or lacks profile picture: red flag.

If you’re concerned about a stalker, save all their email addresses in your phone contacts. When a new user joins IG with an email address you stored, IG announces, “Your friend (Caught B. Ingdumb) just joined Instagram.” Not knowing this, the stalker will assume that their fake profile is unbeknownst to you.

Deleting comments on Instagram for iPhone

You can delete your own comments anywhere and others’ comments on your photos. When viewing any photo, click “comment” at the bottom as if you were going to comment. If you slide your finger left over any comment, you’ll have the option to delete it. Slide back to the right if you don’t want to delete. Comment with any questions. Follow me on Instagram @emilybinder.

*This blog is not affiliated with Instagram in any way. My knowledge is based on my own experience and experimentation.

Update 2/10/12: Due to the volume of comments, it may take me a few days to respond. Read through the posted responses to see if your question has already been answered.

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  • Guest

    hey emily quick question: so i recently unblocked someone and was trying to “re-follow” them. BUT when i pressed the “follow” button it didn’t say “approved” (their site is private).  Did that person block me? If that’s the case, I thought when you block people, you aren’t able to see anything of their IG since they are “invisible”.  I restarted the app and everything and the follow button isn’t working for me still :/ Help me please :)

    • http://www.emilybinder.com Emily Binder

      It sounds like this person became a private user. They did not block you or you wouldn’t be able to find their profile. They will have to approve your follow request.

      When a public user goes private, their current followers are unaffected. But anyone who tries to follow them from that point forward has to be approved, even if you once followed them.

  • guest1

    i have a problem which is, i had block a girl, but why izit after i unblock, could not follow back? 

    • http://www.emilybinder.com Emily Binder

      If you’re unable to follow her now but you can still see her profile, she must be a private user. If she is, when you look at her profile, it will show her username and bio but no photos. If you tap the follow button, she will get a follow request  from you and approve or deny it. It’s possible she has denied your request or that it’s in the approval queue.

  • Instagramer

    I dont want people on facebook to know follow me on instagram but they keep finding me, i tried checking in settings to stop it or edit profile and it doesnt show it there either, how can fix this? 

    ++ I dont share pictures on facebook straight from instagram 

  • curious

    When you delete a photo from your group, will others still be able to view it? 

    • http://www.emilybinder.com Emily Binder

       No.
      The only way they would be able to view it is if it had shown up in their feed and they had not yet refreshed the IG app. Once they refresh the feed, your photo will disappear.

  • Ledomagency

    Can u keep who u are following private

    • http://www.emilybinder.com Emily Binder

      No. You can block certain people and they will not be able to find your profile, let alone see whom you follow. But even when you’re a private user, other users can see whom you follow.

  • David Bass

    If you view someone’s profile, does that person know you’ve viewed their profile? Or how many times you’ve viewed it?

    • http://www.emilybinder.com Emily Binder

      No, not at all.

  • darienbusane

    I’m sorry if this has been asked, but my instagram is set on private, but I would like to change it to public. How would I do this? Thank you :)

  • lala anthony

    Can people see my email on instagram?

    • http://www.emilybinder.com Emily Binder

      No, but if someone has stored your email in their phone’s contact information, they coudl search Instagram for contacts and find you that way. Your email address will not show up in your profile, though.

  • b.boy

    Hi,

    I see this question has been asked, and answered before, but how is it that with some people I cant see who they are following? So then there must be a way to set it that others can’t see who I follow? Please advise me! Thanks!

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