How to See Someone's Activity on Instagram | Step-by-Step Guide

Instagram is a top-rated social media platform with more than two billion users worldwide. It’s a platform that provides glimpses of our friends’ lives, as well as connects us to people globally.

But let’s face it— at times we’d like to find out more about what somebody is doing on their Instagram account, whether it is an old friend, family member, or significant other. Still, there are no easy ways to see others’ activities on Instagram.

In this step-by-step guide, you will learn how to view someone's activity on Instagram and reveal the information that interests you most.

Part 1. Understanding Instagram's Activity Tracking Options

When you want to keep an eye on someone’s Instagram activity, it’s essential to understand what options are available and how they work. Some Instagram features can be used to track activities.

1.1. Overview of current Instagram features

Direct messages (DMs) are handy. The paper airplane icon at the top right of your DMs tells who is online. If there’s a green dot next to your friend’s profile, it means they’re active.

Another way to keep track of activity on Instagram is through stories. You can determine how recently someone was active by looking at the timestamp on their story. For example, if you see your friend has posted a story and it says “5 minutes ago”, you know they have been on Instagram just now.

Another feature that allows you to see who has liked or commented on posts is Instagram. If you follow someone, go over their latest post then check either the likes or comments section. You can also view their post from your news feed.

1.2 Instagram’s privacy policies and what activity is visible to users

Privacy settings on Instagram have become stricter over the years hence not everything can be seen by you although some information can be gathered.

For instance, Instagram does not show all users’ activity history and you cannot see who a person is messaging. Also, the app does not provide an exhaustive list of what someone has liked or commented on unless one goes through their activities manually.

Instagram has privacy policies that are directed towards safeguarding user data; hence you might see a few things, but most of it is private unless the user makes their profile public or you follow them. If someone has a private account, you won’t be able to see their posts or Stories unless they’ve accepted your follow request.

Part 2. How to See Someone’s Activity on Instagram [Step-by-Step]

Tracking someone’s activities on Instagram is not as complicated as it may appear, especially when one knows the right methods to use. Below are four practical ways to see someone’s activities on Instagram:

Scenario 1. Tracking someone's most recent posts

If you want to know what someone is currently up to, then their posts should be the first thing that you look at. Instagram provides an easy way of finding out what somebody has posted lately. Here’s what you can do:

Step 1. Open your Instagram application and tap the search bar located at the bottom with a magnifying glass icon on top of it which will direct you to the Search & Explore page. Type in the username of who you want to check his updates.

Step 2. Click on their profile once you have found it. The newest uploads will show up first followed by older ones.

Tap on any of the posts to see when it was shared and its engagement such as likes and comments.

However, note that if the account is private, then you will have to send a follow-up request which will require approval before viewing their posts. Alternatively, one can view someone’s posts directly by following them as they scroll through Instagram.

Scenario 2. Checking when someone is online

If you want to know when someone was last active on Instagram, there are several ways to check their online status:

• Way 1

The simplest way is via Direct Messages (DMs). Tap on your inbox in the top right corner with the paper airplane icon.

You will know whether their active status is on by seeing a green dot beside their profile picture along with a timestamp indicating when they were online most recently.

• Way 2

if they have lately posted a Story, it is also an indication of their recent presence.

It should be pointed out that these features are available only if you both follow each other. If they don’t follow you back, you can’t see when they were last active, so keep this in mind while trying to track activity.

Scenario 3. See someone's followers/following

Checking who someone follows and who follows them on Instagram is one of the simplest ways to know their Instagram activity. To do this:

Step 1. Go to the person’s Instagram profile.

Step 2. Click on either "Followers" or "Following" to view a list of accounts.

This shows you what their Instagram network looks like at a glance. However, remember that this list doesn’t go by chronological order in the app; hence it will not be easy for you to figure out who they just started following.

To work around this, you can access Instagram through a web browser instead of the app. On the web version, the list is usually more accurate in terms of recent activity, showing you the most recent followers at the top.

