How to See Who Views Your Facebook Story Who Are Not Your Friends

Last updated on February 11th, 2024 at 10:37 am

In this era of social media, stories are one of those popular features, and Facebook continues to be a significant player, connecting people across the world.

With the introduction of such innovative features, users can now share day-to-day moments, memes, personal thoughts, and even daily occurrences with family, friends, and followers.

Unlike Facebook posts, stories last up to 24 hours.

However, many Facebook users have been asking many questions regarding Facebook stories; one of such questions goes like this: “Does Facebook allow users who aren’t my friends to see my story?”

The answer is yes.

The big question is, “How do you see views from Facebook users who aren’t your friends?”

There are two ways you can see views from Facebook users who aren’t your friends, which are:

1. Other Viewers option and
2. Third-party applications, websites, and extensions.

With that being said, let’s go into the discussion for the day. Let’s start by finding out how to post our story and see who views our Facebook story.

 

How to Post Your Story and How to See Who Viewed Your Facebook Story

• Open your Facebook/Messenger App
• At the top of your Feed/Timeline (if you are using Facebook App), you will see Stories from other Facebook Users. Click on your “Add to Story”.
• If you’re using Messenger, you will find ‘Stories’ in the bottom right corner of your screen; click on it. From the options available, select “Add to Story.”
• You may choose to use photos, videos, or write-ups on your story
• Click on the eye symbol in the bottom left corner of your screen to see the list of everyone who viewed your Facebook story.

 

How to See Views From Facebook Users Who Are Not Your Friends

As stated earlier, there are two ways we can see views coming from users who are not on our Facebook friend list (Other viewers option and third-party applications, websites, and extensions).

Without talking too much, let’s delve into it.

 

Other Viewers Options:

After clicking on the eye symbol to reveal the list of viewers, you will see a list of everyone who viewed your story.

Sometimes, if you look closely at the list of your Facebook friends who viewed your account, you might see “Other viewers.” What does this mean?

Yes! You’re right if you feel that “Other viewers” are those Facebook users who viewed your story but aren’t your Facebook friends.

They could be your followers, directed to your account by someone on your list, your secret crush, or random Facebook users.

You may receive messages from people who read your story but aren’t on your friend list. Always watch your story for replies and message requests, as some viewers may feel obligated to respond.

This option is only available if your Facebook Privacy story settings are set to Public, allowing everyone on Facebook to view your story.

However, if you limit your Facebook story viewers to only your friends or a group of people, Facebook users who aren’t your friend won’t be able to view your story.

By default, your Facebook story Privacy is set to be seen by your friends; changing it to Public or any other option is at your own risk.

While this can be fun, it also comes with Privacy issues as anyone on Facebook can view your story; we advise parents to monitor their child’s activity on Facebook by taking Parental control measures to ensure their safety (one such is setting their child’s Facebook story Privacy to Friends only).

 

Using Third-Party Applications, Websites and Extensions:

It’s important to note that Facebook does not give us insights on “other viewers” who view our story, nor do they give us insights on who has been viewing our story the most or how many times they view our story.

This is due to the Privacy policy binding Facebook. Some people, however, have turned to third-party apps that promise to give Facebook users access to this information (including insights on views from users who aren’t your friends).

There are various apps and tools some curious users use to explore the “Other Viewers” category, gaining more insights into who they are and where they come from; some of these third-party tools include;

• Viewer Analyzer
• Story Viewer Tracker etc.

Some of the reasons some Facebook users patronize third-party applications and websites is to know their audience and understand them, giving them creative ideas on how to tailor their content and engage with them more effectively by analyzing their preferences and demographics.

It also helps them know the success rate of the content they put up on their stories, engagement levels and viewing duration of their audience.

Before considering using third-party apps for this purpose, it’s necessary to use caution as these applications and websites might go against Facebook policy and infringe on your data, putting you at risk of being suspended or banned from using Facebook.

Additionally, they might make it easy for your details to be accessed without your permission, increasing the chances of identity theft, data breaches, and authorized use of your personal information, putting you at risk for privacy.

 

See Who Views Your Facebook Story Who Are Not Your Friends FAQ

 

Can you see how many times someone viewed your Facebook story?

There are many rumors about covert ways to find out who is following you on Facebook, including Stories. Sadly, the majority of these assertions are unfounded.

Facebook’s algorithms prioritize user’s Privacy; therefore, such information is unlikely to be readily available.

Facebook’s Privacy policy doesn’t allow you to see how many times someone has viewed your Facebook story; however, you can see how many times your story has been viewed.

If you don’t want many people to view your Facebook story, you can control it using your Facebook story settings.

It is advisable to set parental control on the Facebook accounts of your children to help monitor who views their Facebook stories to ensure that their privacy is kept intact.

 

How long are photos and video stories available on Facebook?

Just like Instagram stories, WhatsApp status, Facebook stories (be it photos, videos, and even write-ups) are available in the story section of your Facebook and Messenger app for 24 hours.

After 24 hours, the stories shared will be moved to your Story archive which will only be visible to you.

 

Why am I seeing stories of people I am not friends with on Facebook?

You are seeing the stories of people you are not friends with on Facebook because their Facebook story Privacy settings are set to Public, friends, or friends.

This setting allows users not on their Friend list to view their story.

 

Is it possible to view Facebook stories without them or anyone else knowing?

Facebook notifies the story’s creator when someone views it; if you don’t want the person to know you viewed their story, consider not viewing it or using a separate account.

It is impossible to see someone else’s Facebook story without their knowledge, as there is no option for anonymous reading on Facebook because the creator of the story receives notifications when someone views it.

Use a different account or decide not to watch the person’s story if you don’t want them to know you did so.

Some third-party apps claim to hide Story viewers, but their effectiveness varies, and they may compromise your privacy or violate Facebook’s terms of service; using them is at your own risk.

 

How to View Facebook Story Without Being Seen

First, turn your phone into Airplane mode to browse Facebook stories without being viewed.

Facebook won’t be able to recognize that you’ve viewed someone’s story while your phone is in airplane mode because it won’t be online.

After switching to airplane mode on your phone, you must reload your Facebook feed. After the page has been refreshed, tap the story to view it.

At this point, you can switch off airplane mode on your phone so the other person cannot tell you saw their story.

Secondly, you can half-swipe before the person’s story if you want to see it without them knowing. This is when you swipe right from the previous story onto the next story without letting go.

This means that you’re still one story away while viewing the next one. But because you haven’t let go of your fingers, Facebook can’t register a view of that person’s story since you haven’t fully committed to watching it.

You can also use another person’s account to view the story, and you can block the user and unblock them after 24 hours; you can also ask someone who has seen it to share it with you.

 

Conclusion

If you want to know who’s looking at your Facebook Stories, you must be careful because Facebook keeps that information private. Some apps claim to reveal viewers, but they can be risky.

Facebook doesn’t have a feature to show everyone who saw your Stories, and changing Privacy settings only affects future views, not past ones.

Some things are still unknown on social media, and it’s essential to be cautious. Protect your Privacy and be careful when trying other ways to find out who’s watching.

Social media is about connecting and sharing, so while it might be tempting to uncover secret admirers, it’s crucial to balance curiosity with online safety.