Viewing Facebook stories anonymously is a common desire for many social media users. With over 2 billion monthly active users, Facebook is one of the most popular social networks worldwide. The platform’s stories feature allows users to post photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours. While stories provide a fun way to share temporary content with friends, some users wish to lurk anonymously. Thankfully, with the right tools and settings, you can view Facebook stories without being detected.
Why Do People Want to View Stories Anonymously?
There are a few key reasons why someone may want to view Facebook stories anonymously:
- Privacy – To avoid letting friends or followers know you’ve viewed their stories
- Stalking Exes – Keeping tabs on an ex’s activity without them knowing
- Celebrity Accounts – Viewing celebrity stories without showing up as a viewer
- Market Research – Businesses viewing competitors’ stories for marketing intelligence
While the ethics behind anonymous viewing are debatable, the desire for discretion online is understandable. Facebook’s settings make it challenging to lurk undetected, but not impossible with the right approach.
How Facebook Stories Work
To understand how to view stories anonymously, it helps to first understand how Facebook stories work. When a user posts a story, it appears at the top of the news feed and lasts for 24 hours. Friends and followers can view and react to stories via the mobile app and Facebook’s website.
Unlike Instagram or Snapchat stories, Facebook provides posters with insights on who has viewed each story. A list of viewers appears under each story, with profile pictures representing each viewer.
This makes it nearly impossible to view stories anonymously by default, since your profile picture will show up under a friend’s story if you view it. But third-party apps and extensions provide workarounds to enable anonymous watching.
Method 1: Use a Third-Party App
One of the easiest ways to view Facebook stories anonymously is by using a third-party mobile app. Several apps have been created specifically for the purpose of anonymous Facebook and Instagram stalking. Here are some top options:
Anonymous Story Viewer
Anonymous Story Viewer (ASV) is a free app available for iOS and Android devices. After installing ASV:
- Open the app and connect your Facebook account
- View any public Facebook story without the poster being notified
- Toggle anonymous viewing on/off for specific friends
ASV also lets you download stories to your camera roll and repost anonymous story reactions using emoji.
Story Savebox
Story Savebox works similarly to ASV, providing anonymous story viewing for Facebook and Instagram. Key features include:
- View all public stories without being detected
- Save others’ stories to your camera roll
- Anonymous reactions and comments
One advantage of Story Savebox is that it removes stories you’ve already viewed from the app’s feed. This avoids wasting time scrolling past stories you’ve already seen.
Social Viewer
Social Viewer offers Facebook story anonymization along with anonymous feeds for Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok. After connecting your accounts, you can:
- View all public stories without appearing as a viewer
- Save stories to your device storage
- Repost others’ stories as your own
Social Viewer stands out for its broad support across multiple networks with solid anonymous viewing capabilities.
| App | Platforms | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Anonymous Story Viewer | iOS, Android | Free |
| Story Savebox | iOS, Android | Free |
| Social Viewer | iOS, Android | Free |
Method 2: Use a Chrome Extension
In addition to mobile apps, Chrome browser extensions provide another quick way to view Facebook stories anonymously right from your computer:
FB Anonymous Story Viewer
This handy Chrome extension lets you view any public Facebook story without leaving a trace. After adding the extension:
- Visit Facebook.com and click the extension icon
- View stories normally and they will load anonymously
- Disable for specific friends if desired
FB Anonymous Story Viewer is completely free and doesn’t require any account logins or fees.
StorySaver for Instagram & Facebook
While designed primarily for Instagram, StorySaver also enables anonymous watching for Facebook Stories. Using the extension you can:
- View public stories anonymously
- Save others’ stories to your computer
- Repost stories as your own
In addition to anonymous viewing, StorySaver stands out for its robust downloading and reposting capabilities.
| Extension | Browser | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| FB Anonymous Story Viewer | Chrome | Free |
| StorySaver | Chrome | Free |
Method 3: Adjust Facebook Settings
In addition to third-party apps and extensions, you can also use Facebook’s own settings to view some stories anonymously. However, options are limited compared to dedicated anonymization tools.
Turn Off Active Status
By default, Facebook shows when you are actively using the site. Friends can see when you are online, which exposes your story viewing activity. To hide your active status:
- Click the arrow in the top right of Facebook
- Select “Settings & Privacy” then “Settings”
- Click “Active Status” on the left menu
- Uncheck “Show when you’re active”
Now you can browse Facebook without signaling you are online. But friends will still see if you view their stories. Disabling active status provides limited anonymity.
Restrict Story Reactions
Another small step toward anonymous story viewing is to restrict who can see your story reactions. Reacting to a story (e.g. tapping “like”) leaves evidence that you’ve viewed it. To adjust reaction privacy:
- Go to “Settings & Privacy” then “Settings”
- Click “Privacy” on the left menu
- Select “How people can find and contact you”
- Under “Who can see your reactions on posts and stories?” select “Only Me”
With this setting, you can react to stories anonymously. But friends can still see if you view their content.
FAQs About Anonymous Story Viewing
Some common questions arise around viewing Facebook stories anonymously. Here are answers to a few frequently asked questions.
Is anonymous story viewing allowed?
Facebook’s terms of service do not explicitly prohibit anonymous viewing. However, the platform certainly does not make viewing stories incognito easy. While Facebook likely discourages the practice, plenty of users find ways to lurk discreetly.
Can anonymous viewers see who viewed their stories?
No – the point of anonymous story viewing is leaving no trace from the viewer’s side. When using apps and extensions that enable anonymous watching, other users will not know you viewed their stories.
Do anonymous viewers show up as numbered viewers?
In some cases, yes. Even if someone views your story anonymously, Facebook may indicate an anonymous viewer in the viewer count. So you may see “15 viewers” even if only 14 are shown by name. But the anonymous person’s identity remains hidden.
Can I share stories anonymously?
Some third-party apps allow anonymous sharing of others’ stories to your own feed. Reposting anonymously varies by app capabilities. However, downloading and reposting tends to be an explicit feature.
Is Anonymous Viewing Ethical?
While reasonably achievable from a technical standpoint, the ethics of anonymous Facebook story viewing are questionable. Some considerations around lurking incognito include:
- Viewer consent – People post stories expecting friends to see them, not anonymous lurkers.
- User expectations – Facebook’s interface implies story viewers will be shown publicly.
- Harmful activities – Enables stalking, spying, and other objectionable behavior.
That said, MOTIVATIONS also matter. Well-intended watching, like keeping tabs on a struggling friend, differs from more objectionable voyeurism. Ultimately, anonymous viewing should be used judiciously and ethically.
Conclusion
Viewing Facebook stories anonymously involves using third-party mobile apps, Chrome extensions, or adjusting Facebook settings. Dedicated apps like Anonymous Story Viewer provide the most robust way to lurk incognito. Browser extensions like FB Anonymous Story Viewer also work well for anonymous watching directly on Facebook.com. For limited anonymity, you can also turn off Facebook’s active status indicator and restrict who can see your story reactions.
While plausible, ethical concerns exist around viewing stories anonymously without consent. This capability should be used selectively based on motivations and potential impact on others. However, for those who wish to view Facebook stories discreetly for legitimate purposes, the option exists thanks to helpful anonymity tools.