Scenario 4. Exploring someone's interactions with accounts

To see what someone has liked or commented on, you can check out their recent interactions. Here’s how:

Step 1. Open the person’s profile and scroll down to their most recent posts.

Step 2. Select a post from a few days ago and then press on “likes” or comments.

Step 3. Look through the list of accounts that liked the post to see if any names look familiar.

Part 3. How to See Someone's Activity on Instagram without them knowing

If you’re looking to see someone’s activity on Instagram without them knowing, there are discreet methods available that allow you to monitor their behavior without raising suspicion. One effective tool for this is Msafely, a monitoring app designed to keep tabs on someone’s Instagram activity in secret.

3.1. What is Msafely

Msafely is a powerful monitoring tool that operates invisibly on a target device, allowing you to track various activities without the user being aware.

Msafely is designed to work smoothly without interfering with other apps or notifications on your phone. So you can track someone’s Instagram without them knowing.

The control panel refreshes every few minutes to give you the most current information while at the same time encrypting all data securely.

3.2. Advantages of Msafely in tracking someone's Instagram

These are some of the outstanding advantages of using Msafely to track someone's Instagram activities. Here are some of them

• Comprehensive tracking of Instagram activities

With this feature, you can monitor everything they do on Instagram including messaging, liking, commenting, and more.

• Data encryption

Maintaining confidentiality and integrity of collected information is ensured by Msafely through encrypting all data that it captures.

• Compatibility

The tool is updated regularly so that it remains compatible with iOS and Android versions.

• Real-time monitoring

Msafely’s control panel is designed to enable real-time monitoring thereby displaying recent activities as they happen.

3.3. What other phone activity can Msafely monitor

Msafely doesn’t just stop at Instagram; it offers a wide range of monitoring features, including:

•  Real-time GPS tracking

This feature helps you to follow the device’s current location when on Instagram. It is helpful in that way to let you know where they are.

•  Internet usage monitoring

You can covertly keep an eye on browsing history and online movements happening on a phone under surveillance, thus giving you a broader picture of their internet usage.

•  Call monitoring

Missed calls, incoming and outgoing calls will be displayed with details of time and duration; hence, it gives insights about who one speaks about outside Instagram.

•  Text message tracking

Take into account all text messages that were sent and received, including those deleted so that no important conversation will go unnoticed.

3.4. Steps to use Msafely to see someone's activity on Instagram secretly

Here’s how you can set up Msafely to discreetly monitor someone’s Instagram activity:

Step 1. Register your free account

Create a free Msafely account with an active email address.

Step 2. Choose the target device

Indicate which kind of gadget you want to track like an iPhone or Android phone.

Step 3. Start monitoring

Start following someone’s phone life as well as its Instagram activities by accessing your profile on the Msafely platform.

Part 4. Extra Tips for Maintaining Your Privacy on Instagram

Maintaining your privacy on Instagram is important, especially if you want to control who can see your posts and interactions. Here are some extra tips to help you keep your activity more private and secure.

4.1. How to hide your activity on Instagram

To protect your privacy, the first thing you need to do is hide your online presence on Instagram.

Disable active status

When you disable “Active Status” on Instagram it means that nobody else can see when you are online or when you were last active. This is how to do it:

Step 1. Go to your Instagram profile and click on the three lines at the top right.

Step 2. Search for Activity status.

Step 3. Turn off the option called Show Activity Status.

This way, your activities on Instagram will not be visible to others which proves useful especially when you want to browse through Instagram without anyone knowing when you are available.

Control who sees your posts and interactions

Another important way to maintain privacy is by controlling who can see your posts and interactions. Setting your account to private is a straightforward way to do this. Here’s how you can do it:

Step 1. First, open your Instagram profile and click on the three lines located in the top-right corner.

Step 2. You should now tap on “Account and Privacy.”

Step 3. After this, turn on the toggle button for Private Account.

