You’re bored and scrolling through Facebook when you see your crush posted something to their Story. You want to see it – no, you need to see it – but you don’t want them to know you viewed it. We’ve all been there. Thankfully, there are a few tricks to view Facebook Stories on the down low. In this guide, We’ll walk you through how to watch Stories without being seen. You’ll learn the pros and cons of different methods. So read on to become a master of incognito Facebook stalking! You won’t believe how easy it is.
Understanding Facebook Stories
What are Stories?
Facebook Stories are photos or short videos that disappear after 24 hours. They give you a fun, casual way to share moments from your day. Stories appear at the top of your News Feed and friends’ profiles.
Adding Content
To create a Story, just tap on “Add to Story” in the Stories section. You can take a photo or video right then, or upload one from your camera roll. Customize it with text, stickers, filters and effects before sharing.
Viewing Stories
When friends post Stories, you’ll see their profile pic circled at the top of your feed. Tap any pic to view that person’s Story. Stories play in the order they were shared until you tap to exit.
Privacy Options
By default, your story is visible only to your friends. However, you can adjust the audience for each individual story. You can also mute Stories from specific people if you’d prefer not to see them.
The Disappearing Act
After 24 hours, Stories automatically disappear from Facebook. So share those fun, casual moments without cluttering up your permanent profile or feed! Stories are the perfect way to stay connected throughout your day.
Why You Might Want to View Stories Anonymously
Privacy Concerns
You may want to keep your activity private for various reasons. Perhaps you’re viewing someone’s Stories out of curiosity but don’t want them to know you checked. Or maybe you want to avoid awkward situations if an ex or someone you’re not close with sees you viewing their content.
Stay Under the Radar
Viewing Stories anonymously allows you to stay completely off the radar. This can be useful if you’re checking in on someone without them knowing – like a friend, family member, or even a public figure you’re interested in following.
Avoid Revealing Too Much
Sometimes, you simply don’t want others to see what you’re looking at online. Keeping your activity hidden prevents people from making incorrect assumptions or judgments based on your viewing habits.
Beat the Algorithm
Social media algorithms track your activity to serve up more content they think you’ll engage with. Viewing anonymously helps keep those recommendations unbiased and based solely on the content you choose to openly engage with.
The ability to browse Stories anonymously gives you full control over your privacy and online presence. It’s a handy option when you want to keep certain viewing habits to yourself.
How to View Facebook Stories Without Being Seen
Method 1: Using the Airplane Mode Method
When you turn on airplane mode on your phone or device, it disconnects from the internet. Although your mobile data will be turned off when you switch to airplane mode, make sure to manually disconnect your WiFi, too, as WiFi does not get disconnected on most mobile devices when turning on Airplane mode. This means if you’re looking at stories on Facebook, it won’t register you as seeing those stories. That’s because, with airplane mode on, your phone can’t connect to Facebook’s servers to let them know you viewed it. It’s a pretty simple thing to do. Here’s how to do this:
- Open the Facebook application on your mobile device and wait till the Story you wish to watch is loaded
- Turn on Airplane mode and tap on the Story you want to watch
- Once you have watched the Story, close the Facebook app and turn off airplane mode.
Make sure to close the Facebook app completely before turning off airplane mode; otherwise, if the Facebook app runs in the background, your story view may be registered. Please note that if Airplane mode is on, some stories may not be available. To load them, turn off airplane mode and turn on airplane mode once the stories you want to watch have been loaded.
Method 2: Half Swipe Method
Another easy way is to stop watching the Story halfway through instead of seeing the whole Story. This is called Half Swiping. The only downside is that you will not be able to see the full Story. But the process of watching it is pretty much the same as how you normally watch a story. Here’s what you do:
- Open the Facebook application and tap on any of the stories
- While watching, tap on the Story before it is going to end
- Swipe left or right making sure the Story doesn’t end. This way, Facebook will not register your story view.
Method 3: Block Them
This is another great way to avoid showing up as a viewer on someone’s Story. This method will allow you to see the full Story, but it does involve blocking the user. So they’ll be removed from your friends list entirely. Only do this if you’re okay with completely removing that person from your friends’ list. Here is how to accomplish this:
- Login to your Facebook account and then tap on the Story you want to see
- Once you have viewed the Story, block them. If you want, you can unblock them after 24 hours.
