Have you ever accidentally liked Instagram posts while spying on a crush or an ex?! Rest assured, It happens to the best of us!
It’s one of those awkward moments that can make your heart skip a beat. You’re left hoping and praying that the person whose post you unintentionally liked doesn’t get a notification about it!
Other questions may also come to your mind. For instance, you might ask, ‘If I like and unlike a photo on Instagram, will my followers see it?’ Or ‘if I accidentally liked Instagram posts and then unlike them, will they show up?’
This article offers advice on handling this situation and whether others can see if you accidentally liked a post on Instagram. So, if you’ve ever pondered these questions, keep reading to get the definitive answer!
Table of Contents
✨I Accidentally Liked Instagram Post: Key Takeaways
- When you accidentally liked a post on Instagram and then unliked it immediately, the person who posted it might not get a notification, especially if they have turned off push notifications.
- Remember that if you like a post and then unlike it on Instagram immediately, the person who made the post will receive a push notification if they have notifications turned on.
- Generally, the greater the gap between liking and unliking a post on Instagram, the more likely it is to be noticed. Take, for instance, if you accidentally liked an Instagram post and only realized it five minutes later. During those five minutes, you are allowing them to notice your likes. To keep an accidentally liked Instagram photo out of sight, you must do it quickly, within 10 seconds.
- Click the heart button ♡ again to unlike accidentally liked Instagram posts.
What Happens If You Accidentally Liked an Instagram Post and Then Unliked It?
You must know it depends on time and some other issues! Yep, time matters here!
Let’s see how quickly the person whose post you accidentally liked on Instagram becomes aware of it. As a matter of fact, after you accidentally liked Instagram posts, the app will immediately send a notification to that user’s phone. The notification appears as a message like ‘@X liked your photo.’ So, Instagram push notifications are transmitted at the speed of light.
However, Instagram won’t show the username of the person who liked the photo unless they’ve activated the initial Instagram push notification. Luckily, many Instagrammers and influencers don’t enable push notifications for likes, especially if they receive tons of likes from their audience. So, if you accidentally liked Instagram posts and regretted it, they might not understand after all!
If You Like and Quickly Unlike on Instagram, Does It Show?
Let’s face it: who hasn’t accidentally liked a post on Instagram? Instagram accidental likes usually happen when scrolling through the latest Instagram posts or zooming in. To like an Instagram post, all it takes is a quick double-tap or hit the heart button below the post, and the post creator gets an instant heads-up notification.
If you accidentally liked a post on Instagram, the person who posted it will receive a notification. Nevertheless, the notification disappears as soon as you unlike the post. Timing is everything here. Your target might see the notification if they are online at the same time. However, nothing will be noticed if they aren’t around.
If You Unlike A Post On Instagram, Will The Person Know?
No. Unliking a post is a discreet action that generates no notifications or alerts to the post creator.
Your decision to remove your like remains private and will not be visible to the person whose post you unliked.
Nonetheless, choosing to unlike implies that you had previously accidentally liked Instagram posts. Therefore, if the person receives a notification of your initial like and later checks the post’s likes but doesn’t find it, they will realize you have unliked it.
If you accidentally liked a photo on Instagram and then unliked it instantly and their push notification is off, they would not receive any notifications. You’re feeling a sense of relief, right?
The only time that you might be at risk is if their Instagram push notification is on. And when you accidentally liked a post on Instagram and then unliked it, they were online, checking their Instagram app simultaneously. This is a rare accident that happens once in a blue moon!
Liking or unliking an Instagram post within a very short time frame (i.e., 10 seconds) will probably not be noticed by the person who posted the photo. You have just ten seconds to unlike that accidentally liked Instagram post before it gets noticed!
Now, you might ask, what if when unliking Instagram photos, their push notification is turned on? So, If I unlike a photo on Instagram, will my followers see it?
Absolutely! The answer is a resounding yes!
Therefore, if you accidentally liked and unliked a post on Instagram after the mentioned 10 seconds, there is no recovery option! Probably, you’d prefer to change your profile and bio and cover yourself!
Suggested Post: Best Instagram Unfollow Apps
What If You Like Someone’s Post On Instagram, Then Unlike It And Block Them?
If you like someone’s post on Instagram, then unlike it and block them, the person will not receive a notification about your actions. When you unlike a post, the notification about your like is removed, and blocking the person prevents them from accessing your profile and interacting with you on the platform.
It’s important to note that blocking is one-sided, meaning the blocked user won’t know if they have been blocked. However, they may infer they have been blocked if they notice the lack of interaction with your account or the inability to access your profile.
Blocking someone on Instagram cuts off any connection between the two accounts. They won’t be able to see your profile, posts, or stories, and they won’t receive any notifications about your actions, including likes or unlikes.
What Happens If You Unlike Then Like A Photo On Instagram?
If you unlike and then like a photo on Instagram, the person who posted the content will receive two separate notifications about your actions. Here’s what happens step by step:
Liking the Photo: When you accidentally liked a photo on Instagram, the person who posted it will receive a notification that you liked their post. This notification is sent immediately after you hit the like button.
Unliking the Photo: If you accidentally liked a photo on Instagram and then unlike it, the person who posted it will receive a push notification if their notifications are enabled.
Liking Again: If you choose to like the photo again after unliking it, the person will receive another notification about your new like. The like count will increase by one, and the notification will indicate that you liked the post.
