Had your fill of fuzzy puppy photos being liked by your friends? Or wonder what your partner is showing interest in lately on Instagram? As you may know, back in 2019, Instagram removed the Following tab that allowed easy snooping on friends and partners‘ liking activity.
While this tab is gone forever, you still have options to gain insight into what accounts you care about are interacting with on Instagram. This guide will walk you through the leading methods to see likes from specific people, along with an objective eye on privacy considerations.
I‘ve analyzed the various approaches in depth to equip you with expert recommendations tailored to your needs and comfort level when it comes to monitoring Instagram activity.
Third-Party Apps Offer Deep Liking Insights (But Consider Privacy Tradeoffs)
Without a doubt, specialized third-party apps represent the most effective approach to see who has liked what across Instagram, offering the closest substitute to the deprecated Following feature.
Leading apps like eyeZy allow completely anonymous tracking of an Instagram account‘s activity, compiling detailed logs of:
- All content liked
- Comments made
- New followers/follows
- Live videos joined
- And more
For example, over a 2 week period, you could view a convenient dashboard of the 200+ posts your boyfriend liked across dozens of accounts, along with the creepy DM‘s he keeps sending those models.
Capabilities like this make third-party tracking extremely effective for comprehensive visibility. However, as we‘ll explore shortly, legitimate privacy considerations arise with snopping into others‘ activity without consent.
But first, let‘s compare some top options:
| App | Price | Platforms | Notable Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| eyeZy | Free – $25/month | Web, iOS, Android | Anonymous tracking, comment & message logging |
| mSpy | $60-$200/month | Web, iOS, Android | SMS & call logging, keyword alerts |
| Umobix | $40-$90/month | Web, iOS, Android | Location history, call logging |
*Prices vary based on subscription plan
Weighing Privacy Concerns with Third-Party Tracking
Given the depth of data gathered by tools like eyeZy, you may be wondering:
Should I feel guilty looking through someone‘s Instagram activity without their knowledge?
It‘s an understandable concern. Fundamentally, these apps enable viewing potentially private information without consent.
However, various perspectives exist. As my college ethics professor would argue:
- Public Instagram data doesn‘t offer a high expectation of privacy
- Using access responsibly with pure intentions need not be unethical
- Trust issues in relationships may warrant deeper visibility to heal wounds
I‘ll leave those judgments to your discretion. But go in eyes open to the privacy implications.
Ultimately, your specific situation dictates what third-party tracking approach feels aligned with your values.
Leverage Your Existing Following Network for Limited Liking Insights
If manually watching your feed sounds draining, consider this passive approach:
Simply watch posts from Instagram accounts you and your target both follow. When they like or engage with those posts, you‘ll see that activity right in your regular notifications.
While visibility remains limited, it offers tracking without any specialized apps, on posts you‘d likely see anyway.
To expand visibility:
- Follow more of the accounts your target engages with
- Enable push notifications for those accounts‘ posts
- Check your own post likes for their engagement
While lacking comprehensive activity logs, this method surfaces some of their liking behavior completely organically. Give it a shot before pulling out the big privacy-invading guns.
In Closing: Viable Options Exist to Regain Some Liking Insights
Instagram may have axed its Following tab, but practical alternatives remain to shine light on the emoji hearts your friends and partners are double-tapping across the platform‘s sea of content.
As we covered, third-party tracking apps grant the most effective (and potentially controversial) route to monitor activity. Or more passive visibility springs from leveraging existing following connections.
So which approach is right for you?
Ultimately, choose based on your specific relationship circumstances, tolerance for invasive monitoring, and level of curiosity.
But now equipped with a full menu of possibilities, you can make an informed decision. The choice is yours!