Instagram has gained enormous attention from billions of people. It is perhaps one of the most influential social media platforms. One can be on this platform and connect with friends and family. Apart from this, its core crucks lie in the pictures and videos that are created and shared. It has also evolved as a medium of communication that makes people vocal about their causes and problems.

Having an Instagram account doesn’t mean you got to post pictures or videos every day. Sometimes, you can scroll through and watch the content posted by the people you follow. Thousands of people consider keeping it low-key and not post much but use Instagram to stalk people.

Did you know you can find out who has viewed your Instagram profile if it’s public? Can you track who regularly visits your profile? Let’s find out!

Does Instagram provide any data on these users?

Absolutely no!

There isn’t any setting that gives you the privilege to find out who has viewed your profile and is stalking you lately. This is because there are set of privacy policies set by Instagram that do make the users visible. The reason behind it is due to fear of losing engagement from users.

If Instagram provides a list of accounts that have stalked you, the target will be on these accounts even if they do not have any bad intentions for scrolling through your feed.

If it gives out the activity of these users, then one will be easily able to detect what the user does on Instagram. Even though these users are not active, they consume the same time as others and occupy ads as everyone else does on Instagram.

And suppose this activity is taken from them. In that case, they may stop using Instagram, which will impact the stats, thereby reducing the number of users and engagement required to keep the social networking site going.

Can you use other apps to find out your stalkers?

Yes, there are several apps available on Appstore and Playstore to download and find out who has viewed your profile. However, since you need to feed in data of your Instagram account, it can pose a security threat.

How can one fully trust these third-party apps available?

We do not have any information related to the software or the app owners, and therefore, they can be a means of violating your privacy and, in some cases, also lead to your account being hacked.

Any honest reviews regarding these apps?

Firstly, these apps will initially charge you for a subscription, so even if they don’t work, you are obliged to make the payment. Secondly, most of these apps also have a built-in ad which makes their use non-user-friendly.

Another con that discourages using these third-party apps is that Instagram’s privacy policy clearly states that it does not share any private data, including an Instagram user’s name, Instagram user name, email address, or profile picture with any third party if that party does not collaborate with it.

Instagram’s API is also very strict regarding the information circulated to the third parties, restricting who can avail this info if Instagram doesn’t approve the third party.

Most of the users report that these apps do not upgrade and the application being problematic. Sometimes, one even needs to purchase the “pro version” to use these apps entirely.

However, some apps also have a good number of reviews, giving rise to conflicting statements. Therefore, the experience of using these apps may differ between users. However, it is better to be safe than sorry later, and so one needs to be cautious about the third-party apps they download.

So now that the third-party apps are out of your league due to safety concerns, how else can you find out who has stalked your account lately?

Use Instagram features!

Stories, highlights, and reels

Though Instagram does not provide you direct details on the users checking out your profile, it gives you a list of users who watched your reels, stories, and highlights. So this feature, in a way, gives you info on who has viewed your profile recently. All you got to do is click on the profile picture icon lined at the bottom left, and it will show a list of users who have viewed your story promptly.

You can see people whom you follow as well as users that you don’t follow. If you want to restrict your content to these users, you can even block them by clicking on the button next to their user name and selecting ‘Hide story’ to keep these stalkers at bay.

Note: since the Instagram story remains for 24 hours, you may lose this list. But the highlight feature stores it. So anytime if you want to avail this list, go to your profile and click on your highlights. It will automatically show a list of viewed users.

The Instagram reel is another fascinating feature that makes you entertain your followers. Once you upload the reel, your followers or even non-followers will be able to view, like, and comment on it in case of a public account. Like stories, one can avail the list of the users who have viewed the reel, giving some minute details if these users have viewed your profile. Though, it can’t be true that all viewers will view your profile.

Business account

Having a business account will give you important information on the users visiting your profile. It will enable you to access valuable info that will aid in maintaining your account. Data such as age range, gender, location, and their time of being online are provided. However, information on the username or profile is not available.

If you are looking into such data, then it’s a good choice to transform your account into a business account. To do so, go to your profile and click on settings. Next, click on ‘Switch to Business Profile‘ and then connect to your Facebook page.

Such info reflects demographic data that will help you design your products and services. The age group or gender will reveal the type of users your products interest. Again, because Instagram does not let out the names of the users, its privacy policy is not violated. But if you specifically want to know about the user’s name, this method won’t work for you.

Is having a public account better than a private one?

Pros of a public account

  • Easily accessible to all
  • Increases your engagement
  • You can better endorse your products and services
  • Better for increasing followers

Cons

  • Since it is visible to a larger crowd, it can be unsafe at times.
  • Hackers and frauds can easily access your account.
  • Your content can be stolen or misused by others.

To secure your account from hackers, Instagram has a two-factor authentication that adds extra security to your account. It acquires additional code when you log in on a device you have not logged in from before.
All you got to do is go to your profile and click on settings. Next, select Security and click on two-factor authentication to get started.

Pros of a private account

  • Keep your circle small ad selective.
  • You will get a request every time someone wants to follow you.
  • Keeps unwanted users and followers at bay.
  • Provides privacy.

Cons

  • Makes you unreachable to a larger audience.
  • Does not work well if you are into business or advertisements.
  • You may have a low follower number, thereby reducing interaction.

So can you see who can view your profile?

With the above discussion, it seems unlikely for you to find out the exact name of the stalkers. However, one can use third-party apps available, but it comes with security and threat issues. This is because Instagram’s privacy policy is so rigid, trying to violate it will call for problems.

The only activity you can view is your followers or other users viewing our story, highlight, or reels. However, this does not mean that all the users will 100% view your account.

Conclusion

So the bottom line is that you can monitor your user’s activity to some extent but not entirely. Again, you can surf through the various apps but at your risk. If you have any speculation regarding any account, the best thing to do is block and report that account so that it is not reachable in the future.