Ever since Instagram launched the live story function, people cannot help but watch these videos repeatedly. A live video function has allowed content creators to post long videos showing detailed tips on a particular topic.
If you have been using Instagram for a while, you must have noticed how you can know who viewed your story. When you watch someone’s story, the list of viewers will show up right on your screen, giving you an idea of who viewed your story.
Now, there are times when you want to watch someone’s Instagram live without them knowing or without revealing your name.
Perhaps, you would like to stalk someone’s live video but you don’t want to expose yourself.
In this guide, you’ll learn how to watch Instagram live without them knowing.
Can You Watch Instagram Live Without Them Knowing?
Unfortunately, you can’t watch someone’s Instagram live video without them knowing. When you join a live video, the user hosting the video and other participants get a notification telling that a user has joined the live. Your name will appear on the screen as soon as you join the video.
Basically, Instagram does not have any built-in tool for hiding your name. You can’t really avoid getting seen by the host unless you are watching the story and live videos of a person with hundreds of thousands of followers.
There is a chance the person hosting the video might not see your name if they get hundreds of participants joining the live at the same time. It’s only normal to miss who has seen the video when you have so many people joining. But that rarely happens. Besides, you never know if they will catch you joining them.
However, there are some ways to join someone’s live Instagram video without revealing your identity. These methods work 100% given that you use them as instructed.
Let’s take a look at a few tips for watching someone’s Instagram live without them knowing.
How to Watch Instagram Live Without Them Knowing
1. Watch Instagram Live from Fake Account
People do it all the time. Whether it is for stalking someone or scrolling the feed, a fake Instagram account comes in handy when you need to join someone’s live video anonymously. There is no way the user can know you have watched their video when you join with a new account. All you have to do is sign up for a fake Instagram account with your email address or phone number, search for the target account, and tap on their story.
You will enter their live videos without disclosing your name. However, this method doesn’t work if the target user has a private profile. You need to send them a follow request and wait for them to accept it so that you can get access to their feed, including the stories, posts, live videos, and so on. So, this method works only if the user has a public account or they have already accepted your follow request.
2. Change Your Username for a Short While
Another great trick to watch someone’s Instagram live is by changing your Instagram username for a short while. If you don’t have a separate account or you simply don’t want to use a fake profile to stalk someone, the best thing you can do is change your Instagram username.
It takes only a few seconds. Go to your Instagram profile page, click on the “edit profile” button. Remove the current username and replace it with a new name. You can also change the name that appears right below your profile. Select the right tick icon located on the top of the screen to save changes. Once you have watched the video with a new username, you can switch back to the original name.
3. Wait for Them to Save the Video
Instagram has enabled an option allowing people to save the live video on Instagram after the video has ended. If you are 100% sure the host will save the video for their audience to watch later and for those who couldn’t join the live video, the best thing you can do is wait.
Let them end the video so that you can watch it after 24 hours of uploading. This way the target will not know that you have watched their live. You don’t have to create a fake account or change your username. Your name won’t show at all – no matter which profile you use to get access to these live videos.
4. Use a Friend’s Account
The biggest problem with watching live videos is that you have limited time to view the host and whatever they have put on the video. You need to watch the video within that duration or the video will disappear.
Once the live has ended, there is no guarantee whether or not the host will save it for other users. Now, you can ask a friend to show you the live video (a mutual friend who’s friends with you and the target). But, that is not a viable option since your friend must be active at the time the target user goes live. However, this method does not work for most people. By the time you ask a friend to record the live video or show you the video, the host will probably end the video.
Also Read:
