Established in 2010 and now under the umbrella of Meta, the same company that runs Facebook, Instagram has become one of the most successful social networks. This is largely due to its user-friendly interface and focus on content centered around photos and videos, essentially, visual media.
One of the most popular features on Instagram is the Stories or Histories feature, which appears at the top of the screen. These are short videos or images that disappear after 24 hours, making them a fleeting snapshot of a user’s day.
Unlike regular posts, when a user views a Story, the author of the Story can see who has viewed it. This feature allows the creator to track the number of views their Story has received and who has viewed it.
Instagram details that to view a Story, a user simply needs to tap on it or use the arrows to navigate to the next Story. The ‘X’ located in the top-right corner allows users to exit the Story and return to their Feed. It should be noted that when a user views another user’s Story, the creator will be notified.
Stories are available to an account’s followers (photos are available to all Instagram users). However, Instagram provides the option to make your account private. With a private account, the owner must approve follow requests and can manage their follower list.
Despite the plethora of tips and tricks available online, and the existence of apps that claim to allow users to view Stories from people they do not follow, this is not possible.
While it’s impossible to view a Story anonymously from a PC or laptop, it can be done from devices running the Android or iOS operating system (iPhone).
According to Instagram, to view a Story’s viewers, open the Story and swipe up. The number of people who viewed each photo or video and their Instagram usernames will be displayed. Only the account holder can access this information.
It’s important to note that while Stories disappear after 24 hours, you can still check the views up to 48 hours after posting.
To review views after 48 hours, tap on the profile photo in the bottom-right corner to access your Instagram profile. Then, tap on the three horizontal lines in the top-right corner.
Tap on Archive and navigate to the Story in question. Tap on the Story and swipe up. Instagram states that the total view count includes all replays of the Story, so the number may be higher than the number of usernames, especially if a user viewed the Story multiple times.
