Instagram was launched in 2010 and since then, it has grown drastically.
In fact, recently, it has become a new address for today’s generation where they come to post every activity they perform; do business; share their personal life updates; interact with others, and much more.
Hence, Instagram now with 1 billion active users is considered as one of the biggest social media platforms out there where people who love to explore share their experience and others love watching their posts and stories on the same.
Well! This huge increase in the popularity of Instagram is due to the fun, easy nature of the app, constant updates, introduction of new features, and not just that, there are other factors as well. For instance—
Certainly, this helps users in most cases but, at times leads to problems for many of them as they could not remember how many devices their account is open and this may give someone else the opportunity of using their Instagram account.
And, it’s a big concern, especially if we look at the current scenario when social media accounts have become a prime target of hackers as they are an electronic doorway into a person’s entire life to steal ‘all sorts of personal and sensitive information for their own benefits.
Though, it was mistaken that a site like Instagram is more or less safe from such fears since it’s just a place for people to post pictures. But, not anymore as already mentioned, Instagram has become more than a place to share photos and videos.
So, if you’re aware you know that Instagram has been hacked in the past, most recently in 2017 when up to 6 million accounts were compromised.
In regard to this, let’s agree upon one thing that everyone cares about and consider a priority is ‘Privacy.’
Your privacy as a user is particularly important because you of course don’t want some stranger, friend, or even family member to access your Instagram account without your permission, right!
So, if you’re in a situation where you find that there are some activities on your Instagram account which are unfamiliar to you, and you become conscious that someone else has done this. For example, you will have to pay attention to any unusual activity on your account—
In any case, the first question that must have come to your mind is, can you check whether someone else has tried to login to your Instagram account or not?
The answer to this is …yes!
If you suspect that someone else manages to log into your Instagram account without authorization then, luckily enough, there is an easy way out to find if someone has accessed your account or is currently using it or not!
Wondering what’s that? Well, without taking much of your time, let us tell you that you can confirm who and when was someone logged in to your profile through your ‘Instagram Login Activity.’
Instagram login activity helps you to check whether there is any login activity which has been performed or not as this feature of Instagram helps you in two ways—
Not to mention, but this is one of the best things about Instagram is that you need not have to use any third-party app to check things like your Instagram login activity. Instead, this can be done from within the app itself.
Therefore, in this section, we’ll help you check the login history or the latest logins on your Instagram account to be able to tell if someone has been using your Instagram account. So, have a look at how you can do this —
| [Note: In this section, we have combined steps for both Android and iPhone platforms, because when it comes to the Instagram app, the difference is barely noticeable between the two devices.] |
| [Note: Since Instagram also provides you the facility to log in through a browser just like on the phone so, with few minor changes only you can check your login activity on any OS like Windows/Mac/Linux or any other browser too.] |
This way, you will be able to review the login activity of your Instagram account to clarify whether the login is done either by you or by someone else.
So, if you happen to find out a time and location of login which is unfamiliar then, in that case, what you need to do to avoid the data theft and to keep your privacy intact is what we’ve explained underneath in detail.
Usually, users automatically receive a notification from Instagram if the platform detects a suspicious login attempt. This is the full error message that Instagram sends— “We detected an unusual login attempt. To secure your account, you need to request help logging in.”
However, in most cases, the error message that one receives is a glitch as Instagram considers a suspicious login attempt even when the owner of the account is trying to log in to their account from another device or location.
Hence, you should consider checking your login activity as a reliable way to not only check who logged into your Instagram but also to see where your Instagram is logged in!
And, in your Instagram login activity log, if it seems that there’s a suspicious login session then, it simply indicates to one thing and i.e., someone else is/has been using your Instagram account to do either or all the followings on your behalf —
Thus, you should act immediately to do some damage control for your account that was compromised.
However, if you’re wondering what to do to secure your Instagram account then, let us tell you that you need to first log out the desktop or mobile device ‘the suspicious person’ is logged from.
Logging out of devices that you don’t want on your Instagram profile takes just a minute or two, and luckily you can do it from the app and also through the platform’s official website.
You can also watch the related video here:
As removing unwanted devices on both versions of the Instagram mobile app are almost same so, here are the steps you should follow to log out of Instagram on all devices using your respective Android or iPhone mobile Instagram app—
Once you’ve done that, Instagram will display the ‘Logged out message’ to inform you that the Instagram app has successfully logged you or someone else out of the session in question!
Similarly, you can sign off from the unwanted devices via using the official Instagram website on Mac, Linux, Windows, or any other PC/laptop in this manner—
Now, Instagram will most probably display the ‘Session Logged Out’ message on the screen and when you see that, make sure you select the ‘OK’ button to confirm.
| [Note: If more than one login entry looks suspicious then, you need to repeat the process for all questionable entries on the list.] |
Once you’re logged out of all devices, what secondly you can do to secure your Instagram account is to log back into your account and change your Instagram account password.
Watch the video to change your Instagram password:
Also, this is the fastest way to clear all logged-in devices from Instagram as it forces all devices to log in again with the new password. That also means if you yourself have logged in from two or more devices then, you have to log in again on every device. But, let’s admit this is not more to ask from you when it’s a matter of your account security, right!
In fact, it will be worth your efforts. So, on that note, let’s see how you can change your Instagram account password.
Now as you’ve changed your password, whoever logged in to your Instagram account needs to re-login to access it again and without figuring out the password that you’ve recently changed, none will be able to use your account any further!
Next, you should turn on two-factor authentication as an extra layer of security. Two-factor authentication helps to make sure that it’s only you who can log in to your account and none can get access to your account easily. Well, because turning on two-factor authentication means you’ll receive a confirmation code which you’ll need to enter first in order to log in.
Now, as enough has been discussed about the two-factor authentication feature that secures your Instagram account by automatically notifying you if anyone attempts to log into your account so, let’s see how to set it up—
So, this is how 2FA is now enabled and from now on you get a set of recovery codes which Instagram will ask every time you log in especially if you’re not logging in from your phone for some reason.
| [Note: If you want, you can anytime reset the recovery codes of two-factor authentication.] |
Other than this, you can block access to ‘Third Party Apps’ as you probably have given access to plenty of third party apps for various sorts of reasons. Wondering why so? Well, because third-party apps have permissions to like, share, comment and to perform other kind activities in your account. Thus, removing/ uninstalling any available unauthorized apps from your respective mobile or PC to block them from accessing your Instagram account is necessary.
Last but not least, if you log in to your Instagram using Facebook then, you should consider changing it. To be precise, you need to disable the ‘Log in via Facebook’ option to make sure that if someone is successful in accessing your Facebook account then, they still fail to log into your Instagram account.
A1. The answer to this question depends upon you. That means it is all about your privacy, so Instagram has given its user the privilege to choose whether they want to get notification on their registered email ID or not. In the “Privacy Settings” of your account you have to subscribe to the alert on login. So, if there is any unusual activity it will be listed there in your login activity log.
A2. Yes! But, it also depends on your choice. If you want to select a two-factor authentication then, head over to “Privacy Settings” on your Instagram account settings and turn this feature on. Now, every time you or someone else tries to log in, Instagram sends an authentication code to your registered mobile number and that authentication code will be necessary to gain access to your account.
A3. If you find out that someone has hacked your account then, you need not worry about it! There is still a lot that can be done.
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