You may have noticed that the ads you see on Instagram sometimes feel so personal, as if the app is listening to your conversations. But there's no need to worry. You can prevent your ads from being so personal by following a few simple steps.

Sometimes, we see such highly personalized ads on Instagram that it feels like the app is listening to our conversations. While it's true that Instagram's head, Adam Mosseri, himself stated that the company doesn't listen to your conversations through your phone's microphone, the question remains: why do ads related to something you just talked about appear shortly afterward? Let's find out the answer.

How does Instagram show such highly personalized ads?

Mosseri explained last year that Instagram carefully analyzes your activity within the app. What you search for, which posts you comment on, and what you save—Instagram keeps track of all of this. In addition, your activity on other websites is also tracked with the help of Meta Pixel and cookies. Based on all this data, you are shown highly personalized ads.

How to stop seeing personalized ads on Instagram?

If you also want to stop Instagram from showing you ads based on your preferences, here's what you can do. Meta has shifted the ad settings for all its platforms to a single location: the Account Center. The good news is that you can control ad tracking to a great extent from here.

Method 1 - Through Meta Accounts Center

• Open the Instagram app
• Go to your profile and tap on the three lines in the upper right corner
• Now click on Accounts Center
• Scroll down and select Ad preferences
• Then go to Manage info and tap on Activity information from ad partners
• Now select Review settings
• Here, from the options you see, choose ‘No, don’t make my ads more relevant by using this information’

Method 2 - Disconnect Meta Activity

• Go to Accounts Center again
• There, select the Your information and permissions option
• Now tap on Your activity off Meta technologies
• Then select Disconnect specific activity
• Here you will be asked to enter your password to confirm the settings
• If you want to turn it off permanently, tap on Manage future activity
• Now select Disconnect future activity

Important things to know

Note that enabling these settings will not reduce the number of ads on Instagram or other Meta apps. The only difference will be that you will see fewer personalized ads based on your activity and history. Meta is now showing ads not only on Instagram but also while viewing WhatsApp statuses.