Snapchat has become one of the most popular social media platforms, especially among younger audiences. One of Snapchat’s key features is Snapchat Stories, which allow users to post photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours. With over 265 million daily active users on Snapchat, Snapchat Stories have become a popular way to share moments throughout the day.
One common question Snapchat users have is whether they can see who has viewed their Snapchat Stories. The default setting on Snapchat does not allow you to see who has viewed your stories. Only you, the creator of the story, can see how many people have viewed your story in the past 24 hours. So if you’re wondering “can you see who watched your Snapchat story?” – the answer is no, Snapchat does not show you who has viewed your story.
However, there are some exceptions and workarounds that may allow you to see more information about who has watched your Snapchat Stories. In this article, we’ll explore whether there are any ways to see views on Snapchat Stories and how you can glean more insight into who is watching your content.
Can You See Who Viewed Your Snapchat Story?
The short answer is no, Snapchat does not provide a list of names or accounts of who has viewed your Stories on the default platform. This is by design to encourage users to share freely without worrying about who is watching their content.
When you post a Snapchat Story, you can see a count of how many people have viewed it in the past 24 hours, but there is no data on the individual viewers. Snapchat purposefully does not provide metrics on unique or repeat viewers. So unfortunately, if you’re wondering “can you see who viewed your Snapchat story?”, there is no way to do this natively through Snapchat.
Why Doesn’t Snapchat Show Individual Viewers?
Snapchat was designed as an intimate and ephemeral messaging app for sharing moments with your real-life friends. Snapchat Stories evolved as a way to share snapshots of your day more broadly with your connections on the platform. But the app was not intended to provide in-depth analytics on your content or followers.
Showing individual viewers could also lead users to draw unfair conclusions about who is interested in their content and could make some users uncomfortable if they knew exactly who watched their Stories. Snapchat wants to create a comfortable sharing experience.
Additionally, the 24-hour ephemeral nature of Stories means Snapchat does not need to retain granular data on which accounts view specific Stories. Once a Story disappears, Snapchat can delete the view data, which helps keep their servers from getting bogged down.
So for privacy and practicality reasons, Snapchat only shows the total view count on Stories and does not provide any further breakdown.
Does Snapchat Plus or Premium Show Who Views Your Story?
In June 2022, Snapchat launched Snapchat Plus, a paid subscription service that provides exclusive features for $3.99 per month. One of the key features Snapchat Plus offers is the ability to see who has rewatched your Story in the past 7 days.
However, even with Snapchat Plus, you still cannot see who has viewed your Story the first time. You can only see the accounts that have gone back to rewatch the same Story after it was initially posted.
Snapchat describes this Snapchat Plus feature as:
“See who rewatched your Story – Keep tabs on who’s replaying your Stories.”
So Snapchat Plus does give subscribers a bit more insight into their audience and engagement, but it does not provide a full list of accounts that have viewed your Story content the first time around.
In October 2022, Snapchat launched Snapchat Premium, which is another paid tier above Snapchat Plus at $11.99 per month. Snapchat Premium offers additional exclusive features, but still does not provide the ability to see all viewers of your Stories.
The main draw of Snapchat Premium is the ability to pin a particular friend to the top of your chat list for faster messaging. However, it does not offer any further capabilities related to Story views versus Snapchat Plus.
Summary
– Snapchat does not provide the list of accounts that have viewed your Stories to regular users
– Snapchat Plus allows you to see who has rewatched your Stories in the past 7 days, but not initial viewers
– Snapchat Premium does not offer any additional capabilities to see Story viewers versus Snapchat Plus
– There is no official way to see all the accounts that viewed your Snapchat Stories through any paid or free tier of the platform
So in summary – no, there is no definitive way to see who viewed your Snapchat Stories, even with a paid Snapchat Plus or Premium subscription. You can only see rewatchers, not the full viewers list.
Are There Any Workarounds to See Snapchat Story Views?
Since Snapchat purposefully does not show Story view metrics, there are no official workarounds within the app to see who has tapped into your Stories.
However, there are some techniques and third-party apps that claim to provide more visibility into Snapchat views and analytics. Here are some of the potential workarounds:
Snapchat Streaks
If you have a Snapchat “streak” going with a friend (where you have snapped back and forth for consecutive days), stories from friends with streaks will show at the top of your story list. So if you see a friend consistently at the top, there is a good chance they have viewed your story to keep the streak going.
However, this isn’t foolproof, as stories are sorted algorithmically based on a mix of factors, not just friends watching them. So you can’t entirely rely on streaks to know if someone is watching your content.
Who You Interact With
Snapchat displays Stories higher up in your friends’ lists if you frequently interact with that friend either via chats, stories, or snaps. So if you suddenly jump higher in a friend’s story feed, it’s possible they are viewing your stories more actively.
Again, this isn’t a surefire way to confirm views, as many other factors like recency and frequency of chats also impact the algorithm. But it can provide hints if you’re paying close attention to your ranking in friends’ feeds.
