Every event that happened in the past has a date stamp attached to it. The historical activities from a political, economic, or social perspective are traceable to a particular date in the past.
No wonder we have holidays mandated by governments all over the world to honor unsung heroes and celebrate memorable events.
For instance, valentine’s day, a season of love, is celebrated by everyone. But do we know the exact time the events transpired in the past? You could take a good guess, yet end up wrong.
I doubt if there’s anyone alive from that century to provide the accurate time these events occurred.
In this situation, however, the time doesn’t matter as much as the date it symbolizes.
But can the same be said for Instagram?
Social media, as we know it, is rife with countless posts- Photos and videos. Sometimes uploads could be so much that you only get to see as you scroll.
Except you know the Instagram handle or username of a person, you may never see the images or videos you’re looking for.
And if you’re lucky to have the handle, you may have to scroll to find that which you want. Even at that, if the person has over a thousand posts, the task becomes harder.
A timestamp at the right-hand side of the screen shows the time of post but it is never the exact time that is seen.
Most times, Instagram displays the time as the hours that have gone by since the post was uploaded.
The option provided doesn’t guarantee that you would be able to provide the exact time you uploaded a picture- It provides a faint idea which may not be helpful especially if you seek to be accurate in your findings.
So, is it possible to see the exact time you posted a video or image? Does Instagram have a feature in their settings for this? Or do I have to install a third-party app to get the information?
Whether this is possible or not depends on your familiarity with the working of the Instagram app. Or better still, the ways you’re about to learn as you read this article.
Now come along, let’s explore this in detail.
Is it Possible to See The Exact Time of an Instagram Post?
Yes! that’s for sure.
A lot of folks don’t think it is possible because it isn’t shown on the app. I guess people still underestimate the powers of technology and the intelligence of software programmers and developers.
When you upload a picture or video on Instagram, the app shows how long ago it was posted. For instance, if your post was an hour ago, the timestamp is recorded as 1 hour ago. This changes with time. Because hours become days, weeks, then months.
After a couple of days, weeks, or months, you need to know the exact time a post was uploaded maybe for record purposes or to be accountable.
You log in your details on your Instagram app (mobile or desktop) to check and the exact time you posted your photo or video is not seen.
With the colossal figures posted per day, it becomes a case of searching for a needle in a haystack. Especially if you have to get the timestamp from a page other than yours.
According to research, over 95 million posts are shared on Instagram daily.
That’s a whole lot.
But it shouldn’t come as a surprise given the number of users on Instagram is more than a billion.
With that figure recorded daily, over 40 billion posts have been uploaded since the inception of the app in 2010.
Isn’t that mind-blowing?
With the human population roughly at 7 billion people, that figure can only go in one direction- UP.
With this in mind, the number of Instagram users will also follow the same trajectory, as social media use and engagement expands globally.
Consequently, these jaw-dropping data and projections might make tracking the exact time of your post tricky.
But here’s the thing, there is no virtual challenge without a practical solution. You can know the exact time you added a picture to your Instagram account.
Still in doubt, keep reading this article…
What Are The Ways to See The Exact Time of An Instagram Post?
So, here we are, at the core of the article. You may want to get your laptop or launch your Instagram app as you follow the steps we shall discuss in this section.
There are two ways to know the exact timestamp on your posts:
Settings on your Instagram App
You know how the solution can be right in front of us, yet we do not see it, yeah? Well, that’s the case of using this method to extract your timestamp for your posts.
Many Instagram users are only familiar with how to upload images, videos, comment, like, and share posts- which is fine. I wouldn’t want to bore myself with all that technicality the app has to offer either.
After all, I want to enjoy myself, share memories with others, and hold interesting conversations. No one signs up as an Instagram user to be a part-time tech expert. Sounds funny, but it’s the truth.
Let’s dive right in.
Step 1: Launch Instagram on your Desktop
You may have your Instagram app either on your laptop or mobile device. But to get the best out of this method, you should view the image on your desktop or laptop. The Instagram app on your mobile phone cannot be used for this.
· Log in to your Instagram details and sign in to your account. This should take less than a minute.
Step 2: Locate the Instagram Post
· Once you’re signed into Instagram on your desktop, locate the post you are interested in.
· If the post you want a timestamp for was found on a mobile Instagram app, click on the triple-dot icon and select “copy link“.
· Get the link on your desktop to access the Instagram post.
Sometimes, you may find an interesting post on another user’s profile. Click on the post to get the link.
