Instagram stories allow users to post photos and short videos that will disappear after 24 hours. Have you ever wanted to anonymously view Instagram stories from your ex? You would be surprised about the number of Instagram users who are trying to find a way to do it. Even businesses want to do the same for their social media marketing strategies.
In this guide, we will show you some effective ways you can view Instagram stories without anyone knowing. Then, you will understand why people want to do it secretly.
4 Ways to View Instagram Stories Anonymously
#1. Turn On The Airplane Mode
All the phones have airplane mode which you are supposed to turn on when you are on an airplane. Find an airplane icon (you can put your finger on the top corner of the screen and drag it down if you are using an iPhone), then tap to turn it on or off.
Using airplane mode is the easiest way to watch stories secretly.
Follow these steps to apply this trick:
- Go to your Instagram app
- Wait for all the Instagram stories to complete loading in a few seconds.
- Then, turn on airplane mode. It will turn off your Internet access at the same time.
Now, you can watch Instagram stories without anyone knowing.
Keep in mind that you should close the Instagram app before turning on airplane mode. Or Instagram will show your view.
#2. Peek Into The Instagram Story Literally
This tip takes advantage of the Instagram interface that Instagram stories play automatically as a stream. You can swipe right to view the next story of another’s profile and swipe left to turn back to the previous one.
Here is how to do it:
- On the Stories streamline, find the story that you want to view.
- Choose the next story profile
- Pause this story
- Slowly swipe to the next story you want to see and hold your finger there. It will look like a nearby side of a 3D box
- Now, you can see that story without this person knowing
Be careful not to swipe to the next story. Otherwise, people will know that you have seen this story. One more note, you can only see the first story of this series. And this trick won’t work if this story is a video.
#3. Use Another Instagram Account
You can create a new profile so you can watch Instagram stories anonymously. However, here are some reasons why this method won’t work sometimes.
- Your time – You’ll need a new email address for this dummy account. So, you have to spend time making that other address.
- Locked out of IG – Some people manage to use one email address for several accounts. However, you have to switch between these accounts and may be locked out of your real one.
- Public profiles only – You can just watch their stories on public Instagram profiles. If it’s private, goodbye, you’re out of luck!
#4. Use A Third-party App Or Website to View Instagram Stories Anonymously
Many third-party apps and websites allow you to view or download stories without anyone knowing. However, keep in mind that this is the riskiest one because these websites don’t collaborate with Instagram in any way.
So, carefully consider using this way.
Why Do People View Instagram Stories Anonymously?
People use Instagram for many reasons, some use it to share their pictures. Others use it as a marketing strategy. So, people view Instagram stories with different purposes too.
Instagram has more than 1 billion users these days. It means there are a lot of opportunities for brands to approach their customers on this platform. Brands use Instagram to advertise their products and services and understand their audience. It would be awkward if people knew brands are peeking into their profiles. This is the reason why brands view Instagram stories anonymously.
Moreover, brands can use Instagram Stories ads as a marketing strategy. You will see them along with your friends’ stories. That’s a way brands can show ads randomly to potential customers.
This also allows brands to negotiate with Instagram influencers who have millions of fans to promote their products. These KOLs will help customers to get closer to the brands. As a brand, you should find them anonymously or ruin negotiations.
Final Thoughts
You may view Instagram stories without anyone knowing by using these tricks from our list:
- Turn on airplane mode.
- Peek into the Instagram story literally.
- Use another Instagram account.
- Use a third-party app or website.
Note that each method has its disadvantages. For example, using a dummy Instagram account won’t allow you to view stories from private IG profiles. Also, you may get viruses on your phone from these third-party apps.
And here are some bonus truths about Instagram stories that you may want to know:
If you’ve recently posted an Instagram story, you can swipe up on the screen to see a list of usernames who have viewed that story. If 48 hours have passed since you posted it, you may view the exact usernames of those who’ve seen the story. Find it in the Archive option in your profile.
A person will only know someone took a screenshot of their Instagram story if it came from the direct message feature. Outside of this scenario, a person won’t get a notification if people take screenshots of their stories. Still, this platform may expand the screenshot notifications in future updates.