According to a report by Earthweb, Instagram has 1.39 billion active users every month as of 2022. For a platform that was founded in 2010, Instagram has exhibited tremendous growth. With the expansion and popularization of the application, consistent efforts have been made to create a safe environment for its users.
As such, Instagram has been coming up with safety and privacy features. For example, today, you can restrict yourself from seeing someone’s post instead of blocking them. Additionally, there’s a feature to disable comments, which helps prevent cyberbullying. And most importantly, you can switch your account from public to private if you want.
All profiles on Instagram are divided into two distinct groups: public and private accounts. When you set your account private, people will have to follow you so that they can interact with you and check out your content. Additionally, you get to choose who follows you since users will have to send a follow request, unlike a public account where anyone can follow you and see your posts.
The private page feature was created for people who prefer to share their photos and posts with a limited number of followers and want to avoid being followed by strangers and spam accounts. However, you can access private Instagram photos by using an Instagram viewer app. With this kind of tool, you can view not only private Instagram accounts but public ones as well, without the need to send a follow request or register for an account. You don’t even have to log into your account to scroll through Instagram posts.
Viewer apps function through Application Programming Interface (API), which allows programmers to create separate applications that you can use to explore comments, likes, photos, tags, and other relevant details on Instagram. They gather information from Instagram, forming a single searchable database that you can access.
A major advantage of the tool is using it for research. For instance, you can learn about the company you want to work for by viewing their private account anonymously. By studying the company in private, you’ll get to make an informed decision. Keep reading to find out how else you can see private Instagram profiles instantly.
Table of Contents
1. Send a Follow Request
Sending a follow request is perhaps one of the easiest ways to view private Instagram photos. It’s legitimate too since you view the photos only after your request has been approved, and you aren’t invading someone’s privacy.
Start by searching for the private profile. Once you have found the profile, click the follow button. Your follow request is then sent to the account owner.
All you have to do now is wait for their approval. When the owner approves your request, you’ll have access to their photos and Instagram Stories.
2. Use a Friend’s Account
If you have a friend who is already following the private account, you can ask to use their account to access the private Instagram photos.
Alternatively, you can request your friend to take screenshots of the private account’s posts and forward them to you. This method works ideal when you don’t want to send in a request because you want to stay anonymous.
3. Create a Burner Account
A burner account is a fake social media account that you use, so no one has to know you own the account. If your request isn’t approved and you don’t share a mutual friend with the private account user, creating a fake Instagram account is an alternative. However, this method works on the off chance that the private account user will accept the request from you.
When creating a fake account, it’s best to make it private to ensure that you have control over who accesses the account and remain anonymous. Moreover, see to it that you upload photos on the account to make it look authentic. You should avoid using names that could hint at who you are. Once the account is ready, request to follow the private account and wait for their approval.
An extra tip when working with fake Instagram accounts is to follow mutual friends of the private account. Sharing a couple of friends would suggest that the two of you may already know each other. This will make the private account user more likely to accept your request.
4. Search for the Username On Google
If you’re an active user on any social media platform, you leave a trail of photos on Google Images. For private Instagram accounts, posts that were shared before the account was changed to private tend to be visible on Google Images.
So, you can access the images by entering the account’s username on Google’s search bar and viewing the results. You may be able to see some old posts or none at all. There’s no telling whether this strategy will work in your favor, but it’s still worth trying.
5. Check Their Other Social Media Platforms
If using the previous methods to gain access to private Instagram photos hasn’t worked, you may want to try checking the user’s accounts on other social media platforms.
After all, people active on social media tend to share photos on several social networking sites. Besides, they might be using the same username or a slight variation of it. If not, you can Google their username. Search results may point you to their social media accounts.
You can check whether you can view some of their photos on Facebook, Snapchat, or even a video form of the photos on TikTok. Some people post photos on Twitter too, although it’s not common.
6. Use Third-Party Applications
Another smart strategy to view private Instagram photos is utilizing third-party applications. All you have to do is download the application and use it to view photos on private Instagram accounts anonymously. If you’re using a web browser, you can use the desktop version of the third-party application.
Wrapping It Up
With helpful tools like a viewer and third-party apps and other strategies, you can check out private Instagram photos anonymously.
There’s nothing wrong with wanting to stay anonymous. In fact, the benefits of anonymity apply to everyone, be it content creators, marketers, or casual users.
