From accidentally liking someone’s Instagram post and sending your ex a follow request to viewing a long-lost friend’s story – we’ve all landed ourselves in awkward situations many a time. Once you’ve accidentally or intentionally watched someone’s Instagram story (to satiate your never-ending curiosity), the first instinct is to google ‘How to unsee an Instagram story’. Well, you’ve landed on the right page. Let’s take you through two hacks to hide your profile from a user’s Instagram story views.
While Instagram doesn’t give you any option to revert this action directly, there are a couple of workarounds to avoid getting noticed by the user whose privacy you barged into. So, switch off your panic button, and take a few deep breaths as we take you through some sure-shot ways to unsee an Instagram story.
How to unsee an Instagram story after accidentally viewing it?
1. Block the user whose Instagram story you’ve viewed
Call it an extreme measure for all you like, but you’ll have to block the account of this person. When you block them, they won’t be able to see your profile listed on their stories even though you have viewed them. To clear your tracks without leaving any trace, keep them blocked until the 24-hour mark is up (which is when the Instagram story will expire) and then you can easily go to settings and unblock them. In case they’ve added this particular story to their highlights or archived it, you better block them for no less than 48 hours. While this may really crack up your equation with the concerned person, it’s a surefire way to get you expunged from their story views list.
Here’s how to block someone on Instagram
- Open the profile of the concerned user.
- Tap the three vertical dots on the top right
- Select ‘Block’ from the menu and confirm your decision by tapping the block option again
2. Deactivate your Instagram account
If you thought the first measure was extreme, check this out. If you can’t block the user for some reason, deactivate your Instagram account for 48 hours and activate it after the story you viewed disappears. When you hit the deactivate button, it’s like you don’t exist anymore on the app, and won’t show up on anyone’s story views either. This is a great way to go undetected after viewing someone’s Instagram story without having to block them.
How to deactivate your Instagram account?
- Go to your Instagram profile and tap the hamburger menu on the top right.
- Go to ‘Accounts centre’ and under ‘Account settings’, tap ‘Personal details’.
- Select ‘Account ownership and control’, go to ‘deactivation or deletion’ and choose your Instagram handle.
- Proceed to select the ‘Deactivate account’ option, enter your password and your account will be deactivated.
Tips to view a user’s Instagram story anonymously
Turn off your internet connection and view the story
If you’ve decided to activate the stalker mode and are curious to view someone’s story at any cost, this is the best workaround. You simply have to open Instagram and allow the page with the story you want to view to load fully. Then, disable your device’s internet or put your phone on ‘airplane’ mode. Now, simply click on the story you want to view.
However, there’s a catch. After watching the story via this method, you have to close the app and not use it for 24 hours to keep your view undetected. You must avoid using Instagram for as long as the story is up.
Create an alternative profile
Or as you like to call it, a fake account. While we’re not encouraging any stalker-like behaviour, this is the easiest way to not have any activity traced back to you. Just hope that the person doesn’t spot this mystery account and decide to block you for good.
Lastly, always be careful during your scrolling sessions!
(Hero image credit: Becca Tapert/ Unsplash)
(Feature image credit: ready made/ Pexels)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- How do you unsee a story on Instagram?
If you want to unsee a story on Instagram, you can either block the intended user’s account or deactivate your own Instagram handle for 48 hours until the story completely expires.
- How can I view an Instagram story without being seen?
The best way to view someone’s story anonymously is by watching it through an alternative account that won’t trace any activity back to you.
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Written by
Kriti Nayyar
Senior Digital Writer, Wellness, Culture, Astrology, Tech
Kriti is a stay-at-home dog mama, whose knack for telling interesting stories keeps her erstwhile monotonous life sane. A literature & journalism degree holder, you'll find her binging on Agatha Christie novels while critiquing the everyday state of affairs. On Kriti's seldom social outings, she's seen devouring coffee sangria with appetizing bread on the side.
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