How Can I See What Someone Liked on Instagram? (2026 Guide)

Instagram removed its "Following Activity" tab in October 2019, so there is no longer a built-in way to see what someone liked on Instagram. The only reliable method as of August 2026 is to use a third-party tracker like SnoopInsta, which sends real-time email alerts when the account you're watching follows new people. For manual checks, you can visit a public profile and browse their tagged posts or comments, but liked posts are completely hidden from other users.

• Instagram removed like visibility in 2019 — no native option exists today
• SnoopInsta tracks 23,000+ accounts for suspicious partner activity
• 3-step setup: pick a profile, see their follows, get alerts

Did Instagram Remove the Ability to See Likes?

Yes. Instagram quietly removed the "Following Activity" tab — which showed you what accounts your friends and partners were liking and following — in October 2019. A spokesperson confirmed the change, saying the feature was "unused and potentially confusing." Since then, Instagram has made no move to restore it, and liked posts are entirely private by default unless you appear in the same comment section.

Before the removal, you could tap the heart icon, switch to the "Following" tab, and see a chronological feed of every post a person had liked. That functionality is permanently gone from the official app. Any website or app claiming to restore that exact Instagram-native feed is misleading you.

What does still work natively:

• Seeing likes on your own posts (tap the like count)
• Seeing if someone liked a post you are also tagged in
• Viewing likes on public posts you can already see
• Checking someone's tagged photos if their profile is public

None of these let you see the full picture of who someone interacts with privately — especially the accounts they follow, the profiles they visit late at night, or the new follows they add after an argument. That gap is exactly what tools like SnoopInsta are built to fill.

What Can You Actually Track on Instagram Today?

While likes are hidden, Instagram's follow activity is still partially visible — and often more revealing. When someone follows a new account, especially repeatedly or late at night, that behavior tells a clearer story than a random like. Here's a breakdown of what's trackable versus what isn't:

The pattern of who someone follows is often far more meaningful than individual likes. A like might be accidental. Following someone — especially a stranger with few mutual connections — is an intentional choice.

How to See What Someone Liked on Instagram: Workarounds That Actually Work

Method 1: Check Their Tagged Posts Manually

If the account is public, you can browse the "Tagged" tab on their profile. Posts where they've been tagged and liked by them may surface this way — but it requires someone else to tag them, and it doesn't reflect their own private liking behavior.

Method 2: Mutual Post Notifications

Turn on post notifications for an account you both follow. If you're in the same comment thread or both follow a third account, you may occasionally see their likes — but this is unreliable, slow, and only covers public shared content.

Method 3: Use SnoopInsta for Follow Activity Alerts

SnoopInsta pivots away from the now-dead likes feed and focuses on the next most revealing signal: who someone follows. Setup takes under two minutes:

1. Enter the Instagram username you want to monitor (public or private accounts you already follow)
2. View their chronological follow history — no manual scrolling through a 2,000-person following list
3. Get email alerts the moment they follow someone new

Over 23,000 suspicious partner accounts are currently being monitored through SnoopInsta. You'll know immediately — not days later — when a new connection appears.

Why Do People Want to See Instagram Likes?

Relationship concerns are the most common driver. When trust has been damaged — by late nights on the phone, a distant attitude, or previous dishonesty — small digital signals take on outsized meaning. Instagram likes on a specific type of content, from a specific type of account, at a specific time of night, can confirm what gut instinct already suspects.

Common scenarios that lead people to search for this:

• A partner who likes posts from unfamiliar accounts at 2 a.m.
• Someone who recently reconnected with an ex on Instagram
• A new relationship where trust hasn't been fully established
• Long-distance situations where physical reassurance isn't available
• A partner who hides their phone or recently changed their privacy settings

Hannah, 23, used SnoopInsta after noticing her boyfriend was becoming more secretive with his phone. "I didn't want to go through his phone — that felt wrong. But I needed to know. Within 24 hours of setting up alerts, I saw he'd followed three new accounts I'd never heard of. It confirmed what I already suspected and gave me the clarity I needed to have an honest conversation."

Andrew, 35, takes a different approach — he uses SnoopInsta while dating to verify that someone he's seeing isn't maintaining contact with an ex. "It's not about control. It's about having enough information to make good decisions about who I invest my time in."

Is It Legal to Track Someone's Instagram Activity?

Monitoring publicly available information — including the public follow list of any public Instagram account — is generally legal in most jurisdictions. SnoopInsta operates on data that Instagram itself makes available: public follow activity. It does not access private messages, hack accounts, bypass authentication, or use any method that violates Instagram's terms in a way that would expose the user legally.

For private accounts, SnoopInsta only works if you already follow that account — meaning the tracked account has already granted you access to their profile. The tool surfaces and organizes information you're already permitted to see, it just does so automatically and with alerts rather than requiring you to check manually every day.

That said, relationship monitoring should always be approached thoughtfully. Tracking someone's activity is most ethically sound when it's used to gain personal clarity or verify concerns — not to control another person's behavior.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can someone tell if I am tracking their Instagram?

No. SnoopInsta monitors publicly available follow data and does not interact with the tracked account in any way. The person being monitored receives no notification, no profile visit alert, and no indication that their follow activity is being watched. Your monitoring is completely invisible to them.

Does SnoopInsta work on private Instagram accounts?

Yes, but only for private accounts you already follow. If the account has accepted your follow request, SnoopInsta can track their new follow activity. For completely private accounts you don't follow, the tool cannot access their data — and neither can anyone else without approval.

How often does SnoopInsta send alerts?

SnoopInsta sends real-time email alerts as soon as a new follow is detected. You don't need to check a dashboard repeatedly — the notification comes to you. You can also log into your dashboard at any time to review a full chronological follow history.

Can I track more than one Instagram account?

Yes. SnoopInsta supports multiple simultaneous account tracking from a single dashboard. This is useful for users who want to monitor more than one person, or who want to watch both a partner's main account and a secondary account.

Will Instagram ever bring back the Following Activity tab?

As of August 2026, there is no indication that Meta plans to restore the Following Activity tab. It has been gone for nearly seven years, and Meta has continued to expand privacy features rather than transparency ones. Third-party follow tracking tools remain the only practical alternative.

What if I have questions about my SnoopInsta account?

You can reach the SnoopInsta support team directly at [email protected]. The team typically responds within one business day.

Key Takeaways

1. Instagram permanently removed the ability to see what others liked in October 2019
2. No native Instagram feature currently lets you view another person's liked posts
3. Follow activity — who someone follows and when — is still trackable and often more revealing than likes
4. SnoopInsta provides real-time email alerts for new follows on any public account or private account you follow
5. Over 23,000 accounts are currently being monitored; setup takes under two minutes
6. Monitoring is completely undetected by the tracked account