Instagram’s story feature allows users to upload content that only stays online for 24 hours. The creator is able to see everyone who’s seen their story, but is there a way to watch a story anonymously?
Stories, one of the most engaging features on Instagram, keep users hooked with bite-sized narratives of their favorite Instagrammers.
But what if you want to watch these stories without revealing your digital footprints? What if you desire to stay updated without your name popping up on someone’s view list?
Can you view Instagram Stories without anyone knowing?
Instagram does not currently offer a built-in option for viewing Stories anonymously, as it is against Instagram’s policy and terms of service.
However, there are a few different ways you can go about viewing stories without letting the poster know it was you. Bear in mind that not all of these options are bulletproof as there’s still a risk the user will realize you’ve watched their story.
How to watch Instagram Stories anonymously
There are four easy ways to view Instagram Stories without the other person knowing.
Turn on airplane mode
The first option is the easiest one – just turn on airplane mode on your device before clicking on the person’s Instagram Story.
Because Instagram automatically preloads several stories to enable instant viewing even when you’re without a reliable Wi-Fi or data connection, you can theoretically view one without being seen.
To try this out, you need to pull up the account’s profile in the Instagram app, then enable airplane mode on your device before heading back into the app and tapping on the user’s stories.
However, if the user in question has posted several stories, the app likely won’t have preloaded them all so they won’t all be viewable on airplane mode.
Use an anonymous Instagram account
Another way to look at someone’s Instagram Story anonymously would be to create an anonymous Instagram account that isn’t automatically identifiable as you.
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If you already have another account set up, it’s as easy as adding the account on Instagram and switching between the two whenever you want to view someone’s Instagram Stories without them knowing.
If you haven’t already created an additional Instagram account, you’ll need to sign up for a new one before adding it to your app.
Bear in mind though that this only works if the user of the person you’re trying to watch the story on is public. Unless you also follow the person from this anonymous account.
Slide and view from adjacent stories
Instead of clicking the Instagram Story you want to view, you can click on another account’s Story next to it. Since Instagram runs Stories back-to-back, you can lightly hold swipe to view the first frame of the next account’s Story but not properly click on it.
This means you can see the gist of what is happening in the first Story without your name appearing on a “Seen by” list.
In a similar way, you can view the last frame of someone’s Instagram Story by clicking on the first Story of the next account and lighting swiping back to view the previous account’s last Story. However, with this method, it is not possible to view all the middle frames of an account’s Story.
Use a third-party app or site
The third, and maybe the most complicated way to watch someone’s Instagram Story without them knowing would be to use a third-party app or website.
Using a third-party service, however, is a privacy tradeoff. It does prevent users from knowing that it’s you who has viewed their story, but you pass other information from your web browser (e.g., your IP address, cookies, and other browser fingerprinting information) to an unknown individual or organization — whoever is running the site.
Some websites that allow you to watch someone’s Instagram Story anonymously include:
If you want to know more about how to use Instagram, you can check out our other guides including how to see your first-liked Instagram post and how to re-share a post to your Story on Instagram.