If you like and immediately unlike an Instagram photo and then relike it, the person who shared it will only get one Activity alert for the most recent like. If push notifications are enabled, they’ll receive just one notification for the original like.
However, unliking and liking a photo doesn’t leave any visible trace on your profile or public activity feed. It’s a private action; only the person who posted the photo will receive notifications about it.
What Happens If You Accidentally Liked Photo on Instagram Twice?
If you like an Instagram photo twice, the platform treats it as a single like. When you like a photo for the first time, the like count increases by one, and the person who posted the photo receives a notification about your action.
If you accidentally double-tap the photo and like it again, the like count doesn’t increase further. The Instagram algorithm recognizes that you have already liked the photo and does not generate an additional notification for the second like.
So, liking an Instagram photo twice has no significant impact other than registering one like on the photo and sending the initial notification to the post’s creator. It’s a common occurrence and doesn’t create visible traces or additional notifications on your profile or the person’s activity feed.
What Happens If You Accidentally Like A Photo On Instagram And Then Unlike It And Then Disable Your Account?
If you accidentally like a photo on Instagram and then unlike it and subsequently disable or deactivate your Instagram account, the sequence of events unfolds as follows:
Accidentally Liking a Photo: When you accidentally liked Instagram photo, the person who posted the content will receive a notification about your like, just like any other regular like action.
Unliking the Photo: If you like and quickly unlike on Instagram posts, the like count on the photo or video will decrease by one, indicating that you removed your like. However, unliking a photo doesn’t generate any additional notifications.
Disabling or Deactivating Your Account: If you disable or deactivate your Instagram account after unliking the photo, your account will no longer be accessible to other users. It will be temporarily hidden from public view, and your profile, posts, and activities will not be visible on the platform.
Effects on the Liked Photo: While disabling your account doesn’t directly impact the accidentally liked Instagram post, your like will still be registered unless you delete your account before the notification is sent. However, since your account has been deactivated, your username and profile information will no longer appear in the liked post.
Notifications after Deactivation: Once your account is disabled, you won’t be able to receive or send notifications, and your activities will no longer be visible to other users on the platform.
It’s important to note that deactivating your IG account differs from permanently deleting it. When you disable your account, you can reactivate it on Instagram.com anytime by logging back in.
But if you permanently delete your IG account, all your data will be erased from Instagram, including likes, comments, and followers, and this action is irreversible.
If I Unlike a Photo on Instagram, Will My Followers See It?
You accidentally liked Instagram post and have taken your like back, but are still wondering if your followers will notice or not?
If you unlike a photo on Instagram, your followers will not receive any notification or be informed about the action. Unliking a photo is discreet, and your followers will not see any indication that you previously liked the photo. The process of unliking is private and will not be visible to others on the platform.
Having grasped the entire process of liking and unliking Instagram posts, it’s time to explore how to remove a like on Instagram in case you accidentally liked Instagram posts and then decided to unlike it.
How To Remove A Like On Instagram
Want to know how to unlike on Instagram? To remove a like on Instagram, follow these steps:
- Open the Instagram App: Launch the Instagram app on your mobile device and log in to your account, if necessary.
- Navigate to the Liked Post: Go to the profile of the person whose post you have liked. Find the specific post that you want to remove your like from.
- Unlike the Post: Tap the ‘heart’ icon below the post. The heart icon turns red when you have liked a post. When you tap on it again, it will turn back to white, indicating that you have unliked the post.
Instagram will not ask for confirmation before removing your like; the action is immediate. The like count on the post will decrease by one.
That’s it! You have successfully removed your Like from the Instagram post.
Where Can I See the Posts I’ve Liked Before?
You might have liked a post on Instagram and moved on. Now, if you want to unlike it or just see the liked post, there’s a simple solution. There’s a section on IG where you can see the posts you have previously liked. All you have to do is follow these steps:
- Open your profile page on IG.
- Then, tap the three horizontal lines in the top right corner.
- Next, select ‘Settings.’
- On the list that appears, tap ‘Your Activity.’
- Finally, scroll down to find ‘Posts you’ve liked.’
FAQs About Accidentally Liked Instagram Posts
If you have read all the above explanations vividly, everything must be clear. Still, you might have some other questions. That’s why we’ve prepared a ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ section so that you can find all the answers to your questions about ‘I accidentally liked an Instagram post!’
Q1. Who Will Be Notified If I Like and Unlike a Comment on Instagram?
When you accidentally like a comment on instagram, they’ll get a heads-up. But if you change your mind and unlike it later, they won’t know. The person will receive a notification when you like their comment. But they will not be notified if you unlike the comment shortly afterward.
Q2. How Do I Unlike a Story on Instagram?
To unlike a story on Instagram, follow these simple steps. First, open the Instagram app on your mobile device and navigate to the profile of the user whose story you liked. Once you are on their story, you will see a heart icon (❤️) at the bottom of the screen, indicating that you liked the story. To remove your like, tap the heart icon (❤️) again. The heart will no longer be filled in, signifying that your like has been successfully removed. Unliking a story on Instagram is a discreet action, and the user will not be notified about your previous like or unlike.
Q3. If I Accidentally Liked Instagram Posts and Then Unlike Them, Will They Show Up?
Based on my tests, if you unlike a post immediately after liking it (i.e., less than 10 seconds), the other user might not see that you liked their Instagram post. To see it, they would need to be online and monitor their notifications when you accidentally liked Instagram post. But if they refresh their notifications again, the like will disappear.