By Tyler Lacoma
TikTok allows a limited look at who's viewing you. Here's how it works
Source: Pexels
Are you curious about who's watching your TikToks? That's a common feeling. Most people on TikTok (and similar apps like Instagram and Snapchat) have occasionally wanted to know if someone is creeping on them. Or maybe you're interested in whether a crush has been scouting through past videos or what sort of viewers are following you after working so hard to create quality videos with your phone.
We have good news and bad news. The bad news is that you can't look up the detailed stats of each video you make on TikTok. It would be too much for the app to supply the profiles of everyone who watches every video, not to mention unpleasant for privacy purposes.
The good news is that you can do a little reverse-snooping on your TikTok profile with the new features within limits. Here's how it works and what you need to do.
Can you see who watched your TikTok videos?
No, not directly. You can use basic analytics to track how many views a video gets, along with basic information like likes, comments, or shares. You can dig deeper and look at things like average watch time and traffic sources to see where people are coming from. Those metrics are helpful when tracking engagement and provide demographic info so that you know the regions where your videos are most popular. Still, it doesn't say what profiles are watching those videos unless they've let you know with a like or a comment.
But you have an additional option that's helpful. You can look at how many people are viewing your TikTok profile and, with the correct settings in place, you can see the profiles of those who recently viewed your profile. That won't let you track video watching, but it can give you an idea about who dug further and looked up your profile information.
How to see your TikTok profile views
With a few simple steps, you can enable the ability to view who has seen your TikTok profile (or turn it on when you're setting up). This method works on Android, iPhone/iOS, and other platforms as long as you can find settings. Please note that it only works if you are registered as 16 years old or older on your TikTok account. Also — and this is the big caveat — you can only see someone's profile if they turned on profile views. Both sides need to agree to be visible. Otherwise, people stay unseen.
- Open your TikTok app.
- In the lower-right corner, select the person-like Profile icon to head to your Profile.
- Once in your profile, select the three-line menu icon (the hamburger menu in the upper-right corner) to access Settings. Some versions of TikTok have an icon of footprints that takes you to Profile Views.
- Select Settings and Privacy.
- Select Privacy.
- Select Profile views.
- Look for the section that says Profile view history. The Profile view history is typically toggled off. Make sure this functionality is toggled on. This opens a window of notifications showing TikTok users that looked at your profile page.
The profile viewer shows recent accounts that visited your profile within the past 30 days. They appear automatically in your profile view history section. You can toggle this ability on and off whenever you want.
Account views work both ways. If you see that an account viewed yours and you want to take a closer look, that account could have the same settings enabled. That means they can tell you viewed their account as long as you both turned on the feature.
This feature has built-in limits. If you have more than 5,000 followers, the Profile view history doesn't work. At a certain point, it becomes unfeasible for the parameters of the TikTok app and its servers.
Note about TikTok reposts
TikTok reposts and embeds can limit the amount of information you receive and may make it difficult for people to view your profile. If you want to maximize views, TikTok wants people on its app. TikTok videos shown elsewhere may not get the same analytics results, even if people are watching your videos. That's why many people cross-post on a variety of platforms.
Now you're ready to keep an eye on your TikTok account
You may not be able to track who has watched every video on your TikTok account. However, you can track many TikTok analytics, including video views, who liked it, and how long people watch on average. If you and your viewers are both open with your TikTok profiles, you can see who viewed your general profile recently, which may provide useful info.
If you're worried about TikTok's privacy issues, the issue is complicated. We talk more about it here, but generally, the worst issues of TikTok also plague other social media platforms. It's always important to consider your security and what habits will improve your privacy.
