You’ve just sent your crush a DM and Instagram says that have seen it. You then go back to check that same message and you see that the last seen time seems to be more recent than what was stated.
This has been happening to a lot of Instagram users and has been leaving them confused as they don’t seem to know how this is possible or just think it’s a view.
To answer your question, yes, when the last seen time updates, it does mean that they have viewed the message again. But not in the way you think.
In this article, I’m going to be explaining what happens when the last seen time on a Dm changes and various other question you may have such as what Last Seen actually means and what it mean when there’s no time.
Instagram DM Seen Time Update Explained
If your last Instagram message seen time has just changed then it means that the recipient has viewed the DM on a browser rather than on the app.
The first time they viewed it, it was either on a browser or on the app, then once the time updated, they would have viewed it on the alternate device.
When the seen time updates and changes, it doesn’t mean that the recipient went on the message and viewed it again on the same app contrary to popular belief.
Although it does mean that they viewed it again, it was on a different device.
I came to this conclusion after running a few tests with a friend. I sent him a message, he viewed it once on the app. Then went back to view it again on the Instagram app and the seen time didn’t change.
I then told him to go and view it on a browser and low and behold, the time changed. So from this, I concluded that it was down to viewing it from a browser the second time.
Instagram DM Seen But Not Opened
So you just received a DM but Instagram shows that you have seen it even if you didn’t open it.
Now this has been happening to quite a few users. In some cases, it could be because they have accidentally clicked on the pop-up notification and didn’t realize it.
However, if you’re sure that you didn’t open it then it could be a glitch. Glitches can cause malfunctions on the Instagram app to occur. If your app isn’t up to date then consider updating your app.
Software updates are when Instagram updates faulty software such as the problem you’re having now. If you haven’t updated the app in a while then it will have some bugs on it.
To update the app, just go into the App or Play Store and type in Instagram. If there is an update available, click the update icon and wait. You shouldn’t face this problem anymore but if you still are, just wait for Instagram to fix it.
Instagram Says Seen But No Time
If Instagram is saying your message was seen but there isn’t a seen time attached to it then it just means that it has been more than two weeks since the person viewed your message.
This is because Instagram thinks it’s insignificant to show you the time or period it was seen as you probably are talking to that person anymore so there’s a lower chance you’ll still be interested.
If there has been more than 24 hours since your message was last viewed then it will either say yesterday, the day it was last viewed, or the week it was last viewed.
Once it has been more than two weeks it will simply just say ‘Seen’. If you are on an older version of Instagram then your DMs may not say seen. You will have to actually click on the message to see if it has been seen.
Do Instagram Messages Always Say Seen
As of recently yes, once an Instagram message has been seen by you, Instagram will tell the person that you have seen it.
The best way to get around this is just by viewing the message when it comes up on your notifications.
The only messages that don’t say seen are ones that haven’t been viewed by the recipient. Other than that, Instagram will always tell you when they were viewed.
Another possible way you may get around this is just by turning off your internet connection. Viewing the messaging, going back out of the app then turning back on your internet connection.
This may not work so just viewing the message from your notifications is wiser. If your phone was off then this is unfortunate.
Conclusion
The next time you see the last seen time change you should know why it’s changing. Yes, it’s because the recipient viewed it a second time. But not on the app, on a browser.
Even if they viewed it twice on the app or browser nothing will change they have to view it twice from a different version. You can verify this by asking the person if they viewed the message twice if it isn’t awkward.
If the app is saying you’re seeing messages you haven’t opened then you will need to make sure that it’s up to date. This can be down to a glitch so make sure you update the app frequently.
Once Instagram messages have been viewed they will always say seen. There is no other way of getting around this so once you view an Instagram DM the other person will know.
Hopefully, this article has answered your burning question. If you are still left confused about why seen is randomly updated or if you have new information, then head over to our contact page and send us an email.