How to See Who Commented on Your Partner's Instagram Reel
Instagram already shows who commented on a Reel, right inside the app, to anyone who can view that Reel. Tap the comment bubble under it and the full list opens. You don't need a third-party tool for this part. SnoopInsta doesn't read comments at all; the SnoopInsta iOS app only watches for new follows that show up after you add a username. If the Reel belongs to a private account you don't follow, none of this works, because Instagram hides the whole Reel, comments included.
What does Instagram itself show on a Reel's comments?
Instagram shows every public comment on a Reel to anyone who can already see that Reel. If the account is public, that means anyone with the app. If it's private, it means only approved followers. You view this through the comment icon, not a hidden menu.
- Open the Reel on the partner's profile grid or in your feed.
- Tap the speech-bubble icon on the right side of the screen.
- Scroll the list that opens; each entry shows the username and the comment text.
- Tap any username to open that commenter's profile.
- Tap a comment's heart to see who else liked that specific comment.
This works the same for a Reel from a public account or from a private account you already follow. See Meta's own Instagram Help Center for how comment visibility and comment controls are described.
What still doesn't work when checking Reel comments?
A few situations block this entirely, and no app, SnoopInsta included, changes that.
- Private account you don't follow: you can't open the Reel, so you can't open the comments either.
- Comments turned off: the poster can disable commenting on a specific Reel, which removes the comment icon for everyone.
- Hidden or filtered comments: Instagram's comment filters can hide certain words from public view without deleting them, so the list you see may not be the full list the poster sees.
- No alert for new comments: Instagram does not send you a notification when someone else comments on a Reel you don't own. There's no setting that turns this on for another account's content.
- The old "Following" activity tab: years ago, Instagram had a feed that showed likes and comments your followed accounts made across the app. That tab was removed in 2019, according to TechCrunch, and it has not come back. People sometimes look for it specifically to track a partner's comment activity; it no longer exists.
Checking comments this way doesn't notify the account owner either. Your partner isn't told that you opened their Reel or scrolled the comment list.
Where does SnoopInsta fit into this?
SnoopInsta doesn't touch comments. What it does track is new follows on a profile, which is a different concern but often sits alongside the comment question when someone is trying to understand a partner's Instagram activity.
- Add the username in the app, public account or private account you already follow.
- SnoopInsta starts watching from that day forward. It doesn't pull follows from before you added the profile.
- When a later check finds a new follow, you get an email, and you can also run Check Now manually in the app.
If the real question is about mentions, tagged photos, or who someone followed before you started watching, those are separate limits worth reading up on directly: see how to see mentions on Instagram, how to see photos someone is tagged in, or how to see someone's comments on Instagram posts for the regular feed, not Reels specifically.
Frequently asked questions
Can I see who commented on a private account's Reel?
Only if you already follow that account. If you don't follow it, Instagram won't open the Reel for you at all, which means the comment list stays hidden too. There's no workaround built into Instagram or into SnoopInsta for this.
Does Instagram tell my partner when I view their Reel comments?
No. Opening a Reel and reading its comments doesn't trigger a notification to the account owner. The same is true for checking follower lists; none of this activity is flagged to the person being watched.
Can SnoopInsta alert me to new comments on a Reel?
No. SnoopInsta only tracks new follows on a profile you've added, not comments, likes, or mentions. If a new comment is what you're trying to catch, you'd need to check the Reel manually using the comment icon described above.
What if comments are turned off on the Reel?
If the poster disabled commenting on that specific Reel, the comment icon disappears for everyone, including people who follow the account. There's no setting or tool that restores access to a comment list the poster has closed.