If you ever wondered if someone can see if you’ve viewed their Instagram story if you are not friends with them, the answer is yes. In this article, we will discuss how viewing an Instagram story works and how someone can tell if you viewed their story.
1. What is an Instagram Story?
An Instagram Story is a feature inside the Instagram app that allows users to upload photos, videos, and GIFs that will stay active for 24 hours. Stories are generally taken as short snippets of life that Instagramers would like to share with their followers. They are viewable to anyone who follows them or visits the user’s profile.
Users have some advantages when it comes to creating Stories. They can make use of features such as questions, countdowns, polls, or hashtags. Furthermore, they can also add location tags or even mention other users through tagging. Those who view stories can also respond to them using options like a like or a reaction, text replies, a GIF, or even a sticker.
In addition to being visible to followers and being searchable, Stories also appear in popular locations such as the Explore page, other users profiles, and hashtag pages. This helps users reach a broader audience and helps grow engagement. With the use of Instagram Stories, businesses can also share their daily updates more effectively and take advantage of sponsored Stories to reach potential consumers.
2. Can Non-Friends View Instagram Stories?
When you post a story to Instagram, you have control over who can view it. If you’ve enabled Story Sharing, your Instagram Stories can be seen by users who don’t follow you. Non-followers will be able to view your stories, except for those that you share to Close Friends. If Story Sharing is disabled, your Instagram stories will only be viewable to users who follow you.
Non-followers can VIEW (not watch) your stories, they cannot leave comments, nor can they see who else has viewed your stories. Likewise, they can’t access your list of Close Friends. If a non-follower sends a message or interacts with your story in some way, you will receive a private notification alert.
Whether your Story Sharing is enabled or not, non-followers will not appear in your list of story viewers. If you wish, you can block users from viewing your stories by adding them to your Restricted list. People on this list will be not be able to view any of your stories or posts:
- Go to your profile on Instagram
- Tap the 3 vertical dots in the top right corner
- Select Restricted Users
- Type in their username and select from the list
3. Does Viewing Someone’s Instagram Story Send a Notiication?
When you watch someone’s Instagram story, the person who posted the story will be notified. If you delete the story, the notification is removed as well. Going further and hiding your profile, there’s no way to know if a particular person has watched your story.
When you watch an Instagram story, you can see who’s viewed the content. Depending on the user’s privacy settings, you may see a full list of who’s watched the story or just a count, without the names of the viewers. To make use of this feature, your Instagram account needs to have a business profile.
Additionally, Instagram stories may be viewed time and time again, without the post creator knowing. This is beneficial for account owners that want to track the reach and engagement of the same story.
- Stories on Instagram can be viewed up to three times before the viewers are added to the users list.
- The list of viewers will refresh every 24 hours, allowing for discrete views for the same story.
- Viewers can switch off their Instagram account or turn on their private mode before watching a story.
4. Is it Possible to Track Who Has Viewed Your Instagram Story?
Unfortunately, unlike Snapchat, Instagram does not provide an option to see who has viewed your story. It is not possible to see the exact list of users who have watched your Instagram Story. To date, there is no visible number of how many people have seen each of your stories, and it is impossible to know who exactly has viewed your Instagram Story by any other mean.
However, there are some indirect ways that can give you an idea of who has seen your story. Firstly, you can take a look at the list of people who have sent you direct messages or replied to your story with a direct answer. Secondly, some analytical third-party apps can provide you with other types of data that might be helpful. You can also look at the list of people that have recently liked or commented on your posts.
If you want to find out who is taking the time to watch your story, the best option is to craft an engaging story with interactive features. You can mention your viewers by name or ask them a specific question and then track who answered. Add some fun polls or questions enable you to have more insight into your viewers.
5. What is the Difference Between an Instagram Story View and an Instagram Follow?
Under an Instagram account, there are two activities associated with its reach and this is having an Instagram story view or an Instagram follow. It is important to understand the difference between the two and to know the impact they have on your Instagram account.
Instagram Story View – A story view is when someone views your story. This type of activity does not require any commitment from the viewer. A story view does show up as an activity on your account, indirectly influencing your reach. With each story view, you have a potential opportunity to increase your profile visits, and eventually, your followers.
Instagram Follow – An Instagram follow is when someone chooses to actively follow your account. An Instagram follow adds a connection to your discerning set of followers, which is important for larger accounts. An Instagram follow also lets people that choose to follow you be able to view your stories and posts to get notified on when you post something new. Some of the key benefits that come with an Instagram follow are:
- Your current and potential followers will be able to easily find your profile.
- Your current and potential followers will be able to see your posts in their feed.
- Your current and potential followers will be able to save posts and stories.
- Another great thing about having more Instagram followers is that it will indirectly increase your engagement.
The two activities of an Instagram account are different and serve different roles for the overall objective of increasing the reach and engagement of your account. With an Instagram story view, there is potential for increased profile visits and with an Instagram follow, there is potential for increased engagement.
In conclusion, it is important to understand how the Instagram Story viewing rules work. As a rule of thumb, if you don’t want someone to see that you viewed their Story, you should ensure that you are not following them and that your profile is set to private. Following these steps will help you maintain your privacy and stay safe from potential unwanted notifications.