Method 4: Deactivate Your Facebook Account
Another popular way to hide yourself as a story viewer is to deactivate your Facebook account. This may seem extreme, but it keeps the Story creator from knowing that you saw their Story. You can always re-activate your Facebook account after 24 hours. Just follow the simple steps below:
- Login to your Facebook account and watch the stories you want to see
- Tap on the Menu icon in the bottom right-hand corner
- Tap on the Settings & privacy
- Tap on Settings
- Tap on Accounts Center
- Tap on Personal details
- Tap on Account ownership and control
- Tap on Deactivation or deletion
- Select the profile you wish to deactivate (This option will be visible if you have multiple Facebook profiles or if your Instagram profile is also linked to your Facebook profile)
- Select Deactivate account and tap on Continue.
Method 5: Ask Another Friend to Send You the Story
If one of your other friends has access to that Story you wanted to see anonymously, you could ask them to share it with you. That’s probably the easiest way, especially if it’s a picture and not a video.
Please note that if you tap on it to check it out in Messenger, you’ll be shown as one of the viewers. So it’s probably smarter to ask your friend to take a screenshot and send it to you. That way, the person who posted it won’t know you saw it.
Method 6: Use an Alternate Account
If you want to view someone’s Facebook story without them knowing it was you, you can use an alternate account to do this. You can create a Fake profile and send them a friend request. Once they accept your friend request, use that profile to view the person’s Story!
How Do I See Someone’s Story on Facebook?
Alright so there are basically three ways you can check someone’s Story on Facebook. First, you can just go on Facebook through your web browser. Second option is to look at stories right from the Facebook Messenger app. And the third way is by using the Facebook mobile application on your phone. Let us break down each of these methods real quick.
Method 1: View Facebook Stories through the Website Browser
- Use any of the web browsers installed on your desktop computer or laptop and log in to Facebook’s desktop version.
- Once you have logged in, you will see Facebook stories at the top of the page.
- Click on any of the stories to view them.
Method 2: Open the Facebook Mobile App to View Stories
- Open the Facebook App on your mobile device
- On the top of the screen, you will see stories published by your friends. They will have a blue circle as well
- Tap on any story you wish to watch
Method 3: View Facebook Story Through Facebook Messenger
- Open Facebook Messenger on your mobile device
- Scroll through Messenger to find people who have posted stories. If someone has posted a story, there will be a blue circle next to their profile picture
- Tap on the blue circle to see their Story. Once you have seen their Story, the blue circle will disappear.
How to Download Facebook Stories
It is possible to save your Facebook story before or after you upload it. Simply tap on the three dots icon while viewing your Story and tap on Save photo.
It is not possible to save others’ stories within the Facebook App. You can however, copy the link to the Story and then use third-party apps to save the Facebook story.
Can you see who viewed your Facebook story, videos, or profile?
1. Can you see who viewed your Facebook Story?
- Open the Facebook app on your mobile device or login to your Facebook account using the web browser
- Click or tap on the “Your Story” option on top of your Facebook feed
- Click or Tap on the Facebook story viewers number on the bottom left hand side.
2. Can you see who views your profile on Facebook?
3. Can you see who viewed your video on Facebook?
FAQS about Facebook Story Views
1. Can I see who viewed my Story outside my Friends’ circle?
2. Can I see how many times people saw my Story?
3. What does “Other Viewers” mean on Facebook Stories?
4. Can Facebook users know whether I viewed their Story?
Conclusion
So there you have it – a few simple tricks to keep your Facebook stalking a secret. While nothing is foolproof, the above methods will help you scope out profiles and watch Stories incognito. Just use your powers for good, not evil. Creeping on your ex’s vacay pics or cyberstalking their new boo on social media platforms usually ends in regret, tears, and texting under the influence. Save yourself the drama and keep things light. Satisfy your curiosity, but don’t go down the rabbit hole. Your mental health will thank you! In the wise words of Elsa, let it go. Stay focused on you.