The Instagram landscape has fundamentally changed since 2019
Instagram’s removal of the “Following Activity” tab in October 2019 permanently eliminated the ability to see friends’ likes in a single feed. This tab, located under the heart icon, once displayed likes, comments, and follows of people you followed. Instagram’s head of product cited low usage and privacy concerns as primary reasons – many users didn’t know their activity was visible to others.
As of 2026, there is still no built-in Instagram feature to view someone else’s complete like activity. If you’re wondering how to see someone’s likes on Instagram, you’ll need to either employ time-consuming manual methods or use third-party tracking tools. This gap creates significant search demand for solutions.
The fastest and most ethical way to see someone’s likes on Instagram in 2025 is to use tools like Snoopreport.
Current Instagram privacy settings (2026 update)
Like visibility rules remain straightforward: When you like a public post, your like is visible to anyone who can view that post. Your followers may see your username below photos you’ve liked, displayed as “Liked by [username] and others.”
The hide-like-counts feature (introduced 2021) lets users hide the total number of likes on their own posts or hide counts on all posts in their feed. However, this only hides the count – not who liked a post. Anyone can still tap “Liked by X and others” to view the full list of people who liked.
Recent 2025 updates affecting activity visibility:
- August 2025: Instagram Map feature launched with opt-in location sharing
- January 2025: New “Friends Liked” Reels feed announced by Adam Mosseri – shows Reels your friends have liked (rolling out gradually)
- Teen Accounts now have the strictest privacy defaults, with private profiles by default for users 13-17
Key fact for the article: Private accounts protect likes only on their own posts – if someone with a private account likes a public post, that like remains visible to everyone. This is important when trying to see someone’s likes on Instagram.
Manual methods to see someone’s Instagram likes
When figuring out how to see someone’s likes on Instagram, you have several manual options, though each comes with limitations.
Method 1: Search individual post like lists
The only direct manual method is to open specific posts and search the like list for a username. Steps:
- Open a post you suspect someone liked
- Tap the like count (“Liked by X and others” or “143 likes”)
- Use the search bar at the top to search for the specific username
- If their name appears, they liked the post
Pros: Free, works on any public post, no third-party tools needed
Cons: Extremely time-consuming, requires knowing which posts to check, no historical record, impractical for comprehensive monitoring
Method 2: Check your own notifications
See who liked your posts through the heart icon (Activity feed). Only shows engagement on your content – not what others like elsewhere.
Pros: Easy, real-time
Cons: Limited to your own posts only
Method 3: View your own liked posts
Go to Profile → Menu (≡) → Your Activity → Interactions → Likes. Shows approximately 300 most recent posts you’ve liked, sortable by date.
Pros: Useful for managing your own activity
Cons: Cannot view anyone else’s liked posts – only your own
Method 4: Browse posts from accounts they follow
Visit their Following list, then browse posts from those accounts and check like lists.
Pros: Can reveal engagement patterns
Cons: Extremely inefficient, requires public account access
Method 5: “Friends Liked” Reels (NEW 2025)
A new tab showing Reels friends have liked – rolling out gradually as of January 2025.
Pros: Official Instagram feature, free
Cons: Limited to Reels only, not available to all users yet, restricted to friends/followers
The Snoopreport instagram activity tracker allows you to view the complete Instagram like history of any public profile, whether it’s Jennifer Aniston’s or your friend’s.
Snoopreport: Key features and positioning
For those seeking a comprehensive solution to how to see someone’s likes on Instagram, Snoopreport offers an automated approach.
What Snoopreport does: Tracks publicly available Instagram activity data that isn’t compiled anywhere on Instagram itself. Users add Instagram handles to their dashboard and receive weekly/monthly reports showing:
- Posts liked (photos, Reels, videos) with timestamps
- Accounts followed/unfollowed and when
- Hashtags interacted with most frequently
- Activity patterns (peak hours, days of week)
- AI-powered insights including interests, location estimates, and suggested conversation topics (added May 2024)
- Story interactions (unique feature among competitors)
How it works: Combines publicly available Instagram data with proprietary big data technologies. No app installation required – completely web-based. Users don’t need to provide their own Instagram credentials. The tracked account is never notified.
Pricing structure:
- Entry plan: ~$4.99/month (tracks up to 2 accounts)
- Higher tiers available for up to 100 accounts
- Marketed as $0.99/week
User base: 26,000+ users; positioned as “the only legitimate and working Instagram activity tracking tool” since the activity tab removal.
Key limitations to mention honestly:
- Only tracks public accounts – cannot access private profiles
- Cannot view DMs or private messages
- Some users report occasional data gaps
- Historical data beyond 36 weeks may require additional payment
- Instagram-only (no TikTok, YouTube, Twitter coverage)
Legitimate use cases Snoopreport emphasizes:
- Parents monitoring children’s online activity and content engagement
- Marketers/Influencers researching target audience preferences and competitor strategies
- Individuals getting to know someone new (dating, networking)
- Relationship monitoring (verify trust, understand partner’s interests)
Competitive context
When researching how to see someone’s likes on Instagram, you’ll encounter several competing solutions:
Dolphin Radar is Snoopreport’s closest competitor – similar web-based tracking with AI insights. Mixed reviews cite “incomplete data” and variable reliability. Scored 3.3/5 on review platforms.
Device-based monitoring apps (FamiGuard Pro, eyeZy, mSpy) offer deeper access including DMs but require physical installation on target device – different market segment, higher privacy concerns.
Enterprise analytics platforms (HypeAuditor, Iconosquare) serve businesses and agencies with larger budgets – overkill for personal activity tracking.
Snoopreport’s differentiators: Most affordable entry price, established user base, no-install web interface, AI psychological profiles, story tracking capability.
