The Ultimate Guide to Untraceable Instagram Story Viewing: 5 Crucial Steps
Curiosity is the driver of many of the inventions we enjoy today. In terms of social media, the same curiosity has led to many users seeking a way to view Instagram stories anonymously. However, the platform prohibits this habit, considering it an infringement on the privacy of other users. Ingenious minds have created third-party apps such as IGAnony to provide anonymity without violating Instagram Community Guidelines.
In this article, we will provide you with a highly useful and safe guide to untraceable Instagram story viewing. Before delving further, let us be on par when it comes to understanding what story reels are and why social media aficionados love them.
Instagram Stories Explained
Launched in 2016, Instagram Stories has become perhaps the most attractive feature on the platform. With it, people get snippets of the lifestyles of their family and friends, check what their business rivals are up to, and sneak peeks at their preferred celebrities.
By definition, these are feeds of photos or short video clips that disappear from your profile 24 hours after you post them. Do not confuse these with your traditional feeds, as they act as a kind of slideshow, with each video or photo you upload to your feed representing a new slide.
Now, every time you view someone’s story, the poster of the comment will know through the ‘Seen’ feature. All they need to do is open their account, click and view their story, then swipe up to find the accounts or profiles that viewed their story.
Going incognito means your profile or account won’t be present among the ‘Seen by’ list. The big question here is: how do you achieve this? Don’t worry, we will reveal the solution in the subsequent discussion.
5 Crucial Steps to Anonymous Instagram Story Viewing
Now pay attention as we reveal the five crucial steps to anonymous Instagram story viewing. These steps are not sequential, but you can use them in isolation. However, employing two or more of the steps can add an extra layer of privacy.
Step 1: Refrain from interacting with stories.
While social media is all about interactions, you must sacrifice this very thing if you want to go incognito. The more you interact, the higher the chances that you will be detected because every time you like, comment, or view content, your details are collected through cookies and browsing histories.
Following this step faithfully can be quite difficult, especially because some stories are just too interesting to simply pass. Be that as it may, you must resist the urge if you really want to maintain anonymity. If you must interact, then use the technique discussed in step 2 below.
Step 2: Create a secondary/dummy profile
This step is perhaps the safest because it does not limit you in terms of engaging with the content. However, you must be careful when opening the account. You have to ensure that no information or credentials you use in your main account make their way to the secondary account.
Choose a unique name that has nothing to do with your official identity. The same goes for the email address or phone number you provide. Since you have to make the dummy account as authentic as possible, you will have to provide a profile photo.
Do not use a photo that can be traced back to you. Use a stock photo if possible, as this is public and cannot be tied to a particular identity. If you find this step cumbersome, then you might want to try the next step.
Step 3: Use a reputable third-party app.
As alluded to earlier, the need for anonymity has led to the creation of ingenious ways to beat the Instagram algorithm. Several third-party apps have been designed to help individuals view their favorite stories without revealing their identity. Some go as far as including a download feature that enables users to save the stories anonymously for later viewing.
That said, not all of these apps or websites are secure or even effective. Some are just meant to hoodwink you into providing your personal details to third-party users. This means you must apply due diligence to find a website or app that is reputable, secure, and genuine. Do not trust what the websites say themselves; instead, depend on real user reviews.
Step 4: Sign up with disposable mail.
Disposable email accounts, also called throwaway or temporary mail, are email addresses that you can discard after use because they are valid only for a short period of time. This method is ideal if you are dying to view a story just once because the address is appropriate for one-time use only.
These are public addresses that are not appropriate for personal use but can be ideal if you want to view Instagram stories anonymously. Use the disposable email to create a new Instagram account, and then use the new account to view the story of interest. Do not use any details identical to the ones you have in your regular account.
Step 5: View stories on your desktop.
The last step in our guide is to use the desktop version of Instagram. This version does not require you to sign in to the platform before gaining access. Since you are not logged in, nobody can trace you using your credentials.
You will be able to view stories from public accounts but not private ones. You can add an extra layer of privacy by viewing in incognito or private browsing mode. The latter technology masks your IP address and, therefore, hides your identity. All browsers currently in use have this feature and are therefore appropriate for a discrete view of Instagram stories.
Wrapping It Up
There you go, folks. You do not have to possess a degree in rocket science to be able to view Instagram stories discretely. Employ any one or combination of the steps discussed to realize your objectives. While doing this, remember to respect the privacy of other Instagram users and be careful not to violate the terms of service put forth by the world’s fourth-largest social media platforms by user numbers. Happy incognito story watching!
