Something felt off. You noticed a name showing up a little too often, a profile they keep coming back to, and now you’re wondering what’s actually happening on their Instagram when you’re not looking. You’re not alone. This is one of the most searched relationship questions on the internet, and the answer has changed significantly since Instagram quietly removed its activity tab back in 2019.

There is no direct way to click on a user account and see a tidy list of likes anymore. But that doesn’t mean you’re completely in the dark.

Here’s what this article covers:

• Why Instagram removed the activity tab and what changed
• Whether you can still track likes in 2026
• Manual methods that actually work
• Tracking tools worth knowing about
• The difference between public and private profiles
• An honest note on privacy and ethics

If following activity is what you’re really after, Recently-Followed shows you who any public account has recently followed, instantly and anonymously. It’s not a likes tracker, but it reveals a different kind of activity that’s often even more telling.

Why Instagram Removed the Activity Tab

Back in October 2019, Instagram quietly removed one of its most-watched features: the Following Activity tab. This was the section inside the Instagram app where you could open a feed and see exactly what your friends and the people you followed were liking, commenting on, and engaging with in real time.

The reasons Instagram gave were straightforward. Users felt uncomfortable knowing their activity was visible to followers, many didn’t even know the feature existed until someone mentioned seeing their likes, and the feature contributed to relationship anxiety, jealousy, and unhealthy monitoring behaviours.

In short, the feature was creating more trust issues than it was solving, and Instagram made the call to remove it entirely.

Here’s what that change meant in practice:

Before October 2019	After October 2019
Could see a partner’s likes in real time	No native activity feed for others
Friends’ comments visible in one tab	Must check posts manually
Following activity updated live	No centralised activity view
Zero effort to monitor	Requires workarounds to find anything

The feature is gone, and there’s no sign it’s coming back. Instagram has moved further toward privacy, not away from it. But that doesn’t mean all activity is invisible; it just means you have to know where to look and what’s actually accessible in 2026.

Can You Still Track Likes in 2026?

The short answer: partially, and with real limitations.

As of 2026, there is still no built-in Instagram feature to view someone else’s complete like activity. The Instagram app simply doesn’t display a person’s liked posts anywhere you can access. You can view your own likes by going to your profile, tapping the menu, selecting Your Activity, then Interactions, then Likes. But that’s your data only.

For someone else’s likes, here’s what’s actually possible in 2026:

• Public accounts: Likes on individual posts are visible if you open that specific post. You can search for a username in the likes list manually
• Private accounts: Completely walled off. If your partner’s account is private, there is no method, tool, or workaround that gives you access to their likes
• Following list: Publicly visible on public accounts, and this is often more revealing than likes anyway
• Comments: Still visible on public posts, and comments are a stronger sign of genuine interest than a like

The honest head count here is that tracking likes directly is limited and labour-intensive. What is trackable, reliably and in real time, is following activity on public accounts. And that tells a very different, often more accurate story.

Manual Methods That Actually Work

These methods require effort, but they cost nothing and involve no third-party tools. They work best when you have a specific post or account you’re curious about, rather than trying to monitor everything at once.

Method 1: Check likes on specific posts

This is the most straightforward approach. If you’re worried your partner has been liking older pictures from a particular account, go to that account’s posts directly.

1. Open the Instagram app and navigate to the account’s profile
2. Open a post you want to check
3. Tap the likes count below the post
4. Use the search bar within the likes list to type your partner’s username
5. If their name appears, they liked it. If it doesn’t, they didn’t

This works on any public post. The limitation: you have to already know which posts to check. It’s not a way to find all likes across the platform, just a way to verify a specific one.

Method 2: Watch for tagged content and comments

Comments are far more visible than likes and harder to walk back. Open the profile of anyone you’re curious about and scroll their posts and pictures. If your partner’s username appears in comments on someone else’s posts, it displays without any additional tools needed.

Tagged posts are also worth checking. Head to any account’s profile and tap the tag icon to see posts they’ve been tagged in. This is a different kind of activity, but it’s fully public and often overlooked.

Method 3: Check their following list manually

The following list on a public account is one of the most revealing pieces of data Instagram still makes openly available. Open your partner’s profile, tap Following, and scroll through. Look at the date context: accounts with no mutual connections, newer-looking profiles, or accounts they follow but don’t engage with publicly can all be worth noting.

This is time-consuming to do manually week after week. For a smarter way to track changes to someone’s following list over time, tools built specifically for tracking Instagram followers make the process significantly easier.

Tracking Tools Worth Knowing About

When manual checking isn’t enough, a few tools can bring more structure to the process. Here’s an honest breakdown of what exists in 2026, what each does, and where each falls short.

Recently-Followed

Recently-Followed doesn’t track likes directly, but it tracks something that’s often more telling: who someone has recently started following. A new follow can reveal a new interest, a reconnected friend, or an account they didn’t want you to know about, without requiring any login, password, or account connection on your part.

