Beyond likes and comments, have you ever wondered if someone is secretly looking at your Instagram posts and rewatching your Reels and Stories? With so many useful features on the app, it’s fair to assume that seeing who views your profile or post/story is also at your disposal.
Unfortunately, no magic metric gives you a list of people stalking your account. But that doesn’t mean that you’re entirely in the dark. You can look for indications that someone has looked at your content in several ways. Read on to learn how and get a few other valuable tips regarding Instagram privacy.
How to Tell if Someone Viewed Your Instagram Posts
While you can’t see who viewed your Instagram posts, you can see who liked them. Users who like your posts regularly watch for your content or have turned on post notifications for you.
Check Your Likes
Since Instagram changed the Activity tab, keeping track of who’s seeing and liking your content is more complicated. You’ll typically see notifications in bulk, with only two usernames at the top, followed by a number. Nevertheless, you can still look at the complete list of accounts that liked your post.
- Go to your “Activity” tab by tapping the “heart” icon in the upper right corner.
- Browse for a like notification, then tap on it, and the app will take you to your post.
- Press the “## likes” link below the post.
- Browse the complete list of users who liked your content.
Note: The list of likes may not represent the total number shown to you, such as receiving 18 likes but only seeing 16 profiles. Your actual count is the list, and the count difference occurs when specific accounts unliked the post, got closed, or switched usernames.
Go Into Insights
Another way you can get some information about who is viewing your content is by checking your analytics. This won’t tell you who, in particular, looked at your content. However, it will give you great insight into your audience. You’ll also learn how many views your profile is getting. Instagram Insights are only available for business accounts. You can change your personal one to a business account anytime for free.
Here’s how it’s done:
- Go to your Instagram profile and tap the three horizontal lines in the corner.
- Choose “Settings”
- Tap “Account” and scroll down to find “Switch to professional account.”
Once you’ve switched, you’ll be able to find the Insights tool right on your profile. Unfortunately, you’ll only be able to view the data of the posts that you made after switching to a professional account.
How to Tell if Someone Viewed Your Instagram Stories
While you can’t see who has viewed your profile, posts, or videos, you can check who has watched your Instagram Stories. This is the only feature where Instagram lets you get this information.
To check who looked at your currently active Instagram Story, follow these steps:
- Open the app and tap on your own Story on the main feed.
- Swipe up your screen.
- You’ll see the complete list of accounts that viewed your story.
Unfortunately, Instagram Stories have a short lifespan. In 24 hours, your post disappears alongside the list of viewers. Therefore, don’t forget to check the list while you can.
Can Third-Party Apps Tell Me Who Viewed My Instagram?
The internet is brimming with apps and solutions promising to give you all the insight you want. However, you should remain cautious when interacting with such third-party apps. Instagram’s policy includes certain discretion regarding sharing data with third-party apps. Those apps promising to tell you who is viewing your profile don’t have the insight they claim they have. Instead, they cause more problems than they’re worth.
Upon signing up, apps asking for your Instagram login info may steal your data. On the other hand, apps that require a subscription might steal your money. All in all, you should avoid third-party apps claiming to identify your secret admirers.
You may have also encountered third-party apps promising to keep you updated about your followers. While these can give you that information, you’re still taking a risk by giving them access to your account. In addition, it’s easy to check whether someone is still following you with the search function in your follower list.
How to Tell if Someone Is Stalking You on Instagram
It can be challenging to tell if someone is stalking your profile without any metrics showing who viewed your content. If you have your suspicions, you can use a trick to identify signs of stalking behavior, though. Of course, this will only be an indication, but you may still find it helpful.
- Tap the “Your story” icon on the main feed at the top right.
- Tap the “gear” icon to open the settings.
- Select “Story” in the settings.
- Hide your story from all your followers except those you think are stalking you.
If you post a story, only that person will see it. You’ll need the professional Insights tool we mentioned for the next step.
Having posted your story, keep track of the view counts through the Insights tool. The increasing count will indicate the person is looking at your current story multiple times.
How to Keep Your Instagram Private
If not knowing who viewed your content bothers you, it’s a good idea to reconsider your privacy settings. While hiding your profile isn’t possible, other measures will help maintain your privacy.
You can make your entire profile private, hiding your posts and stories from anyone not following you. You can turn off your Activity Status, so your contacts won’t know when you’re online. Moreover, you can use Instagram’s “Restrict” tool to distance yourself from a specific user. If you’re struggling with stalking, the “Block” button is also available.
Privacy Still Matters to Instagram
Instagram still takes privacy issues seriously by not revealing information such as who views your profile. While you can’t find out if someone has looked at your Instagram profile, there are still a few indications to watch out for. Moreover, you can’t identify silent admirers, but you can certainly keep them away if the possibility makes you feel uncomfortable.
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