How Can I See Stories on Facebook Without Them Knowing

  • By Muhid Suleman

    Muhid Suleman

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    Muhid Suleman, An expert writer from Pureprivacy's content team, Dedicate to make data privacy simple and accessible for you. Muhid, Our Content Wizard, weaves tales about online privacy using simple and user friendly procedures. He firmly believes that online privacy is your right and a big deal in the digital jungle.

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  • 31 July 2024
  • 8 mins read

You've probably looked through your Facebook feed only to be met by colorful story circles. 

But what if you want to satisfy your curiosity without informing others that you've seen their stories? 

Let's look at various possible ways to see Facebook stories without letting someone know.

4 Techniques to See Someone’s Facebook Stories Without Them Knowing

You can view other people's stories in the same way that you can add something to your own. This raises the question of whether it is possible to see someone's stories without informing them that you have done so. Yes, you can watch Facebook stories anonymously by using a few tactics.

  1. Enable Airplane Mode

When you enable airplane mode on your smartphone, your phone will no longer be connected to the Internet. Here's how you should use this approach.

Step 1: Open your Facebook account on your iOS or Android smartphone. Once there, log in with your credentials to access the main page, which will have different people's stories at the top.

Step 2: Turn on airplane mode to go offline, then return to the home page and click on any story you want to see. The story will start to play. 

Once you're finished, force close the Facebook app so it doesn't run in the background when you turn off Airplane Mode.

Turn on airplane mode to go offline
  1. Watch Half Story

Instead of viewing the complete story, you should stop halfway through. The one obvious disadvantage of this strategy is that you will not be able to view the entire story. The steps you must take will be similar to those required while watching a typical story. Take these steps:

Step 1: Open the Facebook app and click on any of the stories.

Step 2: While viewing, place your finger on the story just as it is going to end.

Step 3: Instantly swipe right or left to ensure the story does not end. This way, Facebook will not register you. 

  1. Block Them

This is another way to avoid appearing as one of the watchers. This approach allows you to view the entire story; however, because it requires blocking someone, they will be completely deleted from the friend list. 

So, try it if you're okay with eliminating that individual from your friends list. Here's how to apply this method:

Step 1: Log into your Facebook account, then click on the story you wish to see.

Step 2: Once completed, block the individual. If you desire, you can unblock them after 24 hours.

  1. View the Story Anonymously

Finally, you can deactivate your account and restart it later to ensure that your name does not appear on the viewer's list. So, here's how you can apply this method:

Step 1: Log in to your Facebook account, and then select the story or stories you want to view.

Step 2: Click the three dots in the upper right corner, then select Settings and Privacy, then Privacy Shortcuts.

then select Settings and Privacy

Step 3: You will see the option to delete your account. Please click it. There will be two alternatives available: deactivate or delete your account. You need to select the deactivate option.

While the idea of secretly watching someone's Facebook story may seem appealing, it is critical to examine the bigger consequences. Such actions not only violate individuals' privacy but also expose them to potential security dangers. 

Malicious actors and cybercriminals use such tactics to steal and harvest your private information for targeted attacks or identity theft.

If you wish to protect your personal information from prying eyes, consider using PurePrivacy to reduce intrusive tracking and data breaches.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

  • Can I identify who has watched my Facebook story even if we are not friends?

    Plus

    Yes. When you click on your tale, you will see the number of views and the names of your friends. If your account is public, you will also see the other viewer option, which displays the number of unknown users who watched your story. Unfortunately, it doesn't reveal who they are.

  • Can I hide the fact that I saw a Facebook story?

    Plus

    When you enable airplane mode on your smartphone, your phone will no longer have access to the Internet. So, when you enable Airplane Mode and check a story, Facebook will be unable to register your account as a Facebook story viewer.

  • Can someone determine how many times I have watched their Facebook story?

    Plus

    Nope. People will be unable to tell if you are watching and rewatching theirs. As with Instagram stories, you can't identify who has visited your story multiple times versus who has only seen it once.

  • Can you see who has screenshotted your Facebook story?

    Plus

    Facebook does not send notifications when you or someone else screenshots a story, post, video, or other content. If someone takes a screenshot of an encrypted message in Messenger, you will receive a notification. If someone screenshots an encrypted communication on Messenger, it will appear in the chat.

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Wrapping Up

While there may be temporary workarounds to access someone's Facebook story without their knowledge, it is critical to respect privacy restrictions. Facebook's platform is meant to distribute content to specific audiences. Attempting to overcome these settings may be interpreted as a violation of privacy.