What Is "Live Activities" on Instagram? - iOS Feature Explained

An image showing the “Live Activities” toggle switch in the Instagram settings on an iPhone

An image showing the “Live Activities” toggle switch in the Instagram settings on an iPhone

If you’ve noticed the "Live Activities" option in the Instagram settings on your iPhone, you might be wondering what it does and whether it tracks your activities in real-time. Worry not; we will demystify it for you.

This guide will explain the purpose of Live Activities on Instagram, how they work, whether they are useful for most users, and how to turn them off. But, before that, we recommend you turn off the Meta AI on Instagram.

What Is "Live Activities" on Instagram?

Live Activities on Instagram is an iOS feature that allows users to monitor the progress of certain ongoing activities within the app on the Lock Screen or Dynamic Island when they navigate away from it.

For example, if you switch to another app or your home screen while uploading a story, reel or post, the upload progress will be visible on your Dynamic Island and Lock Screen, allowing you to track it without returning to the app.

Live Activities is an Unuseful Feature for Instagram

Live Activities on Instagram is a largely unnecessary feature. It’s primarily used to show the progress of uploads, which typically complete within seconds, making real-time tracking redundant for most users.

A useful application of Live Activities is tracking food delivery. When you order food, Live Activities can show real-time updates on the status of your order, including preparation, pickup, and delivery progress.

How to Turn off "Live Activities" on Instagram

If you share our sentiment that Live Activities on Instagram are not useful, you'll be glad to know you can turn them off. Follow these steps to disable Live Activities on Instagram:

  • Go to Settings on your iPhone.
  • Select Instagram.
  • Turn off the toggle for Live Activities.

With that, we wrap up our guide on “Live Activities” on Instagram, discussing its usefulness and how to turn it off. Before heading off, be sure to explore our other guides, including how to see the exact time of an Instagram post.