We’ve all stalked someone for no apparent reason and have accidentally liked a photo of theirs that was posted three years ago. It’s embarrassing, to say the least.
But what if we told you there’s a way to still look through people’s profiles without risking liking their photo on accident?
How to Scroll Through Pictures Without Accidentally Liking Them
There is no official way to disable the liking ability on Instagram, TikTok, or any other social media platform out there. With that said, we do have a few tips that we would like you to apply next time you decide to look at someone’s old pictures without risking liking any of them.
Read more: How To Hide Instagram Photos You’ve Been Tagged In
Make Sure the Phone Screen and Your Fingers Are Completely Dry
If you’ve ever used YouTube while in the shower or browsed any app on your phone in a wet area, sometimes, when your screen is moist or wet, it can start to play up.
When your phone’s screen is moist or wet, it can react and can start scrolling up or down without you touching the screen. In some cases, it even triggers the buttons on the screen to take action.
And if you’re mid-way scrolling through someone’s Instagram, you are at a high risk of your phone liking someone’s photo or video without you being involved in the process at all.
So, if you want to reduce the risk of liking someone’s photo or video on any social media platform, make sure to only browse their profile when your phone and hands are completely dry.
Scroll to the Opposite Side of the Like Button
The like button is positioned in a different place depending on the social media platform that you’re using. For example, on Instagram, the like button is positioned to the left, while on TikTok, the like button is positioned to the right.
One of the best ways of scrolling through someone’s old photos or videos without risking clicking the like button is to simply scroll on the opposite side of the screen.
This may be uncomfortable initially, but it’s better than liking someone’s photo or video and wondering how to prevent them from finding out.
Read more: How To Adjust Settings To Approve Instagram Tagged Photos Before They Appear In Your Profile
Make Your Scrolls Thorough
When looking through someone’s social media profile, you don’t want to be carelessly flicking through. If you do that, you’re risking liking one of their pieces of content by mistake.
Instead, do controlled scrolls from bottom to top with your finger flat on the screen. That way, you will be in complete control over what is happening on your screen, minimizing the chances of accidental likes.
What to Do if You’ve Accidentally Liked Someone’s Picture
If you’ve accidentally liked someone’s picture and don’t want them to think you’re stalking them, unlike it immediately. If you manage to do it in time, the notification might not go through.
If you’ve left the picture liked for too long and think that the notification has gone through, you can either let it be and deal with the embarrassment, or like one user on Twitter who shared their experience with the situation, you can change your name and profile picture right away.
That way, when they see that someone liked their old photo, they’ll see an entirely new name and picture and won’t think much of it. After a day, you can return to your old name and photo like nothing ever happened.
You can read additional Instagram articles here.