Third-Party Apps
There are some third-party apps like Snapchat++ and MSpy that claim to show Snapchat Story views. However, these apps often violate Snapchat’s terms of service and users would have to “jailbreak” or root their devices to install them. They carry security risks, so most experts recommend avoiding third-party apps promising to show anonymous Snapchat analytics. At best, they may provide estimates, not definitive view data.
Ask Friends
Of course, you could always just ask your friends directly if they watched your Stories! This gives you specific insight from the people closest to you if they tapped into your Snaps without having to rely on software workarounds. Open communication is often the most effective way to get transparency.
Summary
– Look for streaks consistently at the top as a clue friends are viewing
– Monitor who your Stories show higher up for as a possible signal of engagement
– Beware third-party apps that could compromise privacy or security
– Simply asking friends if they watched yields direct insights
There are hints like streaks and feed rankings to glean clues about Story views, but no silver bullet workaround to see the full list of first-time viewers. Proceed with caution using third-party apps and when in doubt, just ask friends directly.
How Many Views Do Snapchat Stories Get on Average?
Since Snapchat doesn’t show unique viewers, you may be wondering just how many views are typical for Snapchat Stories. Here are some estimates on average Snapchat Story view counts:
Personal Stories
For personal Snapchat Stories from average users, it’s common to get views in the range of 30-100 on a single Story. Typically, your Snapchat friends list and frequency of posting impacts your personal Story views. If you have over 200 friends and post at least a few times per week, your Stories will likely get 50-150 views each on average.
Business Accounts
For businesses, influencers, creators, and other public figures using Snapchat Stories for marketing, view counts are much higher. It’s not unusual for these accounts to get Views in the thousands or even hundreds of thousands on a single Story. For example, profiles like BuzzFeed and ESPN easily see Snapchat Stories with over 500,000 views each.
Influencers
Snapchat influencers with a few hundred thousand followers can expect to see an average of 20-30k views on their Stories. Superstar Snapchat influencers with over 1 million followers will often exceed 100-200k views per Story. The very top Snapchat stars can see Stories with 1-2 million views on truly viral Snaps.
Factors Impacting Views
Some factors that increase Snapchat Story views include:
– Having more friends/followers
– Frequently posting Stories
– Posting “thumb-stopping” content
– Using viral Sounds or lenses
– Having high Snapchat engagement overall
So while you can’t see who taps in, you can get a sense of your Snapchat Story reach through your total view count.
Pros and Cons of Snapchat Not Showing Views
The fact that Snapchat doesn’t allow you to see who viewed your Story has some pros and cons. Here is a quick breakdown:
Pros
– Encourages authentic, unfiltered sharing without worrying about judgments on views
– Avoids social pressure or toxicity related to view counts
– Prevents unwanted stalking or spying on who interacts with your content
– Reduces load on Snapchat’s servers by minimizing data retention needs
Cons
– Provides no insight into which friends or followers are engaging with your Stories
– Eliminates ability to track reach or gauge reactions from specific people
– Losing out on view metrics that other platforms provide for content analytics
– Harder to tell if intended audiences are actually seeing your Stories
The pros focus on privacy and the intended ephemeral experience of Snapchat. The cons center around lack of insights that could improve content and engagement. Overall, both viewpoints are valid.
The Verdict?
Snapchat’s decision aligns with their priorities on privacy and intimate sharing. For users craving analytics, it can be frustrating. But overall, Snapchat has succeeded in creating a comfortable self-expression platform based on their design choice to omit public view counts. The effort to maintain their core vision is admirable, even if some users and marketers disagree with the choice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some common FAQs around seeing Snapchat Story views:
Can you see who viewed your Snapchat Story more than once?
Snapchat Plus allows you to see who has rewatched your Story multiple times, but not the full list of unique viewers who watched it once.
Does deleting a Snapchat Story also delete the views?
Yes, when you delete a Snapchat Story the view count disappears with it. The view data is not accessible after the Story expires or is deleted.
Can you see the names of people who screenshot your Snapchat Story?
No, Snapchat does not reveal who has taken screenshots of your Stories. You can only see if someone has screenshotted your one-on-one Snap.
Can you see views on Snapchat Memories or posted Snapchat videos?
It’s the same view count functionality for Snapchat Memories and posted videos to your Story. You can only see the total overall views, not individual accounts.
Is there a way to see live views as friends are watching your Snapchat Story?
No, Snapchat does not have a live view or viewer count. You can only see the total views after the Story expires in 24 hours.
The Bottom Line
While Snapchat doesn’t offer the view analytics available on sites like Instagram or Facebook, the platform has succeeded in creating an environment focused on authentic connection without the pressure of public metrics.
The overall intent is admirable, even if the lack of insight frustrates some users. Snapchat has stuck to their values, favoring privacy and intimacy over vanity metrics around views.
If you absolutely need to know who is watching your content, Snapchat may not provide the analytics you desire. But for those who prefer sharing special moments with their closest circles, Snapchat delivers that intimate experience – even without the view receipts.