Instagram is currently one of the most popular social media sites partly due to its high engagement and ease of use. Additionally, it is an all-in-one social media app where you can find almost everything from fashion inspiration and travel news to simple photos of family and friends’ events.
Still, many people are curious whether Instagram’s privacy settings are as adequate as they’d wish. For example, many Instagram users wonder if people can see what they look at on Instagram.
The truth is no one can see what you look at on Instagram. For example, if you view someone’s Instagram profile without liking or commenting on any of their content, they won’t know that you viewed their profile.
This is different for Instagram stories. When you view someone’s Instagram story, they can tell because they receive a list of viewers. Remember that you’ll still be on the viewer’s list even if your account is private.
To learn more about enhancing your privacy on Instagram, read this article to the end.
Overview of Instagram’s Privacy Settings
As the introduction mentions, no one can see what you look at on Instagram unless you view their stories. If you want to reduce your online visibility, you can utilize several Instagram privacy settings.
For example, even though you can tell who viewed your Instagram story through the viewer’s list, you can hide a story from a particular user.
Additionally, you can change your account from a public to a private account to control who views or comments on your content.
Remember that users have to request to follow your account. This means you can approve or reject follow requests if you feel the users may not respect your privacy.
You can use Instagram privacy settings to enhance your online privacy, including comment controls, activity status, and Instagram interaction controls. Comment control allows you to block comments from particular accounts.
You can also limit your Instagram interactions by controlling your post and mention settings under “Interactions.”
Your activity status is what indicates when you were last active on Instagram. You can turn off your activity status so that people who send direct messages can’t tell when you were last active.
Next, we cover ways to prevent someone from seeing that you viewed their stories and other ways to enhance your privacy on Instagram.
How To Prevent Someone From Seeing That You Viewed Their Instagram Story?
As we’ve established, another user can tell when you view their Instagram story by checking the viewers’ list. Please note that even if you change your account to a private account, your username will still appear on their list.
To prevent someone from seeing that you viewed their Instagram story, you’ll have to settle for tricks that reverse the viewing action instead of preventing it. Here are examples of a few tricks you can try.
Temporarily Deactivating Your Instagram Account
You can prevent another user from seeing that you viewed their Instagram story by deactivating your account for at least 24 hours.
Instagram stories only last for 24 hours. If you deactivate your account immediately after viewing, your name will not appear on their viewers’ list because your profile will be unavailable.
Blocking Their Account
If you accidentally view someone’s story or want to prevent someone from seeing that you viewed their story, you can block their account for at least 24 hours.
Blocking their account works similarly to deactivating it because your profile disappears from their viewer’s list. If you block their account immediately after viewing, there’s a chance they won’t know you viewed their story.
How Can I Enhance My Privacy on Instagram?
Even though no one can see what you look at on Instagram, you may still need to utilize Instagram privacy features to protect your online privacy. One such privacy setting is turning off your activity status.
Turn Off the Activity Status
Follow the steps below to turn off your activity status:
- Open the Instagram app on your mobile device.
- Tap the profile icon in the bottom right corner of the screen.
- Tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines) in the top right corner of the screen.
- Select “Settings.”
- Select “Privacy.”
- Tap on the “Activity Status” option.
- Turn off the “Show Activity Status” option.
Control Your Comments Section
In addition to turning off your activity status, you can control your comments section. For example, you can block comments for some Instagram accounts. Here’s how to do it:
- Launch the Instagram app on your phone.
- Tap on the profile icon at the bottom-right corner of your screen.
- Tap on the menu icon (three horizontal lines) at the top-right corner of the screen.
- Tap on “Settings.”
- Select the “Privacy” option.
- Under “Interactions,” tap on the “Comments” option with a bubble icon.
- Tap “Block Comments From.”
- Add users you wish to block comments from.
Now that you’ve changed your comments settings, the people leaving hateful comments are avoided.
Summary
If you’re curious whether people can see what you look at on Instagram, the answer is they can’t. Instagram’s algorithm only registers actions like comments or likes, not profile viewing.
The only way someone can guess that you’ve been looking at their profile is if you view their stories.
There is no way to view Instagram stories anonymously, but you can attempt a few tricks to prevent someone from knowing you viewed their story.