Step 3: Inspect the Posts
When you view the Instagram post, notice the date right beneath the number of likes the post has garnered. The representation of the date could be in hours, minutes, or seconds if the post is less than a week old.
· Highlight the date beneath the likes and right-click on it.
· Once you do this, a pop-up menu will appear.
· Select the “inspect” option.
Step 4: Copy the Timestamp
· After clicking on the select option, the developer section containing codes appears on your screen.
· Click on the “element tab” option that appears at the top of your screen.
· Although a developer has the expertise in the computing language (HTML) of the app, what you need to be on the lookout for is the “timestamp”.
· Locate the time stamp and double click (For example, 2019-10-12T15:00:14.000Z)
· Copy the timestamp.
· There you have it; you have successfully located the exact time of your Instagram post.
In case, the element tab is not highlighted in the developer section, close the tab and repeat Step 3.
Step 5: Use an Online Converter
· Now that you have the time stamp you copied from step 4, use an online converter to get the exact time of the post.
· Use the Coder’s Toolbox UNIX timestamp
· Paste the copied link from step 4 in the “ISO 8601 time” text field
· Once pasted, the timestamp is immediately converted to the date and time in the “RRFCC 2822 time” text field.
· You should get a result like this: “Mon, 12 Oct 2020 15:00 +08:00”
· 15:00 +08:00 is the exact time the image or video was posted.
The Use of Third-party apps
Nowadays, several third-party apps can help you complete different tasks. Instagram is no different. To know the exact time or date of an Instagram post can be tasking.
Unlike the steps we discussed earlier, some people prefer the option of using a third-party app. You might fall in that category. If you do, then this method will excite you.
InstaRealDate is one of such third-party apps that makes viewing the exact time of an Instagram post simple. Here’s how to use this app:
· Download the InstaRealDate App on your desktop or mobile device.
· Once downloaded, it is automatically configured to the workings of your Instagram app.
· Launch the app on your device and navigate to the posts you are interested in.
· At first, the app displays the day, month, and year of the post and leaves out the exact time of the post.
· Click on the button situated on the right side of your screen to access more information.
· You will find the exact time of the post once you click on that button.
How Can I Stop Other Users from Seeing My Posts on Instagram?
Some users value their privacy on social media. Even as Instagram allows everyone sees your posts, some settings can ensure no one has unauthorized access to your posts.
If a person follows your account, you may have to block the user to restrict access to your videos and photos.
Let’s talk about these ways:
Your Instagram Privacy Settings
If you happen to be a new user on Instagram, you can tweak your settings in such a manner that another user only views your page after you grant them access.
There are a lot of accounts like this. People who have their privacy notifications turned on probably prefer to live a quiet life. Maybe they just love being private.
When you get a request alert from a random person on Instagram, you’re at liberty to either deny or grant access. At this point, it’s all about your discretion.
Even at that, the use of your Instagram account is not limited. You could still send direct messages to whoever you’d want to reach out to.
Your Instagram Block Button
Instagram users who activate the privacy settings after amassing a lot of followers sometimes use the block button. At other times, you could block a follower whenever you feel the need to.
I’m sure you may have experienced a situation where you used the block button for personal reasons. It may not necessarily be on Instagram. A block button is available to almost every social media app such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, and Snapchat.
When you block a follower, the person is not alerted by Instagram. They interact with your page and realize they don’t have access to your videos and photos.
However, Instagram permits blocked users to send you direct messages.
Have you ever been blocked by an Instagram user? Or did you do the blocking?
Personally, being blocked by a fellow Instagram stings, especially when the cause is unjust. But we each have choices to make that we deem beneficial to having a great social media experience.
Unfortunately, activating the block button doesn’t completely cut off the relationship with the user. Although blocked, the user can still view your likes and comments on posts from mutual followers or friends.
Lastly, if your privacy settings are visible to the public, all users (blocked and unblocked) can view your Instagram page when they log in using a desktop instead of the app.
Conclusion
This article has explored ways of seeing the exact time of your post on Instagram. If you weren’t on your desktop at the time of reading, then you should try at least one of the methods afterward.
You realize that there is a whole lot to learn about the technical areas of Instagram. As discussed in one of the sections, there are no social media problems without solutions. Maybe just undiscovered solutions that require a little internet research from you.
Google may not have all the answers to social media problems, but it certainly gives you an idea of how to fix them. I hope this article provided the results you desire to enjoy all that Instagram has to offer.