When your account is private then those who want to follow you must send a request and it’s upon you to either accept or decline it so that only people you trust are able to view your photos or interact with them.

Manage your followers and following list

This is another essential component of privacy on Instagram; controlling followership as well as following. Here are some tips:

Review your followers regularly: Every now and then go through your followers’ list and unfollow any persons whose accounts you do not recognize or feel uncomfortable with.

Be selective with who you follow: Be careful regarding whom you follow particularly when trying hard to maintain certain limits of privacy.

Make your account private: This means that only those you have allowed to follow you can have access to what you post, like, or comment on. If you want to avoid publicizing it while allowing only your friends and relatives to see it, then this is most appropriate for you. Here is what a private account looks like

4.2. Best practices for Instagram privacy

Protecting your privacy on Instagram is essential because your personal information can easily be shared or exposed. By following some best practices, you can maintain control over your online presence and keep your activity secure. Here are some best practices for Instagram privacy.

Using Instagram’s privacy settings to protect your activity

Instagram has several privacy settings that allow you to choose who sees your content and interacts with you.

For instance, hiding your “Activity Status” would mean others cannot know when exactly you are online while if one sets his/her account as private, only approved followers can view posts by such accounts; hence they play a major role in protecting privacy at first point of contact.

Go to your profile on Instagram to hide your "Activity Status.” Tap the three lines in the top right corner, and search for “Activity Status.” To set your account to private, go to “Settings,” tap “Privacy,” and enable the “Private Account” option, ensuring only approved followers can see your posts.

Understanding the impact of public vs. private profiles

The privacy that you will have is greatly affected by whether you decide to make your Instagram profile public or private. With a public profile, anyone regardless of whether they follow you can see your posts, stories, and activities. On the other hand, a private profile limits visibility to those who have been allowed as followers.

If you are using Instagram for brand creation or business purposes, then it might make sense to keep your profile public. However, if you share personal moments and want them contained within a trusted circle, setting your profile to private would be the best thing to do.

Audit your followers regularly

Over time, your follower list may increase but it is easy to forget who is on it. Regular audits of followers help ensure that only people one trusts get their content. Therefore, if there are accounts that appear strange or feel uncomfortable with them it would be best to delete them.

Be careful about sharing personal information

When posting on Instagram, remember not to share too much information about yourself. Do not post details like your home address, phone number, or even daily routines of life in general, which could just mean everything about yourself.

Limit who can tag you in posts and stories

Another way to protect your privacy is by controlling who can tag you in their posts and stories. To prevent unwanted tags, follow these steps;

Step 1. Go to your Instagram profile’s “Settings”.

Step 2. Click on “Privacy” and choose “Tags.”

Step 3. Then, you can decide to either allow tags manually before they appear in your profile or limit who can tag you at all.

Part 5. FAQs about How to See Someones Activity on Instagram

Q1. How do I know who someone interacts with the most on Instagram?

You can get a sense by checking who they frequently comment on or whose Stories they often reply to.

Q2. Can I check someone’s Instagram search history?

No, that is one part of privacy policies not allowing you to view other people’s searches.

Q3. Can you see if someone is online on Instagram?

Yes, if they’ve enabled activity status, you’ll see a green dot next to their profile when they’re online.

Q4. How can I find out if my Instagram account has been viewed by anyone?

Instagram does not tell you who viewed your profile unless they liked or responded to your posts or stories.

Q5. Can I see who somebody DMs on Instagram?

Direct messages are private and there are no means of looking through another person’s chats.

Part 6. Conclusion

Instagram is a platform that gives a peek into people’s lives, but not everything is always revealed. While you can get some insights by checking posts, Stories, and online status, privacy settings often limit what you can access.

By using tools like Msafely, you can explore someone’s Instagram activity without them knowing. Nonetheless, curiosity should be kept within limits and respect for privacy upheld.

Therefore, it is important to use these methods responsibly and remember that everything seen on Instagram cannot appeal to everyone.