On Instagram, Likes are the main way users connect with one another and show appreciation for their content. However, this feature is a lot more complex than it might seem at first glance. In this guide, the snsflow.com team shows how to view Instagram Likes on your posts and someone else’s.
Understanding the Like button could help you gain a better understanding of how your posts are performing. This can give you insights that transform the future direction of your brand’s content strategy. Seeing a competitor’s Likes can also show you just what your current approach may be missing.
How To View Instagram Likes on Mobile
Likes are a massive part of almost all social media platforms, especially ones using an algorithm to promote engagement. The more Likes your post gets, the more data you have to decide which types of content are working. Viewing Likes is a simple enough process, with only a few steps to remember. Here is a quick guide to viewing Instagram Likes on your content:
1. Navigate to a post
With the Instagram app open (whether you’re using an iOS or Android device), find the post you want to check. If it’s your own, click the graphic of a person or your profile image in the bottom right. Once your profile loads, tap on the post you would like to take a closer look at.
2. Click on the Likes or Views
With the photo (or video) now open, you should see the Like information immediately below. This could include specific names or just a number that represents the current amount of Likes. Video posts instead highlight their view total. Click on the number to open the complete list of Likers for that specific post.
3. Scroll Through the List
You should now be able to see who has liked the post, though there are some exceptions. If you want to find a specific person, simply scroll down the list of people until you see them. Look out for any trends across these Likes (i.e., broad demographics) that can inform your strategy’s future direction.
Viewing Your Own Liked Posts
On the other hand, you may want to see the posts you’ve already Liked. This is easily accessible through your profile’s settings. You can access these by once again pressing the person graphic or your own image in the bottom-right corner. Click on the three horizontal lines (the ‘hamburger button’) in the top right of your profile page.
The hamburger menu opens your Settings and Activity. Press Your Activity, then Likes. This shows you every single post your account has Liked since its creation. You can sort and filter this by date, content types, or even specific posters. This also gives you a chance to return to a post you enjoyed if you lose track of it.
From this screen, you can even unlike the posts if you no longer enjoy them. Press Select in the top right corner. This gives you the option to highlight multiple posts; you can again filter them to make browsing easier. Click on Unlike close to the bottom of the screen, then confirm the action to mass-unlike this content.
What Is the Order of Likes on Instagram?
Instagram uses an algorithm to show Likes in order of their relevance to you. Whenever you view Instagram Likes, the app prioritizes familiar names. For example, if somebody you often interact with Likes a post, they may appear first. This could be the case both when you view the post and when checking the full list.
The order of Likes on Instagram aims to promote posts by showing your friends also enjoy them. For posts that none of your friends or major connections have Liked, these usually only show the number of Likes. The full Like list may highlight verified profiles, as well as people who frequently Like posts by that account.
How To See Friend’s ‘Liked’ on Instagram
Instagram used to have a dedicated Activity tab that showed your friends’ Likes and comments in real time. The app removed this in 2019, and there’s no official way to track these Likes. Don’t trust third-party programs or websites that claim to show you these details. This is likely a scam trying to gain access to your Instagram account.
If you want to know how to see friends ‘Liked’ on Instagram, look at the specific posts. You will have to seek these out or see them in your feed. However, Instagram is more likely to show posts your friends engage with. You can also check their follows if you want to know more about their content preferences.
An account cannot hide their Likes on a post unless the author disables visible Likes. Even private profiles show up when looking through Likes. The only way for someone to successfully hide that they have Liked a post would be to block their friends. For this reason, some people use ‘burner’ accounts when liking certain types of content.
Why Can’t I See Someone’s Likes on Instagram?
Some people choose to hide Likes from their profiles. They can hide them from themselves, other profiles, or both. This feature began in 2019 as a way of putting less pressure on users to chase Likes. However, this makes it difficult to figure out how people are responding to specific types of content.
People may hide Likes to make sure they don’t overly focus on the amount of engagement they get. Even if Like counts inform your content, they can have hidden impacts on your mental health over time. For example, you might unfairly (and unhealthily) compare yourself to influencers and other brands in your network.
To hide Likes on other people’s content, click your profile picture and the hamburger icon to open your Settings and Activity. Press Like and Share Counts, then click the Hide Like and Share Counts toggle. As this name suggests, this also stops you from being able to see share counts on other posts.
You could even remove public Like counts from your own posts. This can help you hide how well your content performs while also showing that Likes aren’t everything to you. When sharing a post, click Advanced Settings, then press Hide Like and View Counts on This Post. This activates hidden Likes for that post.
Why Do Instagram Likes Disappear?
When wondering, ‘Why can’t I see someone’s Likes on Instagram?’ the answer might go beyond the app’s settings. If you notice a name suddenly disappearing from the list of Likes, for example, that account may have blocked you. Alternatively, it might simply be because of a glitch with the Instagram algorithm and how it displays or orders Likes.
There is also the simple possibility that somebody unliked the post. If you get a notification for a user liking your post, but the Like doesn’t appear, this might be why. Sometimes, Instagram Likes disappear due to the app’s own testing. In 2019, Instagram removed Like visibility for everyone; it might one day go back to this idea.
Instagram accounts may also hide their Likes after the content goes live. If the post used to have visible Likes beside the heart icon and no longer does, this is possibly why. You could edit a post to hide Likes at any time after sharing it. With this feature, Instagram grants you more flexibility over how people engage with your content.
How To See Liked Reels on Instagram
Though reels use a separate interface to photos most of the time, they are still a type of post. In most cases, you can view Liked reels alongside Liked photos. If you don’t want to scroll through photos, too, you can refine the search. In your Liked posts, click All Content Types and deselect Posts while leaving a blue tick beside Reels.
Instagram counts any video post as a reel, even those from before they introduced this format. If you’re seeking out a video of any kind with the Posts search filter active, look for reels instead. Instagram promotes reels from unfamiliar accounts, which makes it easier to lose track of them. If you’re wondering how to see Liked reels on Instagram, check your settings.
As with traditional feed posts, you cannot track another account’s Liked reels. The app will again show you reels that your friends have Liked. However, the ways you engage with these reels will affect the ones you see in the future. This could stop you from seeing a friend’s Liked reels over time. This is especially likely if you two like different types of reels.
By learning how to view Instagram Likes, you can take steps to better tailor your content to your audience. At snsflow.com, we can connect you to real, active accounts that massively boost your Likes on the platform.
After just one payment, you’ll benefit from a much higher engagement rate, which carries you to new profiles. Discover snsflow.com’s incredible service today, and make sure your content gets the Likes it deserves.
