The Instagram silent message feature lets you send a Direct Message (DM) without triggering a notification on the recipient's phone, ideal for non-urgent messages or sending at odd hours without disturbing them; you activate it by typing /silent followed by your message in the chat box. This sends the message quietly into their inbox, showing up only when they open the app, and is different from Quiet Mode, which affects all your notifications and status.
Instagram won't let them know you muted them.
Quiet mode on Instagram turns off notifications and sends an auto-reply when someone sends you a direct message (DM), so you can focus on things like driving or studying. We'll prompt teens to enable Quiet mode when they spend a specific amount of time on Instagram late at night.
What Is a Silent Message? Silent messages are push notifications that are delivered to a user's device without pinging them using an audio/visual alert. They operate in the background and update app data or trigger certain actions.
When trying to send a message to someone, a note appears inside the box where you type your DM that says: “Try/silent.” It also features the shhh emoji. You can send a silent message by typing @silent at the beginning of your message and then just carry on with your message as usual.
It only affects your device—so their messages still send as normal, and they won't get any notification or signal that you've muted them.
They don't reply to your messages quickly, or at all.
If you sent DMs back and forth with someone often and then one day they suddenly stopped replying quickly (or at all), they might have muted you.
You can tell if someone restricted you on Instagram by checking if their activity status disappears, your messages go to Message Requests without "Seen" receipts, or your comments on their posts become invisible to others (but visible to you). These signs are subtle because Instagram doesn't send direct notifications, but they indicate your interactions are limited without the user having to block you.
Practical signs someone may have muted you
Messages remain “sent” or “delivered” but never get quick replies: If your messages consistently show delivered but the person doesn't reply for long stretches while they remain active elsewhere, muting could be the reason.
Soft Block on Instagram: A More Subtle Option
We won't tell them that you restricted them. They won't be able to see when you're online or if you've read their messages. You also won't see when they're online.
Through this new feature, all notifications are turned off, and a silent mode note is displayed in the profile status so that other users can see it. In the app, you can also set a timeline for this purpose. Contacts then know how long the person will be off the network, including through an automatic reply.
Start an end-to-end encrypted chat on Instagram
Here's the bottom line: Instagram does not notify when you screenshot a story, post, profile, or regular DM. The only exception is vanishing DMs—in that case, the sender will get an alert.
For Android Users
Unlike blocking, which creates a clear separation that the blocked user can detect, Restrict operates more discreetly, allowing you to limit someone's interactions with your content without them necessarily knowing they've been restricted.
When someone mutes your account, they won't see your posts or stories in their feed anymore; however, they remain followers and can still visit your profile whenever they want. This means there's no notification sent out when someone decides to mute you—it happens quietly behind the scenes.
Muting helps you ignore someone without preventing them from doing anything. Blocking someone prevents them from messaging you, commenting on your observations, identifying your observations, and otherwise interacting with you on iNaturalist.
In Messages, you'll see a small moon icon or a message saying "notifications silenced" next to their name, indicating their current status.
The key distinguishing factor between Silent mode and Do Not Disturb is just how silent you want your phone to be.
So, can you put one person on Do Not Disturb? To be candid, the answer is YES, either on your iPhone or Android device.