It works on any public account, updates in real time, and leaves zero trace. If your partner’s Instagram is public, enter their username and see exactly who they’ve added to their following list and when.

Snoopreport

Snoopreport is one of the few tools in this space that specifically tracks Instagram likes activity on public accounts. It generates weekly reports showing posts a public account has liked, organised by date. Pricing starts at around $4.99 per month.

It’s useful for getting a clearer picture of engagement patterns over a past week or longer period. The limitation: it only works on public accounts, and it requires a paid plan to access detailed reports.

DolphinRadar

DolphinRadar takes a similar approach, sending automated weekly reports of likes and follow activity on public accounts. It starts at a lower price point than Snoopreport. The tool’s interface is straightforward: connect the username you want to track, and the site handles the monitoring process automatically.

Again, private accounts are completely off-limits for any of these tools. No site, app, or device-based tool can access a private account’s likes activity without being an approved follower.

Here’s a practical comparison:

Tools	Tracks likes	Tracks follows	Works on private accounts	Price
Recently-Followed	No	Yes	No	Free
Snoopreport	Yes	Yes	No	From $4.99/mo
DolphinRadar	Yes	Yes	No	From $2.75/mo
Manual method	Partial	Yes	No	Free

Public vs. Private Profiles: What Changes

This distinction matters more than anything else in this article. Every method and tool discussed above shares the same hard boundary: public accounts only.

If your partner’s Instagram is set to private, here’s the reality:

• You cannot see their likes on any post, even ones from public accounts
• No tracking tool, app, or PC-based workaround can access their private activity
• Their following list is hidden from anyone who isn’t an approved follower
• Their comments on other posts are still visible on public posts, but not easily searchable

The only way to see activity on a private account is to already be following them and have that follow accepted. If you’re not an approved follower, you’re looking at a closed door, full stop.

If their account is public, the following list and post engagement are all fair game. And if you want to track changes to who they’re following month to month without spending hours scrolling manually, Recently-Followed gives you a clean, real-time view without needing to connect any account or sign into anything.

For a broader breakdown of what Instagram follower viewer tools can and can’t show you, that guide covers the full landscape of what’s actually accessible in 2026.

An Honest Note on Privacy and Ethics

This section exists because curiosity and concern are human, and so are the boundaries around them.

Wanting to understand your partner’s Instagram activity is understandable. Feeling worried because something seems off is a real experience. The tools and methods in this article work with publicly available data, so they sit within legal and ethical boundaries as long as they’re used on public accounts.

A few thoughts worth sitting with before you go further:

• What you find may not mean what you think it means. A like on an older picture or a new follow doesn’t automatically signal anything. Context matters enormously, and Instagram activity rarely tells a complete story
• If the curiosity comes from a deeper lack of trust, the tools won’t fix it. Monitoring someone’s likes might ease the anxiety for a day, but it doesn’t resolve the underlying concern. That conversation is worth having directly
• Using tools that require your partner’s password or device access crosses a clear line. Anything that requires you to sign into someone else’s account, install something on their device, or share their credentials is beyond ethical use, regardless of your reasons
• Public data is public for a reason. Checking a public following list or public post likes doesn’t violate anyone’s privacy in the way that accessing private messages or a private account does

The people who find these tools most useful are often those trying to understand a situation before deciding how to approach a conversation, not those trying to build a case in secret. Use them accordingly, respect the boundaries they come with, and don’t let the ease of access replace the harder but more important conversations.

See What Matters Most With Recently-Followed

Instagram removed the easy answer back in 2019, but that doesn’t mean you’re left guessing. Between manual checks on public posts and tools built for follower activity tracking, there’s still plenty you can learn about someone’s Instagram behaviour without crossing any lines.

Key takeaways:

• Instagram removed the Following Activity tab in 2019, and it hasn’t returned
• No tool can access likes or activity on a private account
• Manual post checks are free but limited to posts you already know about
• Snoopreport and DolphinRadar track likes on public accounts for a monthly fee
• The following list is often more revealing than likes, and it’s free to check
• Monitoring activity doesn’t replace a direct conversation about trust

When likes hit a wall, the following list is where the real story often lives. Recently-Followed shows you exactly who any public Insta account has recently started following, in real time, with no login and no trace. It cuts straight to the activity that matters most, without the guesswork.

Commonly Asked Questions About Likes on Instagram

Can I see what pictures my boyfriend likes on Instagram?

Not directly. The fact is Instagram removed that feature in 2019. You can browse likes on specific public posts manually by searching for their username in the likes screen.

How do I see what pictures my girlfriend likes on Instagram?

Open a public post you’re interested in, tap the likes count, then explore the list. There’s no world where you can see all her likes at once natively.

Can you see your partner’s like history on the Instagram app?

No built-in feature shows this. You can check your own like history under Your Activity. For a partner’s history on public accounts, third-party tools are the only option.

Is there a way to see what posts someone likes past week on Instagram?

On public accounts, you can check individual post likes manually. Tools like Snoopreport compile weekly reports of liked posts, but private account activity stays completely cut off regardless.