I’ve been trying to read my kid’s DMs without triggering the “seen” notification, but airplane mode doesn’t seem to work anymore, and I’m wary of sketchy third-party apps. Has anyone found a reliable method that actually works, or is it just impossible now?
Yeah Instagram pretty much closed the airplane mode loophole a while back - it syncs too fast now before you can react.
Honestly if this is your kid, just set up Screen Time (iOS) or Family Link (Android) and link their account to yours - way less sneaky drama and you get way more visibility than peeking at individual DMs.
If you’re dead set on reading without being seen, your best bet is literally picking up the phone while they’re asleep and reading it directly - no app needed, no “seen” triggered if you’re careful, though at that point you might just want to have the conversation. 