Are you interested in viewing someone’s Snapchat stories without adding them as a friend? This could be the story of a friend’s friend, an ex, or simply an acquaintance. Snapchat offers its users the opportunity to share snapshots and experiences with friends, family, and followers dynamically and engagingly through its Stories feature.
However, stories posted to a profile vanish after 24 hours and are viewable multiple times by each friend of the user. Snapchat Stories have become a popular medium for users to share their daily activities, and for businesses and organizations to connect with their audience and promote their offerings. Here, we’ll guide you through several methods to view someone’s Snapchat story without needing to add them to your friend list.
How To View Snapchat Stories Without Being Friends
Unfortunately, it is not possible to view someone’s Snapchat story if you aren’t friends with them. Snapchat’s design ensures that stories are shared only between connected users. To view someone’s story, you typically need to send a friend request and be accepted.
However, one has to use some third-party apps to access someone else’s Snapchat account without their permission. But sometimes, it can result in getting your account banned permanently by Snapchat due to a violation of Snapchat’s terms of service.
Here are a few universal ways explained that let you know how to see the story of someone on Snapchat.
Method – 1: View Public Stories Via the Discover Page
This method utilizes the features Snapchat provides to all users to access publicly shared content without needing a direct connection. It is straightforward and respects Snapchat’s terms of service by only accessing content meant to be public.
Steps to follow:
Open the Snapchat app and swipe left to see the Stories Page, where you look through Stories posted by the people.
Under the “Discover” section, you can see the stories you have subscribed to and new Stories from publishers, creators, and more.
Browse the Public Story Feed section and check out your desired account.
Tap on the three dots located in the top right corner to open the story settings.
You can add them, edit snaps, add to favorites, and send the snaps with friends.
Also, you can even read more about the story if the publisher has added a link to that Snapchat story.
However, it is essential to note that a person should have a Public Profile with their Stories set to appear publicly.
Method – 2: Using Third-Party Apps
As we already mentioned, Snapchat protects the privacy of its users and won’t allow others to watch private stories without being friends on the Snapchat app. In case, you want to view someone’s Snapchat story without being friends with them, then simply use third-party apps, though it comes with some risks.
Here is the list of Third-Party Apps to Consider:
- Snapchat++: Available for iOS, this modified app offers extra features, including viewing stories anonymously.
- Casper: Works on both Android and iOS, allowing you to save snaps without alerting the sender.
- KidsGuard Pro: Compatible with Android, iPhone, iCloud, and iOS RT, this app monitors various activities on the app.
- Burner Profile: Used on Android and iPhone to create a secondary account, though this is against Snapchat’s rules.
While third-party apps offer a way to view stories without being friends, they pose significant privacy, security, and ethical risks. It’s important to respect privacy norms and follow Snapchat’s terms of service to prevent account suspension.
Method – 3: Geotagged Snapchat on Snap Map
This method allows you to explore publicly shared snaps in specific locations while maintaining your anonymity.
- Open the Snapchat app and tap the location marker icon on the camera screen
- Zoom in the location of the person whose Snaps you’d like to see.
- Pull them apart to know the location on the map.
- Simply tap colorful hotspots (from blue to red) near that location to see via Snaps.
- Look at the public Snaps in a specific area to see if a person has added a Snap publicly to their Snap Map.
- Turn on the ghost mode to browse Snap Maps anonymously, preventing others from knowing you’re viewing their snaps/stories.
Note: The Snaps added to Snap Map don’t resemble the same as the particular individual’s Snapchat story. Also, you are unable to watch a private story on Snap Maps. But the geotagged Snaps are often added by the people’s Stories.
Method – 4: Create a Secondary/Fake Account
Creating a secondary Snapchat account to follow & view someone’s stories is against Snapchat’s terms and the account might be blocked due to suspicious behavior if caught as a fake account.
So, instead of using a fake account, try to connect with the person through other means. Approach them in person or through other social media platforms to become friends and gain access to view their stories.
Apart from breaking the terms of service, you are also placing your own privacy and security at risk with a false/secondary account. So, consider the potential consequences of using this secondary fake account to watch someone’s private stories. Instead, we suggest you engage ethically and respectfully.
Method – 5: Use Airplane Mode
You can use Airplane mode to view someone’s Snapchat story without them knowing. Here’s the detailed procedure…
- Open Snapchat and click on the Stories icon in the bottom right corner to open the stories.
- Reload and wait for all the stories to load.
- Check & disable the internet connection on your device (turn off both mobile data and wi-fi)
- Don’t open any Stories, if done, the other person will be informed of your visit on their Story page.
- Once all the stories are uploaded, then exit Snapchat and enable Airplane mode.
- Relaunch Snapchat on the phone, and watch the Snapchat story without their knowledge by tapping on any preloaded stories.
- After viewing their stories, you need to clear your cache by going to Snapchat Settings -> Tap on “Clear Cache under Accounts Actions”
- This process will not let Snapchat record your view from their story without letting them know that you watched it.
- If not, they will be notified about your viewing their snap upon exiting your Airplane mode.
Note: The app displays a “Connection Failed” message upon continuous attempts to view stories. Also, you can’t view more stories that were loaded before enabling this Airplane Mode.
Method – 6: Watch From Other’s Phone
You can watch a Snapchat story without your friends knowing by using a mutual friend’s phone. If you want to see a story from someone your friends follow, just ask to borrow their phone. This way, you can see the story without the person knowing you watched it.
FAQs:
Yes, using third-party apps to view Snapchat stories is risky. Snapchat actively monitors and bans accounts that use these apps. These apps often require access to your Snapchat account information, compromising your privacy. It is best to avoid using third-party apps to prevent potential bans and protect your account from hackers.
No, you cannot view Snapchat stories anonymously, even with third-party apps. The user who posted the story will still be able to see that you have viewed it.
An alternative is to create a fake account to follow someone and view their stories without them knowing it’s you. However, this is against Snapchat’s terms of service and can result in your fake account being banned.
No, you cannot view private Snapchat stories without being friends or followers of the user. Only public stories can be viewed by anyone. Private stories are restricted to the user’s friends or followers. However, a friend could screen-record the story and send it to you.
Snapchat does not notify users about how many times a story is viewed. The story owner/uploader can only see the names of the people who have viewed it, not the number of times a particular person has viewed it.
Clearing the cache deletes all recorded activities, both online and offline. This helps ensure your anonymous view remains unrecorded. If you do not clear the cache, Snapchat will record your view when you reconnect to the internet, notifying the user/story uploader.
Conclusion
While there may be a temptation to find workarounds to view private Snapchat stories, it’s important to remember that Snapchat prioritizes user privacy. The methods mentioned above have limitations and often come with risks like account bans or compromised security. The most straightforward and secure way to view someone’s stories is to add them as a friend. This approach respects their privacy settings and creates a positive & secure experience for everyone on the platform.
