Social media platforms, such as Instagram, take up a significant part of our lives, and sometimes things can be unpleasant. That’s why, with the recent updates, Instagram has changed something, for example, seeing what others like. However, there are still answers to how to see someone’s likes on Instagram.
In today’s article, we are going to see how to do that with steps and tips.
Why Can’t You See Likes Anymore?
Instagram has a vision that works to improve user experience in any way possible. This includes privacy matters. Since social media such as Twitter, Instagram, etc. involve too much of our lives, privacy has become a big problem. You used to see what your followers liked when they liked, and what they commented on. However, this raised privacy concerns, and they removed this feature.
Instagram followed a path that they prioritized protecting user engagement data to create a more secure and less pressured environment, especially regarding the influence of like counts.
How to See Someone’s Likes on Instagram with Possible Steps
Even though Instagram took a privacy-oriented route, they didn’t completely remove all the way to see someone’s likes on Instagram since it’s a social media platform built on an engagement-based foundation. By following the steps, you can see down below, you can see the likes of other users.
1. Check Their Recent Activity Through Mutual Followers
If you have mutual friends on Instagram with users you want to see their likes, you may see the posts they liked on your feed but only the posts from your mutual friends. In this case, Instagram highlights the users who liked the post like “Liked by…”
2. Explore Tagged Posts and Comments
It might not be the exact answer to how to see someone’s likes on Instagram, but you can get valuable insight into their interactions by checking the tagged posts and their comments.
3. Instagram Stories and Engagement
By participating in votes or leaving a reaction to stories, you can see them directly only if it’s your own content.
These are the methods that can help you get information about someone’s likes and interactions; however, they cannot give you direct access to their likes. Also, you should keep in mind that mutual friends are crucial here to get them since Instagram only shows you relevant content.
Third-Party Apps and Tools: Do They Work?
There are dozens of websites and third-party applications that are trying to give an answer to your how to see someone’s likes on Instagram questions. They offer you full access to their liking and interaction history; however, you should be cautious about them since their legitimacy and effectiveness are questionable. Let’s take a closer look at them and evaluate them.
Legitimacy of Third-Party Tools
They are quite unreliable because the majority of them violate the terms of Instagram. That’s why Instagram does not approve them and shuts down immediately once they have detected them. Also, these apps and websites require full access to your Instagram account which can cause harm to your profile and your sensitive information such as your phone number, etc.
Risks and Precautions
The most dangerous risk is that they need full access to your account, as we mentioned earlier, and it can lead to serious data breaches, hacking, or suspension from Instagram.
Sometimes these apps need to install software that is harmful to your device. This compromised personal information causes you big trouble if it is associated with something bigger.
Also, you should be aware that most of these apps are requesting money in exchange for their services. However, they never deliver it successfully, so it makes them nothing but a cheap scam.
As you can see here, there are many risks and downsides of these websites and apps, so you better approach them with caution otherwise, you can jeopardize your personal data.
Alternatives to Checking Likes
Since using third-party tools and websites is quite dangerous, you need to have alternative ways to find an answer to how to see someone’s likes on Instagram or their other interactions. You can use these methods to obtain valuable information about other users.
· Comments
As you know now, likes are hidden and seeing them is almost impossible. However, you can still see comments since they are publicly visible. You can easily check comment sections on any post they’ve commented on. Comments offer more context than a simple like, making them a great way to see someone’s active participation.
· Story Views and Reactions
Stories are a wonderful way to see and measure interactions. You can see if the person regularly views or interacts with someone’s stories through likes, reactions, or replies.
By paying attention to these other metrics, you can learn more about someone’s Instagram activities and hobbies besides just their likes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I see someone’s likes on private Instagram accounts if I’m not following them?
No, you cannot see any activities such as likes, comments, posts, or stories if the account is private. However, if you are following each other on the platform, you may see their activities.
Does Instagram plan to bring back the feature where you can easily see others’ likes?
As of 2024, Instagram is not planning to bring back the activity tab because Instagram continues to focus on improving users’ privacy.
Are there any legal consequences for using third-party apps to view someone’s Instagram likes?
Using third-party tools or websites is not illegal. Yet, they violate Instagram’s terms of service which can cause you to lose your account and harm your reputation. Additionally, these third-party tools mostly require full access to your account which can lead to compromise your personal data such as phone number, login credentials, e-mails etc. This situation can lead to legal issues if it’s mishandled or misused.
Can I track someone’s likes on Instagram using my business account?
No, regardless of the type of your account, you cannot track down the likes of others directly since it’s not allowed.